Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.

Having got the the end of Deuteronomy I thought that I probably should have skipped the book entirely. There’s not really much in the way of narative and not many characters to look at. Most of the book is Moses reminding the people of the Law just before thy head over the Jordan into the promised land and he kicks the bucket. However, a couple of little passages had stood out. I particularly liked the law about newly married men and army service, but I figured that in the absence of men in military uniform turning up at my house, any easy to come by photo might not be entirely appropriate. So that left me the the Anakites, of which you have no doubt heard it said “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”

What stood out to me wasn’t so much that they were big and strong, but that the next bit of the passage goes on to say that they’re going to lose for two reasons; their wicknessed, and because of the promise God made to Abraham and sons. I wonder what God would have done to resolve the situation of the promise if the Anakites hadn’t been so wicked in the intevening years between Jacob and sons trip to Eygpt and the Israelites return? I guess He could have just asked the Anakites nicely to relocate, which they no doubt would have done, being not wicked. But they were wicked and deserved a Godly kicking.

God, via Moses, then goes to great length to point of the that the Israelites haven’t done anything to deserve it and they should remember that when they are 20-6 up at half-time. I can see that the point needed to be made – especially with God’s knowledge of future events and all that – but it did seem a little harsh on a people who have been wandering the desert for 40 years after there last major mistake.

The photo

I went a bit veggie tales here. An Anakite leek dominating some poor little potatoes.

SB800 off camera, TTL mode. 29mm @ f4 1/15s

“If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

Exodus has a few obvious character candidate, but the passage that stood for me was the first mention of an eye for an eye etc in the bible. Surprisingly this was in the context of a pregnant woman. On first reading, and as a result of using the NIV, it sounds as if the woman’s husband can demand punishment as a result of serious injury to the unborn baby. However other translations, and the footnote in the NIV, refer to miscarriage so I guess the serious injury must relate the the pregnant woman, rather than her unborn. The “New Life Version” made it clearer in this instance. I think God still cares for the unborn, but I guess, pre-ultrasound, it is harder to assess whether injury is a result of the fight or otherwise.

Another thing that struck me is that there is no question of a man hitting a pregnant woman intentionally. There are a couple of chaps having a bust up in a bar, and she gets caught it the cross-fire as one has his face rearranged with a lump of wood. They really must have been going some! So next time you’re in a fight, please mind you don’t hurt any pregnant women.

The photo

Unfortunately I didn’t have any obviously pregnant women available for the photo, so I’ve had to make do with my wife’s stretch marks and deformed belly button left over from her pregnancy with our little girl. I think they’re rather pretty!

70mm @ f22 1/125s using studio flash + snoot

Update: Note that I said obviously pregnant. My wife was about 10 weeks pregnant at the time, with our son John. I couldn’t tell people when I wrote the post.