Where did capital punishment originate from? Who invented it? For what reason was it given?
“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man.” Genesis 9:5-6
Thus we see that capital punishment was ordained by God, to be carried out according to the powers that be ordained of God, see Romans 13:1-5.
Capital punishment was incorporated into Israel, by God’s laws, making Israel the model society to the rest of the world: “Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of the murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.” Numbers 35:30,31,33
Murder is to wrongly take a man’s life. Capital punishment is to rightly take the life of a murderer, who has wrongly taken the life of another — according to God’s ordained decree, which states that the murderer “….is guilty of death.” Numbers 35:31
It would be wrong to take an innocent person and lock them up, depriving them of their rights and liberties. But it is right to take a guilty person and lock them up for crimes committed. Thus, the guilt or innocence of the person to be punished, decides whether the punishment of the person is right or wrong.
God’s admonition is unto a fair trial and the establishment of proof, before one is convicted of murder. God’s law required a clear distinction between manslaughter and murder. Under God’s charge, a person had to be a proven murderer before they were to be put to death. “….the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.”
SHARING
