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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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