Did Moses Copy Hammurabi? | Why Biblical Laws Aren't What You Think!

Did Moses copy Hammurabi Code? The answer is far more fascinating than you think. Dr. Mark Chavalas dives deep into the Code of Hammurabi — the most famous ancient law collection ever discovered. But here's what most people don't know: it probably wasn't a "code" at all. We talk about what the Hammurabi code actually was, how it functioned in the ancient world, and why its similarities to biblical law have sparked debate for over a century. In this episode: What the Code of Hammurabi actually is The stunning similarities between Hammurabi's laws and biblical law The role of scribes and legal traditions in the ancient world How this changes the way Christians should read Old Testament law 📚 Sources & Scholars Mentioned Jean Bottéro — Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods Martha T. Roth — Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor Pamela Barmash — The Laws of Hammurabi: At the Confluence of Royal and Scribal Traditions Raymond Westbrook — Ancient Near Eastern legal theory and biblical law studies Samuel Greengus — “Filling Gaps: Laws Found in Babylonia and in the Mishnah but Absent in the Hebrew Bible” (Maarav, 1991) John Walton — The Lost World of the Torah Chicago Assyrian Dictionary (CAD) — entries on judges, verdicts, and legal terminology Old Babylonian legal texts and letters related to the Code of Hammurabi Comparative studies on biblical law, Mesopotamian law collections, and scribal traditions This episode will transform the way you look at biblical law. Rather than treating these laws as simple “dos and don’ts,” this episode uncovers how ancient people viewed law, justice, wisdom, kingship, and cosmic order. 👍 SUPPORT THE BURIED BIBLE:   / theburiedbiblepodcast   🔗 MORE LINKS:   / buriedbiblepodcast     / buriedbiblepodcast   📧 Email us any questions: [email protected] #BuriedBible #BibleHistory #Hammurabi #AncientNearEast #BiblicalLaw #OldTestament #AncientMesopotamia #Moses #BiblePodcast #christianpodcast CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Intro 1:55 - Bergman's Codex Hammurabi 2:48 - Pop Quiz: Reading Cuneiform 7:06 - Discovery of the Stela 8:49 - Hammurabi & the God Shamash 12:04 - Structure of the Code 13:37 - The Prologue 23:14 - The Epilogue 29:02 - Are These Really "Laws"? 36:57 - The Laws as Verdicts 42:12 - Implications for Old Testament Law 54:04 - Judges in Ancient Mesopotamia 58:11 - Did Israelites Know About Hammurabi? 59:14 - Q&A 1:05:25 - Did the Bible Copy Hammurabi? 1:12:18 - Christians & the Code of Hammurabi 1:18:21 - How Hammurabi Received His Laws 1:20:56 "- Eye for an Eye": Hammurabi or Moses? 1:23:06 - Does the Code Mention Forgiveness? 1:24:49 - Is Hammurabi the Biblical Amraphel? 1:27:37 - Outro