The Warrior-Priest Mindset: A Necessary Dichotomy for God’s Chosen Knights

by Drew Graffia

shows us is that if it were day time then there would, in fact, be bloodguilt. What this shows is that Yahweh understands the scary and uncertain situations the darkness can add to a life or death situation. If it were day time it is assumed that it would be easier to manage and an element of secrecy would be eliminated for being able to see the culprit and the crime clearly. You would then be able to identify the thief and alert the law enforcement in your area. I have had some friends interpret this verse to instead mean you are allowed to defend yourself but if you find the thief after the fact or away from your house then you are not able to kill them without guilt. I agree that we are not to avenge the theft after the fact because it would no longer fall under self-defense but rather under revenge. However, I do think that there is something to be said about the verse mentioning the sunrise and the theft as the same occasion. If you were to find a man in your house during the day you would be able to defend yourself but to go as far as killing him over theft would incur bloodguilt. You will have