What IS good, and how do we determine it?

[Huggy Bear]

Okay, so if you beat your slave, and he doesn't die, you will not be punished.  In what goofy semantics does that not mean you can beat your slave?

I want you to quote the Bible passage that says something like, "Thou shall not beat thy slave, because that's dickish, unnecessary, and cruel, and because the slave is a person, too, and therefore protected by the all-encompassing love of your Lord God."

Okay, I'm waiting.

As I explained earlier, accidental deaths (manslaughter) wasn't punished by the authorities. Beating someone only to have them die days later shows that there wasn't an intent to kill, and though the authorities didn't punish you, the victims family had a right to punish you (read kill) themselves, unless you made it to one of the cities of refuge, where you were safe as long as you stayed in the city. This means, if you were a landlord with servants, you lost everything.

So yes, there was punishment for beating a servant and him dying days later....

From my earlier post.

Hebrew law is very clear on distinguishing murder from killing someone unintentionally (manslaughter). If you commit murder then you were punished by the authorities, In the case of manslaughter the family of the victim had a right to kill you (eye for an eye) unless you made it to a city of refuge. Beating a slave and him dying days later show that the death wasn't intentional, and though the law doesn't punish you, it doesn't mean the victims family won't come after you.

I'll post the relevant scriptures from the NIV since it's dumbed down enough for you mouth-breathers to understand.

Deuteronomy 19
4 This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. 5 For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. 6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. 7 This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

Deuteronomy 19
11 But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor, and then flees to one of these cities, 12 the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. 13 Show no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_of_Refuge

The Cities of Refuge were towns in the Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judah in which the perpetrators of manslaughter could claim the right of asylum; outside of these cities, blood vengeance against such perpetrators was allowed by law.