coiULMiiponirN’ L.S.A. of multiple murders imn’ well he sentenced to a term of imprisonment far longer than he can possihK' li\e.'' 'The excess penalt\' demonstrates the people's horror of the crime, if nothing more. But the ancient Israelites did not add cursing to the penalt\’ for e\en the most ahominahle wrong. The legal curse is used when the guilt\ partv is he\’ond the reach of the law. Not otherwise. It is resorted to onl\' as The Last Best Cdiance. It is the Best that can he done in the circumstances, when, it is felt, something tmist he done. Likewise, one cannot simply sa\' that the use of the curse was restricted hecause of a reluctance to implore a deity for acti\ e help. In other contexts, pra\ er for example, such acti\ e help was and is continualK' implored. Rather, the use of formal cursing of an accused jierson in a legal setting is restricted to cases of 'The Last liest Cdiance hecause there is a feeling that it w ill not he wholh’ ef'fecti\e. I am not suggesting had faith. .\ devout person ma\’ pra\’ e\er\- da\’, firm1\’ helicw ing in the efficacw of pra\er, hut w ith no expectation that e\er\' prayer w ill he answered. Lhe feeling is not that the deit\’ does not hear. Rather, the notion is that the deity may m)t want to act. I le does not alwa\ s interxene." So the legal cursing is reserxed for situations x\ here no other solution xxoiild possihlx’ help, hut some action is felt to he rec]uired. What an outsider must mxt do xvhen inx estigating an alien societx’ is simplx’ to sax’ "I'ormal cursing is accepted and approxed hx' the societx’. 'Lhat means that that group has faith in dix ine interx ention exerx' time." 1 do not at all agree xx ith (lerhard xon Rad that ".\ncient people considered such a curse [i.e., coming from (jod| to he a real destructix e power: • » m 8 This again may be seen as an example of The Second Best that is not The Last Best Chance. 9 I have a friend and colleague who-l am truly grateful-prays for my salvation every day, but I doubt whether she expects a happy outcome. 10 Dec/teronomy(Philadelphia, 1966), p. 167. 129
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