No person devoted to destruction may be redeemed; they are to be put to death. The herem applied to persons — the irrevocable devotion of a person to destruction — results in death. The herem judgment that appears in the conquest narratives (the devoted cities of Canaan) is the most severe application of the covenant's devotion principle: what is devoted to the Lord under herem cannot be redeemed, converted to ordinary use, or released. The devotion is absolute and irreversible.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse