Relationship between Sexuality and Violence

The biblical texts always use theological customers for the sake of continuously drawing attention and influencing personal, political and societal communications about sexuality, cultures, and violence. From the onset, the Hebrew Bible has difficulties putting into details on sexuality and violence. The Hebrew Bible has laws that also limit women to manage their sexuality that makes it hard to relate in the modern narratives. However, there is a close relationship between sexuality and violence. In Deuteronomy 22:22 it argues that if a man is found cheating with another man`s wife, both the two people shall die. Dina`s story is a perfect example of sexuality and violence. Her narrative gives one`s valuable thinking through the broader perspectives revolving sexual abuse, female sexuality and the status of woman in the Hebrew Bible.

Dina`s state is sexuality that can be exchanged or rather negotiated instead of her consent. The story of rape and doomed love story perpetuate into violence. The story of Tamar depicts the theme. Amnon`s fried, Jonadab encourage him to trick Tamar into being alone. The consequences of the acts resulted in violence. The male conspiracy of isolating women and subjecting them into sexual violence is depicted a lot in the Hebrew Bible. Amnon`s play with instincts of Tamar and takes advantage of her hospitality and compassion and then exploiting her tender kindness. The most notorious narrative of sexuality and violence in the Hebrew Bible is the story of Levite`s concubines (Judges 19). The sexual violence is well demonstrated.

It also elaborates the target of rape victims. There is a great emphasis on host`s daughter's virginity that makes her be spared. The concubine is mapped onto sexuality. It demonstrated that free(Virgin) versus slave who is possessed by all people. It is impossible for the daughter to initiate rape because such cases are unthinkable. This repeated act is the culmination of sexuality and violence. Gen 19 shows that sexuality and violence go hand in hand because there was no leader of Israel and individuals did anything that was correct in their eyes. Biblical texts in the Hebrew Bible show that sexuality and violence were both the means of punishment either in the individual to the individual relationship or during the war.

In multiple biblical texts, God punishes Israel with sexual humiliation. His actions are commended in the biblical texts that show that sexuality and violence was a divine form of punishment among individuals or the whole community. In numbers 31, Ezear the priest, Moses and all the rulers of the people met outside the camp. Moses was very angry with all the military commanders who had arrived from the battle. Moses was angry because the military commander did not kill all women. He argues that the women were responsible for following the advice of Balaam that made people of Israel go against God in Mount Peor. The act of rape rendered a woman unacceptable to be married by others apart from the rapist.

The law indicates that responsibility of the sex actions is in a patriarchal context where women had no power and are left to be on their own. The law did not describe rape as sexual violence against defiled woman and offer a less violent way of addressing the matter. Additionally, the patriarchal framework, men in the Hebrew Bible own both women and economic resources. For instance, Hosea tends to control Gomer`s movement by placing the thorn edge around her neck. The sex act made David summon Uriah, Bathsheba husband to have sex with her so that people can believe pregnancy belongs to Uriah. Uriah refused to violate the rules of the kingdom. Instead of going home, he decided to stay in the palace with other soldiers.

With many recurrent efforts of trying to persuade him to have sex with Bathsheba with no vain, he approaches Joab, the leader of the troops to place Uriah in front of the battle so that he can be killed. Unfortunately, Uriah was killed and later on David married Bathsheba depicting that sexuality and violence goes hand in hand in Hebrew Bible. After Samson revealing his strength to Delilah, the enemies overcame him and were arrested. Samson`s hair begun to grow again and violence erupted. He broke the entire pillars in the temple and used his strength again to defeat his enemies. Samson uses all his effort killing himself and thousands of rulers and Philistines. Samson and Delilah`s story depicted that the sexuality and violence are related and always another variable trigger another.