The writers of the Old Testament borrowed liberally from the Babylonian king Hammurabi. There is arguably more in common between the Old Testament and Babylonian writings and beliefs that between the teachings in the Old Testament and modern day Christianity and Judaism. Reading the following is like reading the Old Testament. Whereas religious discussions with any given Christian or Jew will generally result in some explanation as to why these items are no longer a part of the faith (if they even realize they ever were).

The breadth of the subjects treated by these 282 "laws" is striking. The code opens with penalties for witchcraft and spells (§§ 1, 2) and judgments regarding false witness and judges that tamper with testimony or justice (§§ 3-5). The code treats of numerous criminal matters, including theft (§§ 6-8), stolen property (§§ 9-12), continuance of trial for lack of witnesses (§ 13), kidnapping (§ 14), escape and kidnapping of slaves (§§ 15-20), and burglary, brigandage, and looting (§§ 21-25). The code contains precepts covering social relations in civil society and the administration of government (§§ 26-41). The agricultural flavor of Babylonian society is clearly manifest in those provisions that address the cultivation of land, the relations between landowner and farm laborer (§§ 42-52), the maintenance of canals, the responsibility for damages caused to crops by careless farmers (§§ 53-56) or shepherds and their sheep (§§ 57, 58), and matters involving land and orchards (§§ 59-65). Though chiseled off from the original stele by Shutruk-Nahhunte, the next provisions dealt with loans and house-renting.7 Next, the "code" deals with interest, relations between merchants and with agents (§§ 100-107), the wine business (§§ 108-111), transportation of goods (§ 112), debts (§§ 113-119), and grain storagey and deposits (§§ 120-126). Following these, focus is given to the family and relations between the sexes, including slander against women, adultery, rape, unchastity, incest, marriage, dowries, separation, divorce, concubinage, and women's property (§§ 127-164). Principles of inheritance as they concerned children, wives, widows, concubines, slaves, and others are then detailed (§§ 165-184), as are judgments regarding adoption and foster-children (§§ 185-193). Standards regarding wrongful death and personal injury are treated by the code (§§ 194-214), as are the fees, duties, and liability of physicians and veterinarians (§§ 215-225), wrongful branding of slaves (§§ 226-227), the rights and duties of home builders, (§§ 228-233), ship-builders (§ 234), and boatmen and ships (§§ 235-240). The remaining precepts return to agricultural topics, covering oxen (§§ 241-249), injuries caused by goring oxen (§§ 250-252), and the hiring of persons, animals, wagons, and boats and ships (§§ 253-277). Finally, the last provisions of the "code" deal with servants, the slave-trade, and rebellious slaves (§§ 278-282).

§ 247: If a man hire an ox and destroy its eye: he shall pay silver to the owner of the ox to the extent of one-half its value.

§ 196-If a man destroy the eye of another man, they shall destroy his.

§ 196-If one break a man's bone, they shall break his bone.

§ 200-If a man knock out a tooth of a man of his own rank, they shall knock out his tooth.

When a man causes a disfigurement in his neighbor, as he has done It shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has disfigured a man, he shall be disfigured.

Lev. 24:19-20; see also Exodus 21:23-25; Deut. 19:21.



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