Christian Standard Bible
Deuteronomy 21:22
22“If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
Deuteronomy 21:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
- New International Version (NIV)If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole,
- English Standard Version (ESV)"And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
- New King James Version (NKJV)“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
Context of Deuteronomy 21:22
20They will say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he doesn’t obey us. He’s a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. You must purge the evil from you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid. “If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, 23you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Read all of Deuteronomy 21Deuteronomy 21:22 word by word
וְכִֽי־יִהְיֶ֣ה בְאִ֗ישׁ חֵ֛טְא מִשְׁפַּט־מָ֖וֶת וְהוּמָ֑ת וְתָלִ֥יתָ אֹת֖וֹ עַל־עֵֽץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 21:22
- 2 Samuel 4:12So David gave orders to the young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took Ish-bosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.
- Joshua 8:29He hung the body of the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which still remains today.
- Joshua 10:26After this, Joshua struck them down and executed them. He hung their bodies on five trees and they were there until evening.
- Numbers 25:4The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord so that his burning anger may turn away from Israel.”
- Deuteronomy 19:6Otherwise, the avenger of blood in the heat of his anger might pursue the one who committed manslaughter, overtake him because the distance is great, and strike him dead. Yet he did not deserve to die, since he did not previously hate his neighbor.
- Deuteronomy 22:26Do nothing to the young woman, because she is not guilty of an offense deserving death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him.
- 1 Samuel 26:16What you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, all of you deserve to die since you didn’t protect your lord, the Lord’s anointed. Now look around; where are the king’s spear and water jug that were by his head?”
- Matthew 26:66What is your decision?” They answered, “He deserves death!”
- Acts 23:29I found out that the accusations were concerning questions of their law, and that there was no charge that merited death or imprisonment.
- Acts 25:11If then I did anything wrong and am deserving of death, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to what these men accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
- Acts 26:31and when they had left they talked with each other and said, “This man is not doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment.”
- 2 Samuel 21:6let seven of his male descendants be handed over to us so we may hang them in the presence of the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the Lord’s chosen.” The king answered, “I will hand them over.”
- Luke 23:33When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
- John 19:31Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special day). They requested that Pilate have the men’s legs broken and that their bodies be taken away.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 21:22
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22There were four methods of execution in use among the ancient Jews; stoning (Exodus 17:4; Deuteronomy 13:10, etc.), burning Leviticus 20:14; Leviticus 21:9, the sword Exodus 32:27, and strangulation. The latter, though not named in Scripture, is regarded by the rabbis as the most common, and the proper one to be adopted when no other is expressly enjoined by the Law. Suspension, whether from cross, stake, or gallows, was not used as a mode of taking life…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-23Verses 22-23 By the law of Moses, the touch of a dead body was defiling, therefore dead bodies must not be left hanging, as that would defile the land. There is one reason here which has reference to Christ; "He that is hanged is accursed of God;" that is, it is the highest degree of disgrace and reproach. Those who see a man thus hanging between heaven and earth, will conclude him abandoned of both, and unworthy of either. Moses, by the Spirit, uses this…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22hang his body on a tree: This was not the method of execution, at least in this text. It was a shameful display of those already put to death for severe crimes punishable by death. This was probably to show the Lord's hatred of sin. It also warned others about committing similar acts (see also Genesis 40:19, 22; Joshua 10:26; 2 Samuel 4:12; 21:12; Esther 2:23; 7:10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2322-23. if a man have committed a sin ... and thou hang him on a tree--Hanging was not a Hebrew form of execution (gibbeting is meant), but the body was not to be left to rot or be a prey to ravenous birds; it was to be buried "that day," either because the stench in a hot climate would corrupt the air, or the spectacle of an exposed corpse bring ceremonial defilement on the land.Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 21:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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