Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1858-05-26

and from a misapprehension of the
meaning Of the word shall which is
found in it. When we read this clause
separate from the rest, it looks like a
command: the word shall which is now
used in a mandatory sense, gives it this
appearance. But it it not necessarily
so to be understood: shall is the legiti-
mate old English simple future; and as
such is used throughout the Bible: and
though we, at this day, when we would
foretell or describe, generally use acW
instead of shall; we do SO by following
the Scotch, and not the old English
idiom. Applying the idiom which we
now use, this clause may be read,
''Whoso sheddeth mans blood by man
will his blood be shed:" and by consid-
ering the whole passage together we
shall soon see that this is the reading
which the sense requires.
Ut may not be amiss to remark here
that Michaelis and some others say
that achoso in the passage under con-
sideration, would better be rendered
achatsoever, and, though the argument
which [ wish to present has no depen-
dence upon it, l think that his render
ing agrees best with the sense of the
preceding passage.)
1t should always be kept in mind in
reading the Old Testament account of
matters prior to the days of Moses,
that Moses was the writer of those ac-
counts, and that he wrote in the Ian
guage ofhis own times. By inattention
to this fact, we are liable continually to
be led into error, while attention to will
enable us easily to come out of many
difficulties. Those who think the text
was meant to order the taking of life,
and not to prohibit it might obtain
some light upon it, by remembering
this fact.
In the days of Moses human life had
lost It's proper sacredness, in the minds
Of the people generally. This is evi-
dent from the multitude of crimes that
were made capital. Retaliation and
revenge were the order of the times
His laws requiring eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, and life for life,
were but reiteration of the common
customs OF laws then current in all
Asia; and his law appointing cities Of
refuge was modification or a re-
striction made by him upon COM
mon law or custom which suffered the
avenge of blood to slay, the murderer
or him who had accidentally slain a
man, wherever and whenever he could
find him. That such custom did pre-
vail, and that the blood avenger was
human, before the time of Moses is evi-
dent from the remark which Rebecca
made to Jacob when Esau was plotting
to kill him-''Why should be deprived
of you both in one day?"-ie. "Why
should he kill you, and be killed him.
self by the avenger of blood, and so II
be deprived of you both in one day."
Moses, guided by the light of Gods
Law to him from Sinai, did what he
could to restrain the blood avenger,
and restore proper idea of the sacred
ness Of human life, and its inviolability
by modification Of the common law.
which he. could not wholly exclude
from his civil code because of the hard
ness-of-heart of the people: and, guided
ed by the same light, and to express
the inviolability Of human life, that it
may not, for any cause, be taken with
incurring guilt, and the shedder of
blood being held responsible before
God, he framed the language of the
text as an expression Of the will of God
made known to Noah, as it was also
made to him, ''Thou shalt not kiH:''-
''And surely the blood of your lives will
[ require: at the hand of every beast
will require, and at the hand of man.;
at the hand of every mans brother
will [ require the life of man: for (by
the law of retalliation) whose 'sheddeth
mans blood, by man will his blood be
she'd" and crime and murder would 90
on to endless extent This seems to
me to be very plain language. Hcan-
not mean, as it is commonly understood
to mean, that men or governments may
innocently take the life Of man for any
cause whatever, and to command them
to do it; for if require has this sense
when spoken of man of every mans
brother, it also has this sense when spo-
ken of the beasts; and if the expression
sat the hand of man, at the hand of
every mans brother, will require the
life of man, is Law of God requiring
man to slay the murderer, the express