The Bible does not explicitly forbid cannibalism with a direct command like "Thou shalt not eat human flesh," but it portrays the practice as a horrific evil, desperate act, and curse associated with divine judgment for disobedience.
Key Biblical References
Cannibalism appears in several Old Testament passages as a consequence of siege, famine, and covenant-breaking:
- Leviticus 26:29 and Deuteronomy 28:53-57 warn that Israelites will eat their own children during extreme hardship as punishment for rejecting God.
- 2 Kings 6:28-29 describes two women who boiled and ate one woman's son during a siege on Samaria.
- Jeremiah 19:9, Lamentations 2:20 and 4:10, and Ezekiel 5:10 depict parents eating children amid Jerusalem's Babylonian siege in 586 BC, marking utter societal collapse.
Theological Context
Genesis 9:3-6 permits eating animals but distinguishes humans, made in God's image, as uniquely valuable, implying cannibalism violates this sanctity. Prophets denounce it as inhuman, linking it solely to judgment rather than acceptance, even in famine. No New Testament references endorse or occur in such scenarios.
