Whether you interpret the bible in the most literal sense or thinks its bunch of fairy tales full of atrocities (see Capella’s Bible Atrocities page), one thing is for sure, there are some events that in today’s standards seem quite weird. Never mind the story of the talking bush or how Jonah was swallowed by a whale and climbed back out.  No, we are going to focus on ten of the strangest ways and reasons that people were murdered in the bible.  Here they are in no particular order:

1.  David kills 200 Philistines to purchase his first wife with their foreskins. (1 Samuel 18:25-27)

2.  God kills a man for not impregnating his brother’s wife. (Gen 38:9-10 NRSV)

3.  Doeg the Edomite kills 85 priests and all the men, women, children, and some various animals with a sword. (1 Samuel 22:18-19)

4.  Elijah kills 450 religious leaders in a prayer contest. (1 Kings 18:22-40) 

5.  Samson kills 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass. (Judges 15: 14-15)

6.  The chief of David’s captains kills either 300 (1 Chronicles 11:11) or 800 (2 Samuel 23:8) men with a spear, depending on which verse you read.

7.  Elisha, with help from God, sent two bears to kill 42 children for making fun of his bald head. (2 Kings 2:22-23)

8.  Shamgar kills 600 Philistines with an ox goad. (Judges 3:31)

9.  Supposedly the people of Judah shouted and God helped them kill 1/2 million Israelites. (2 Chr 13:15 NRSV)

10.  God slaughters 70 men for merely looking into the Ark. (1 Sam 6:19 RSV)