Herem

Biblical Texts

Herem appears chiefly in the accounts of Israel's conquest of Canaan.

• Numbers 21:1–3: Israel vows to utterly destroy the cities of the Canaanite king of Arad and then does so. The text records that the place was afterward called Hormah.
• Deuteronomy 7:1–6; 20:16–18: These passages contain the command to utterly destroy the seven nations of Canaan. The stated reason is to keep Israel from learning the idolatry of those nations.
• Joshua 6–7: Israel is commanded to devote the city of Jericho and everything in it wholly to the LORD. The household of Rahab, who had hidden the spies, is spared, and the vessels of gold, silver, brass, and iron are brought into the treasury of the LORD. Achan then secretly takes some of the devoted things, and as a result Israel is defeated at Ai (see Fall of Jericho).
• 1 Samuel 15: Saul is commanded to utterly destroy Amalek. He spares King Agag and the best of the livestock, however, and for this he is rejected as king (1 Samuel 15:23–24).

Terminology and Background

Herem conveys the idea of separating people or objects from ordinary use and giving them over to God. For this reason the New Korean Revised Version renders the word not only as "utterly destroy" but also as "devote wholly" and "devoted thing" (Leviticus 27:28–29). The spoils of a city placed under herem could not be claimed by individuals. A word from the same root is also known to appear on the stele of Mesha, king of Moab. Scholars therefore study herem in comparison with warfare customs that were widespread in the ancient Near East.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In the prophetic books the word is also used to denote God's judgment. The New Korean Revised Version renders it as "curse" in Malachi 4:6 (KJV: "lest I come and smite the earth with a curse"). Zechariah 14:11 speaks of a day when there will be no more "curse" (KJV: "utter destruction"), and Revelation 22:3 takes up this expression: "And there shall be no more curse."

The Septuagint generally translates herem as anathema. In the New Testament this word is used in the sense of "let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8–9, 1 Corinthians 16:22, Romans 9:3).

Interpretations and Issues

The command of herem raises serious ethical questions for modern readers. Interpretations fall broadly into three categories.

• Divine judgment: Herem is understood as judgment on the sin of the Canaanite nations (cf. Genesis 15:16). It is regarded, however, as a one-time command limited to a particular era and land, and therefore not directly applicable today. This view is widely held among conservative interpreters.
• Hyperbolic language of war reports: The book of Joshua states that Israel "utterly destroyed" everyone, yet Judges 1 mentions nations that remained in the land. On this basis some scholars read "utter destruction" as the conventional hyperbole of ancient war accounts.
• Spiritual or allegorical interpretation: Church Fathers such as Origen read herem as an allegory for the destruction of sin and evil within the believer.

The text also records people, such as Rahab, who were exempted from herem. Many point out that extending this command to mean that God sanctions all religious wars goes beyond the scope of the text. How to read it alongside the New Testament teaching on loving one's enemies (Luke 6:27–36) also remains a subject of ongoing discussion.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, herem is usually treated together with the stories of Achan and Saul. In this context it is often applied as a lesson for the life of faith, such as "sin must be cut off completely" and "partial obedience is disobedience."