Introduction

This page examines the biblical evidence for human sacrifice—defined as the ritualistic killing of humans as offerings to deities—and explores the tensions these texts create within biblical ethics.

God & Human Sacrifice

The Binding of Isaac

"Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.'"
Genesis 22:2

While Isaac was spared at the last moment, the text presents the initial command as a test of Abraham's faithfulness, with Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son portrayed positively. The New Testament highlights Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac as an act of faith in Hebrews 11:17-19, further reinforcing the positive framing of Abraham's intended human sacrifice.

Jephthah's Daughter

"And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: 'If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.'... When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was his only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, 'Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.'... After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed."
Judges 11:30-31, 34-35, 39

The text states that Jephthah "did to her as he had vowed" (Judges 11:39). This sacrifice occurs after "the Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah" (Judges 11:29), implying divine involvement. While some interpreters suggest Jephthah's daughter was dedicated to temple service rather than sacrificed, the text's reference to a "burnt offering" and the mourning of her death contradict this reading.

The Conquest

"In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy (חרם, herem) them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you."
Deuteronomy 20:16-17

The Hebrew term חרם (herem) means "devoted" or "consecrated" to God, indicating these mass killings were understood as offerings or sacrifices. Those who violated the ban were themselves subject to destruction (Joshua 7:1-26).

God commands some cities to be burned, as burnt offerings to Him:

"Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. That town is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt."
Deuteronomy 13:16-17

Seven Sons of Saul

To end a famine, God instructs David to hand over seven descendants of Saul to the Gibeonites, who "impaled them on the mountain before the Lord."

"The king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab... He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord... After that, God answered prayer on behalf of the land."
2 Samuel 21:8-9, 14

This execution of seven men is portrayed as a sacrifice necessary to appease God and end a famine. The text specifically notes it was done "before the Lord" and that afterward "God answered prayer on behalf of the land."

Child Sacrifice Portrayed as God's Command

In Ezekiel, God appears to claim he gave bad laws requiring child sacrifice.

"I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they could not live by; I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord."
Ezekiel 20:25-26

While interpretations vary, the plain reading suggests God admits to giving laws requiring firstborn sacrifice to teach Israel a lesson. This passage has created significant difficulties for interpreters.

Mesha's Son as an Effective Sacrifice (2 Kings 3:26-27)

Mesha, king of Moab, sacrifices his firstborn son, resulting in Israel's defeat.

"When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land."
2 Kings 3:26-27

This account seems to portray human sacrifice as effectively invoking divine power against Israel. The "fury" (Hebrew: qetseph, often used for divine wrath) that drove Israel away implies the sacrifice worked as intended. The text doesn't condemn the practice but instead portrays the sacrifice as successfully turning the tide of the battle, with the Israelite army retreating.

Jesus as Human Sacrifice

Jesus as a Human Sacrifice in the New Testament

The New Testament explicitly portrays Jesus's death as a human sacrifice to God.

"Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Ephesians 5:2
"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 John 2:2
"For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood."
Romans 3:25 (NLT)

The New Testament authors consistently describe Jesus's death using sacrificial language drawn from the Hebrew sacrificial system. Jesus is portrayed as the ultimate human sacrifice that pleases God and atones for sin.

Theological Implications

The framing of Jesus's death as a necessary sacrifice has several implications:

  • God required sacrificial death for forgiveness
  • Blood must have been shed to atone for wrongdoing
  • God could not forgive sin without human sacrifice
  • Salvation is fundamentally based on human sacrifice