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Exodus 21:17

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 21:17 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:17 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 21

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
14And if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17And he that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
18And if men contend, and one smite the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keep his bed;
19if he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
20And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall surely be punished.
← Exodus 21:16Exodus 21:18 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he that curseth his father, or his mother, etc.] Though he does not smite them with his hand, or with any instrument in it, yet if he smites them with his tongue, reviles and reproaches them, speaks evil of them, wishes dreadful imprecations upon them, curses them by the name explained, as the Targum of Jonathan calls it, by the name Jehovah, wishing the Lord would curse them, or that his curse might light upon them, (see <202020>Proverbs 20:20 30:17), shall surely be put to death; or be killed with casting stones on him, as the Targum of Jonathan, or with stoning; so Jarchi, who observes, that wherever it is said, “his blood be upon him”, it is meant of stoning, as it is of the man that…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“21:17 Anyone who dishonors: See study note on Lev 20:9; see also Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16; 21:18-21; Eph 6:1-4.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“curseth: or, revilteth, Lev 20:9; Deu 27:16; Pro 20:20, Pro 30:11, Pro 30:17; Mat 15:3-6; Mar 7:10, Mar 7:11 Exodus 21:18”
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Related study paths

Read Exodus 21 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification