Contradictions and Paradoxes in Deuteronomy 21:4

Check out Contradictions Catalog of Deuteronomy 21:4 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts Deuteronomy 21:4. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to Moses, this verse means that the leaders of the city had to take a cow to a special place that was not planted and break its neck as a way to ask for forgiveness when something bad happened and they didn't know who did it. It showed they took responsibility and wanted to make things right.

Deuteronomy 21:4: And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:

Contradiction with Isaiah 1:11

This verse challenges the idea of sacrifice without righteousness, emphasizing that God does not delight in the blood of sacrifices, conflicting with the sacrificial instructions in Deuteronomy 21:4.

Isaiah 1:11: To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. [he goats: Heb. great he goats]

Contradiction with Hosea 6:6

It emphasizes mercy over sacrifice, which contradicts the ritualistic emphasis on sacrifice seen in Deuteronomy 21:4.

Hosea 6:6: For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Contradiction with Matthew 9:13

Jesus echoes the sentiment in Hosea, prioritizing mercy over sacrifice, creating a contradiction with the prescribed sacrificial practice.

Matthew 9:13: But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Contradiction with Micah 6:6-8

This passage questions the value of sacrifices compared to living justly and walking humbly with God, thereby contradicting the ritual act in Deuteronomy 21:4.

Micah 6:6-8: Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, [and] bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? [of a...: Heb. sons of a year?]

Contradiction with Psalm 51:16-17

It expresses that God does not desire sacrifice but rather a broken spirit, challenging the sacrificial system addressed in Deuteronomy 21:4.

Psalm 51:16-17: For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering. [else...: or, that I should]

Paradox #1

Deuteronomy 21:4 might raise questions about the ancient practice of animal sacrifice and its relevance to modern beliefs about compassion and animal rights. Some might see it as conflicting with the idea of being kind to all living beings, as emphasized in other parts of scripture.

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