IN THE Hebrew Bible, an individual found guilty of intentional killing was subject to the most severe penalty, execution. In our analysis of the polluting effects of homicide, we observed that the only means of removing the defilement caused by a homicide was the execution of the intentional killer or the death of the high priest in the case of an accidental killer. The execution of the intentional killer is warranted for another reason, and in order to illuminate this aspect of the punishment, we must turn to another legal text. The sole focus of Lev 24:17–21 is to highlight the punishment for assault and for killing, whether the victim is a human being or an animal:

In order to understand Lev 24:17–21, we must analyze its literary form.