Hammurabi Quotes

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Hammurabi was the sixth king of the Babylonian Empire, known for being one of the first to codify laws into written form. During his reign, the Babylonian Empire reached its peak of prosperity. The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown.

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All Ifs Owners House Men Builder Doe Fall Fields Firsts Garden

Famous Hammurabi Quotes

“When Anu the Sublime, King of the Anunnaki, and Bel, the lord of Heaven and earth, who decreed the fate of the land assigned to Marduk, the over-ruling son of Ea, God of righteousness, dominion over earthly man, and made him great among the Igigi, they called Babylon by his illustrious name, made it great on earth, and founded an everlasting kingdom in it, whose foundations are laid so solidly as those of heaven and earth; then Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak, so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind. ...When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give the protection of right to the land, I did right and righteousness in . . . , and brought about the well-being of the oppressed. [The oldest known written code of laws from around 1772 BCE]”

Earth Law Order Strong Heaven Fear Fate Land Morality Weak Code Righteousness Sublime Gods King Babylon Enlighten Anunnaki Anu Marduk Bel Shamash

Book:The Code of Hammurabi

Source: The Code of Hammurabi

“If he does not plant the field that was given over to him as a garden, if it be arable land, the gardener shall pay the owner the produce of the field for the years that he let it lie fallow, according to the product of neighboring fields, put the field in arable condition and return it to its owner.”

Ifs Years Doe Lying Given Pay Land Conditions Fields Produce Products Return Garden Plant Owners Gardener

Author:Hammurabi

“If a chieftain or a man leave his house, garden, and field and hires it out, and some one else takes possession of his house, garden, and field and uses it for three years; if the first owner return and claims his house, garden, and field, it shall not be given to him, but he who has taken possession of it and used it shall continue to use it.”

Ifs Men Years Firsts Use Used Three House Given Taken Fields Return Garden Claims Possession Owners Three Years

Author:Hammurabi

“The first duty of government is to protect the powerless from the powerful.”

Firsts Government Powerful Duty Protect Powerless

Author:Hammurabi

“If a man destroys the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye.”

Ifs Men Eye His Eyes Another Man

Author:Hammurabi

“I am old, so give me your peace. Wisdom comes with age.”

Giving Age Peace Give Me

Author:Hammurabi

“if a builder builds a house and the house falls and kills some one in the house the owners may kill the builder.”

Ifs May Fall House Owners Builder

Author:Hammurabi

“Mesopotamia will be one together as city-states we cannot create a full out war over nothing, this will be settled”

War States Together Cities Mesopotamia

Author:Hammurabi

“If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.”

Ifs Doe Fall House Built Owners Constructs Builder

Book:The Code of Hammurabi

Source: The Code of Hammurabi

“If a man has knocked out the teeth of a man of the same rank, his own teeth shall be knocked out.”

Ifs Men Teeth

Author:Hammurabi

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Quotes: 10

Books & Sources

The Code of HammurabiRelated source material

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