Hammurabi: The Powerful King Of Babylon

Hammurabi
Hammurabi was the powerful king of Babylon who ruled about 4,000 years ago. He ruled for 42 years. Hammurabi called himself the king of righteousness. On his 38th year of ruling he created 282 laws were written on steles which were placed all around his empire. Hammurabi was estimated to rule over 1,000,000 people among all those people were different classes (BGE). Hammurabi’s code, was it just? The code of laws covers Family Laws, Property Laws, and Personal Injury law but not all were just.
Hammurabi’s Family laws were not just. First of all, the punishment for if a lady is caught with another man, is they will both will be bound up and cast into the water. That is more harsh than what would happen in today's era. Also, If

a son strikes his father, he shall have his hands cut off. (Doc C). These laws are unfair because the punishment is much worse than the actual crime. Some of these punishments might be made to teach a lesson, but it is not worth killing someone to show everyone else it was wrong. The punishments for doing one of these crimes today would not involve any physical punishments, back then it was what Hammurabi thought was right.
Hammurabi’s property law was not just. In law number 21 is states, “If a man has broken through walls (to rob) a house, they shall put him to death and pierce him, or hang him in the whole in the wall which he has made.” (Doc D). This law is not just because, even though robbing someone's house is a very wrong thing thing to do, the robber should be punished by working or becoming a slave. Hammurabi may not have known better but the punishment is still not just. Law number 48 says, “If a man has borrowed money to plant his fields and a storm has flooded his field or carried away the crop, . . . in that year he does not have to pay his creditor.” (Doc D). This law is not fair to the creditor because, in some way the man should pay him back, not wait a year to do it. It’s unfair to the man who lost his crops. There was no way for the man to know if it was going to rain or not.
The personal injury law is not just.

It is unfair because law numbers 196 and 199 say if a man knocks out the eye of a free man he shall be knocked out. But if he has knocked out the eye of a slave he shall pay half his value. The punishment for knocking out a free man’s eye and a slave’s eye are very different, everyone should have equal rights no matter what class they are in. In law number 218 it says, “If a surgeon has operated with a bronze lancet on a free man for a serious injury, and has caused his death, . . . his hands shall be cut off.” (Doc E) Law number 218 is not just because, if a surgeon causes someone to die and they already have a serious injury then it might not entirely be the surgeon's fault. If surgeons causes someone's death and they have their hands cut off, that means that they just lost another surgeon.
Overall, Hammurabi’s code was unjust. Although some of these laws may seem just and fair, such as, law 215. It say that if a surgeon saves a free man’s life then he will receive 10 shekels of silver. However, a majority of these laws resulted in an unfair punishment, like having your hands cut off or death. Law 195 states, “If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut of.” (Doc C) This law is unjust. The son should not have a big punishment for doing something small. The three main unjust laws are, Family Laws, Property Law, and Personal Injury Law. In conclusion, Hammurabi’s code was

unjust.