GUILTY UNTIL THE DEITY PROVES OTHERWISE, INNOCENT UNLESSGOD REVEALS OTHERWISE

Abstract

Marital suspicion is a complex issue that generates dysfunctional behavior in modern society just as
it did in ancient times. In some cases, marital suspicion leads to criminal actions. The United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime estimates around 5,000 women and girls murdered worldwide each year
based on alleged sexual immorality. In the Ancient Near East, people used a variety of practices to
solve issues prompted by suspicion especially marital suspicion. In Babylon the common practice
consisted of throwing the suspected in the river to test his/her innocence or guilty. In Israel, people
used the ritual described in Num 5:11-31. While in most ancient tests the accused was held guilty
until the deity could prove otherwise, in the ritual of Num 5:11-31, the accused was considered
innocent unless God revealed otherwise. This article revisits the ritual of Num 5:11-31through the
“cognitive social function” method by analysing the following ritual elements: placement and structure,
trigger point and role of participants, and ritual dimensions and function. The goal of the study is
twofold: (1) contribute to religious study by suggesting a way to interpret biblical rituals and make
them relevant to modern people and (2) underscore the intention of the puzzling ritual of Num 5:11-
31in order to glean some biblical insight for contemporary believers who face similar problem of
marital suspicion. The overall analysis of the ritual of Num 5:11-31, especially its study of the roles
of human and divine participants suggests that an accused person should be considered innocent until
proven guilty and no one should carry out justice for himself.