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The following are lists of laws and instructions for the different roles in society, both as individuals and joint relationships in life. At the end, there are two points about The Chosen People and the Promised Land which include the basic outline of how the Jews were taken out of slavery from Egypt and wondered the desert for 40 years, before arriving at the Promised Land.

People's Roles in Society

Men

• If a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth (Numbers 30:1-2).
• When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife (Deuteronomy 24:5).
• Fathers, do not provoke you’re your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
• Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness (Titus 2:2).
• Urge the younger men to be self-controlled (Titus 2:6).

Women

• You shall not permit a sorceress to live (Exodus 22:18).
• If she marries a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her, then her vows shall stand. But if on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that was on her. And the Lord will forgive her. Any vow and any binding oath to afflict herself, her husband may establish, or her husband may make void. (Numbers 30:6-8).
• If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and stone them, because the young woman did not cry out for help. But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death (Deuteronomy 22:23-26).
• Older women are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled (Titus 2:33-5).

Sons

• None of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow (Deuteronomy 23:17-18).
• Every male must be circumcised (Genesis 17:11).
• The heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. (Galatians 4:1-2).
• Honour your father and mother (Ephesians 6:2).

Daughters

• Detailed laws about virginity or a lack there of; laws about when a man makes false accusations about a woman’s virginity (Deuteronomy 22:28).
• None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow (Deuteronomy 23:17-18).
• If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins (Exodus 22:16-17).
• The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father, and shall be burned with fire (Leviticus 21:9).
• If a woman vows a vow to the Lord and binds herself by pledge, while within her father’s house in her youth, and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand. But if her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the Lord will forgive her because her father opposed her (Numbers 30:3-5).
• Honour your father and mother (Ephesians 6:2).

Widows

• You shall not mistreat any widow (Exodus 22:22).
• Any vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her (Numbers 30:9).
• For the unmarried and the widows it is good for them to remain single but if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:8-9).

Fatherless children

• You shall not mistreat any fatherless children (Exodus 22:22).

Female mention in general

• Virgins in the odd story are offered up to wicked men as protection from harm.
• They are also used for trading and gain.
• They are primarily mentioned for childbearing and becoming a wife.
• It is the woman who builds the house.
• The beautiful ones are sort after.
• After invasions, in general, every woman who has laid with a man must be killed, and the young girls who have not, should be kept alive for the men who invaded.

Male mention in general

• Male pronouns tend to be how the reader is addressed in general e.g. “he who hates his son” independent of who is being referenced male or female.
• After invasion, kill every male among the little ones.

Men and Women

• Head coverings: the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays with his head covered dishonours his head, but every wife who prays with her head uncovered dishonours her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman, for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering (1 Corinthians 11:3-15).
• If a man has committed a crime punishable by death, and he is put to death then hung on a tree, the body shall not remain there over night, but shall be buried the same day. A hanged man is cursed by God, and should not defile the land given to you by God (Deuteronomy 21:22-23).
• A woman shall not wear a man’s garments, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak (Deuteronomy 22:5).

Husbands and wives (Ephesians 5:22-33)

• Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.
• Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her.
• Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.
• A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

According to the “Proverbs”, an excellent wife is:

• Far more precious than jewels.
• The heart of her husband can trust in her.
• Her husband will lack no gain.
• She does him good.
• Works with willing hands.
• Rises while it is still night to provide food.
• She plants.
• Makes herself strong.
• She opens her hands to the poor.
• She is dignified.
• Speaks with wisdom.
• Shows and teaches kindness.
• She is not idle.
• She fears the Lord.

Divorce, Marriage and Love

Old Testament

• In the Old Testament, men could have more than one wife.
• When God brings you into a new land and kills those who lived there, you cannot intermarry with any of the survivors (Deuteronomy 7:3).
• There are specific rules to follow when wanting to marry a female captive slave (Deuteronomy 21:10-14).
• If a mother and father have a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey their voice, even though they have disciplined him, then they are to take him to the elders of the city and state their predicament and that their son is a glutton and a drunkard. Then all the men of the city are to stone him to death, to purge the evil from your midst, and to make all Israel hear and fear (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).
• There are laws to punish men who change their mind about their newly wed bride whose virginity they have taken, but are trying to divorce her by wrongful accusation of infidelity (Deuteronomy 22:13-21).
• If a man and a betrothed woman lie together within city walls, both shall be stoned to death. The man because he violated his neighbour’s wife, and the woman because she did not call for help (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).
• If, however, he lay with a betrothed woman in the country, only he shall die, as she could not call for help (Deuteronomy 22:25-27).
• If she is not betrothed and they lie together, the man must pay her father and take her as his bride. He may not ever divorce her (Deuteronomy 22:28-29).
• A man shall not take his father’s wife (Deuteronomy 22:30).
• If a woman divorces her first husband and she leaves, and then remarries to a second husband, and then he divorces her or dies, the first husband cannot remarry her because she has been defiled by another man (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).
• When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife (Deuteronomy 24:5).
• When brothers live together, if one dies and has no sons, then the widow must not be married outside of the family. The dead husband’s brother must take the widow as his wife and name their first son after the dead brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).

New Testament

• A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. What God has joined let man not separate (Matthew 19:5-6).
• Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery (Matthew 19:9).
• He who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery (Luke 16:18).
• Because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. Each should give each other their conjugal rights. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does (1 Corinthians 7:2-4).
• Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control (1 Corinthians 7:5).
• If you are married, the wife should not separate from her husband, if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband, and the husband should not divorce his wife (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).
• If any brother or woman marry an unbeliever, and they consent to live with the believer, they must not divorce them. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy (1 Corinthians 7:12-14).
• A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wants (1 Corinthians 7:39).
• Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church (Ephesians 5:28-29).
• Wives submit to your husbands. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them (Colossians 3:18-19).
• Wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external but imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:1-4).
• Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honour to the women as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

Preists and the assembly

• Inheritance: The Levitical priests shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord’s food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them (Deuteronomy 18:1-2).
• No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ has been cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:1).
• No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:2).
• Laws about Priests and the Offerings (Leviticus 6:8-30 and 7).
• Laws for Priests: they cannot make themselves unclean from contact with a dead body, even for close relatives; he shall not make bald patches on his head, shave the edges of his beard, or allow the hair on his head to hang loose; he shall not make any cuts on his body; he cannot marry prostitutes, defiled or divorced women. He may only marry a virgin of his own people, that he may not profane his offspring among his people (Leviticus 21).
• The priests’ garments: extremely specific details are given about what they should dress in, including which items, colour and that it should be skilfully woven (Exodus 28).

Instruction for the Church

• The church submits to Christ (Ephesians 5:24).
• Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would your father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity (1 Timothy 5:1-2).

Elders: New Testament

• An elder must be above reproach, he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent, or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined (Titus 1:7-8).
• He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).

Authorities

• You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgement. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe (Deuteronomy 16:18-19).
• Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement (Romans 13:1-2).
• Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer (Romans 13:3-4).

Slaves and Masters

• You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him (Deuteronomy 23:15-16).
• Stay dressed for action. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes (Luke 12:35 and 37).
• That servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know will receive a light beating (Luke 12:47-48).
• Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart […] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord (Ephesians 6:5-8).
• Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him (Ephesians 6:9).
• Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour (Titus 2:9-10).

Foreigners and Eunuchs

• To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant […] and the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants […] their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my alter; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples (Isaiah 56:4, 6, and 7).

A Chosen People

• When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. You shall be blessed above all peoples. You shall not be afraid of your enemies, He will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house (Deuteronomy 7).

The Promised Land

• You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness. He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. Do not forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8).

The Bible. ESV, Good News Publishers, 2007.