Random Weirdest Rules in the Bible (15 items)

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  (#11) Don't Eat Fat

  "It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood." Leviticus 3:17

  Wait ... what?: Some biblical scholars say this means you can't eat fat from an animal intended for ritual sacrifice. Others say the edict was for "self-denial and mortification of [our] appetites, even in those things which probably many of [us] would much desire." Still others say it was referring only to the suet of an animal and "not to the fat diffused in small particles throughout the flesh."
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  (#8) Don't Tear Your Clothes

  "And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled." Leviticus 10:6

  Wait ... what?: This particular rule was intended for Aaron and his sons, and basically meant, "Don't show grief, just accept the Lord's punishment" (tearing your clothes was a sign of grieving and mourning). The Bible doesn't say you can't wear torn jeans.
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  (#15) You Can't Leave Open Pits Around for Animals to Fall Into

  "And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his." Exodus 21:33-34

  Wait ... what?: This sounds strange to modern folks, but it's basically just saying to cover your wells (or any other big hole). Animals tend to fall into deep holes in the ground, and if there's water at the bottom of those deep holes, they'll likely drown.
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  (#10) Don't Eat Owls

  "And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;  Every raven after his kind;  And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat." Leviticus 11:13-19

  Wait ... what?: The Bible says we shouldn't eat a lot of things, but it definitely doesn't want us to eat owls. It's very specific: don't eat owls, little owls, or great owls. But why? Scholars say it's because they're considered to be "gross feeders, devourers of flesh or offal, and therefore offensive to the taste." They are also "ravenous and cruel, or such as delight in the night and darkness, or such as feed upon impure things." The flesh of fowls that eat "vegetable substances," the scholars infer, is okay for us to devour.
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  (#13) Make Sure No One Falls Off Your Roof

  "When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence." Deuteronomy 22:8

  Wait ... what?: This means everyone should have a safe roof, basically. This was especially important when most roofs were flat, and therefore needed a small railing to make sure that no one could fall off. It was serious business, too: "Neglect of this law would be punished under the laws on manslaughter and maiming." It's kind of like building codes in modern times.
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  (#6) You Can't Kill a Burglar During the Day

  "If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft." Exodus 22:2-3

  Wait ... what?: The idea here is that killing a burglar at night is most likely an act of self-defense, but killing them during the day is a missed opportunity to identify and catch the thief. There was also the belief that nighttime break-ins implied a "murderous intent" and thus to "shed the blood of the burglar" was justified.

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