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Monday, July 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Amplified Bible

Leviticus 20:9

'If anyone curses his father or mother, he shall most certainly be put to death; he has cursed his father or mother; his blood is on him [that is, he bears full responsibility for the consequences].

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blood;   Children;   Mother;   Parents;   Punishment;   Thompson Chain Reference - Blasphemy-Profanity;   Children;   Cursing;   Home;   Ungrateful Children;   The Topic Concordance - Curses;   Execution;   Parents;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Blood;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Father;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Marriage;   Punishment;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bloodguilt;   Leviticus;   Pentateuch;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Congregation, Assembly;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Hexateuch;   Holiness;   Law;   Priests and Levites;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Boyhood ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Stoning;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Blood;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Genesis;   Leviticus;   Relationships, Family;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Blessing of Children;   Blessing and Cursing;   Capital Punishment;   Cursing;   Father;   Mother;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be on him.
King James Version
For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Lexham English Bible
"‘If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father and his mother—his blood is upon him.
New Century Version
"‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother, so he has brought his own death on himself.
New English Translation
"‘If anyone curses his father and mother he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself.
New American Standard Bible
'If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall certainly be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and has brought his own death upon himself.
Geneva Bible (1587)
If there be any that curseth his father or his mother, he shall die the death: seeing hee hath cursed his father and his mother, his blood shalbe vpon him.
Legacy Standard Bible
‘If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother. His bloodguiltiness is upon him.
Contemporary English Version
If you curse your father or mother, you will be put to death, and it will be your own fault.
Complete Jewish Bible
"‘A person who curses his father or mother must be put to death; having cursed his father or his mother, his blood is on him.
Darby Translation
Whatever man revileth his father and his mother shall certainly be put to death: he hath reviled his father and his mother; his blood is upon him.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Whoever curses their father or mother must be put to death. They cursed their father or mother, so they are responsible for their own death!
English Standard Version
For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
George Lamsa Translation
And he who curses his father or his mother shall be surely put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Good News Translation
The Lord gave the following regulations. Any of you that curse your father or mother shall be put to death; you are responsible for your own death.
Christian Standard Bible®
“If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his death is his own fault.
Literal Translation
And any man who curses his father and his mother dying he shall die; he has cursed his father and his mother; his blood shall be on him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who so euer curseth his father or his mother, shall dye the death: his bloude be vpon him, because he hath cursed his father or mother.
American Standard Version
For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Bible in Basic English
Every man cursing his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death; because of his curse on his father or his mother, his blood will be on him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Whosoeuer he be that despiseth his father or his mother, let hym dye: for he hath deminished the estimation of his father & mother, his blood be vpon him.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For whatsoever man there be that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
King James Version (1611)
For euery one that curseth his father or his mother, shalbe surely put to death: hee hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shalbe vpon him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Every man who shall speak evil of his father or of his mother, let him die the death; has he spoken evil of his father or his mother? he shall be guilty.
English Revised Version
For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Berean Standard Bible
If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that cursith his fadir, ether modir, die bi deeth; if a man cursith fadir and modir, his blood be on hym.
Young's Literal Translation
`For any man who revileth his father and his mother is certainly put to death; his father and his mother he hath reviled: his blood [is] on him.
Update Bible Version
For any man that curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be on him.
Webster's Bible Translation
For every one that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood [shall be] upon him.
World English Bible
For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be on him.
New King James Version
"For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.
New Living Translation
"Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of a capital offense.
New Life Bible
‘If there is anyone who curses his father or mother, he will for sure be put to death. Because he has cursed his father or mother, his blood will be on his own head.
New Revised Standard
All who curse father or mother shall be put to death; having cursed father or mother, their blood is upon them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When, any man whatsoever, curseth his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death, - his father or his mother, hath he cursed, his blood, shall be upon himself.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that curseth his father, or mother, dying let him die. He hath cursed his father, and mother: let his blood be upon him.
Revised Standard Version
For every one who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his blood is upon him.
THE MESSAGE
"Any and every person who curses his father or mother must be put to death. By cursing his father or mother he is responsible for his own death.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him.

Contextual Overview

1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2"Moreover, you shall say to the children of Israel, 'Any Israelite or any stranger residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech (the god of the Ammonites) [as a human sacrifice] shall most certainly be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3'I will also set My face against that man [opposing him, withdrawing My protection from him] and will cut him off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them], because he has given some of his children to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. 4'If the people of the land should ever tolerate that man when he gives any of his children [as a burnt offering] to Molech, and fail to put him to death [as My law requires], 5then I shall set My face against that man and against his [extended] family, and I will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in playing the prostitute (commit apostasy) with Molech. 6'As for the person who turns to mediums [who consult the dead] or to spiritists, to play the prostitute after them, I shall set My face against that person and will cut him off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them]. 7'You shall consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the LORD your God. 8'You shall keep My statutes and do them. I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 9'If anyone curses his father or mother, he shall most certainly be put to death; he has cursed his father or mother; his blood is on him [that is, he bears full responsibility for the consequences].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

curseth: The term yekallel signifies not only to curse, but to speak contemptuously, disrespectfully, or to make light of a person, so that all speeches which have a tendency to lessen our parents in the eyes of others, or to render their judgment, piety, etc., suspected or contemptible, is here included; though the act of cursing, or of treating the parent with injurious or opprobrious language, is what is particularly intended. He who conscientiously keeps the fifth commandment, can be in no danger of the judgment here denounced. Exodus 21:17, Deuteronomy 27:16, Proverbs 20:20, Proverbs 30:11, Proverbs 30:17, Matthew 15:4, Mark 7:10

his blood: Leviticus 20:11-13, Leviticus 20:16, Leviticus 20:27, Joshua 2:19, Judges 9:24, 2 Samuel 1:16, 1 Kings 2:32, Matthew 27:25

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 2:37 - thy blood Ezekiel 18:13 - blood Ezekiel 22:7 - set Ezekiel 33:4 - his blood Acts 18:6 - Your 1 Timothy 1:9 - murderers

Cross-References

Genesis 12:18
Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
Genesis 20:10
And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What have you encountered or seen [in us or our customs], that you have done this [unjust] thing?"
Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely there is no fear or reverence of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'
Genesis 20:18
for the LORD had securely closed the wombs of all [the women] in Abimelech's household because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Genesis 26:10
Abimelech said, "What is this that you have done to us? One of the men [among our people] might easily have been intimate with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us [before God]."
Genesis 34:7
Now when Jacob's sons heard of it they came in from the field; they were deeply grieved, and they were very angry, for Shechem had done a disgraceful thing to Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing is not to be done.
Genesis 38:24
About three months later Judah was told, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the [role of a] prostitute, and she is with child because of her immorality." So Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned [to death as punishment]!"
Genesis 39:9
"He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God [and your husband]?"
Exodus 32:21
Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin on them?"
Exodus 32:35
So the LORD struck the people with a plague, because of what they had done with the calf which Aaron had made [for them].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For everyone that curseth his father or his mother,.... Here begins the account of the penalties annexed to the several laws in the preceding chapter; and that respecting the fear and honour of parents being the first, Leviticus 19:3, is here begun with:

shall surely be put to death; the Targum of Jonathan adds,

"by casting of stones,''

stoning being the punishment of such transgressors:

he hath cursed his father or his mother: to do either is his sin, and a capital crime it is:

his blood [shall be] upon him: he shall be guilty of death, be condemned unto it, and punished with it, namely, by stoning; for, as Jarchi observes, wherever it is, "his blood [shall be] on him", or "their blood shall be on them", it is to be understood of stoning.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 20:9. Curseth his father or his motherGenesis 48:12, and "Exodus 20:12". He who conscientiously keeps the fifth commandment can be in no danger of this judgment. The term יקלל yekallel signifies, not only to curse, but to speak of a person contemptuously and disrespectfully, to make light of; so that all speeches which have a tendency to lessen our parents in the eyes of others, or to render their judgment, piety, c., suspected and contemptible, may be here included though the act of cursing, or of treating the parent with injurious and opprobrious language, is that which is particularly intended.


 
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