Random Weirdest Rules in the Bible (15 items)

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  (#1) When Fighting Another Man, Chop Off His Wife's Hand If She Grabs Your Genitals

  "When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her." Deuteronomy 25:11-12

  Wait ... what?: Yes, the "secrets" here are genitals, but "cut off her hand" means just that. This sentence was later interpreted as metaphorical (i.e., "a fine of the value of the hand").
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  (#2) Women Suspected of Adultery Have to Drink Dirty Water

  "If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him ... and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband ... the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water ... this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot." Numbers 5:11-31

  Wait ... what?: This one is complicated. Some people think the dirty water was supposed to cause an abortion; others think it would to pressure the woman into a confession. Regardless, there's no denying the idea was for the alleged adulteress to drink a mix of holy water and tabernacle floor dust.
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  (#3) Don't Sit Where a Menstruating Woman Has Sat

  "And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even." Leviticus 15:19-21

  Wait ... what?: This literally means that people shouldn't sit in the same spot a woman sat when she was on her period, because a woman on her period was thought to be unclean.
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  (#4) If Your Slave Refuses Freedom, Pierce Their Ear

  "And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever." Exodus 21:5-6

  Wait ... what?: A.J. Jacobs puts it best: "A man, it’s argued, should embrace freedom. An ear hole is a mark of humiliation, another reason why he should leave his master."
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  (#5) Don't Wear Clothes Made of Both Linen and Wool

  "Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee." Leviticus 19:19

  Wait ... what?: There is some disagreement on this one. It could be because “wool and linen were appointed for the priests alone.” Another thought is that mixing wool and linen "brings on malignant fevers and exhausts the strength."
  
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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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  (#7) Never Boil a Baby Goat in Its Mother's Milk

  "The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk." Exodus 23:19

  Wait ... what?: This rule - mentioned three times in the Bible - could have been intended to prevent the superstitious practice of using the boiled milk as a "charm" for making fields and orchards "more productive." Another theory is that this was simply a reminder to be "civilized" and not make the mother "an accomplice in the death of her child."
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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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  (#9) Don't Plant More Than One Kind of Seed in a Field

  "Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee." Leviticus 19:19

  Wait ... what?: This seemingly impractical rule may have been intended to put a stop to superstitious practices regarding the planting of seeds. Another theory is that certain seeds actually should not be "mingled" and thus this is a good rule (although it is certainly lacking in specifics).
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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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  (#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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  (#12) Don't Speak the Names of Other Gods

  "And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth." Exodus 23:13

  Wait ... what?: This is just what it sounds like, really: ignore the names of all other gods - in fact, don't even say their names. Some scholars interpret this to mean "never mention them but with detestation."
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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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  (#14) You Have to Leave Fallen Grapes on the Ground for the Poor to Eat

  "And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:10

  Wait ... what?: This is fairly straightforward, actually, but there are some nuances (it doesn't just mean: "If grapes fall to the ground, let the poor eat them"). Historians interpret it like this: "If fewer than three grapes are on the vine or ground after harvesting your vineyard, let the poor Israelites or foreigners who can't own land in Israel have them."
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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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