Deuteronomy 21:23

Deuteronomy 21:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
• New International Version (NIV)you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
• English Standard Version (ESV)his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
• New King James Version (NKJV)his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

Context of Deuteronomy 21:23

21And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. 22And 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: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which Yhwh thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Deuteronomy 21:23 word by word

לֹא־תָלִ֨ין נִבְלָת֜וֹ עַל־הָעֵ֗ץ כִּֽי־קָב֤וֹר תִּקְבְּרֶ֙נּוּ֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא כִּֽי־קִלְלַ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים תָּל֑וּי וְלֹ֤א תְטַמֵּא֙ אֶת־אַדְמָ֣תְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear

• His bodyנְבֵלָהnebêlâh · carcassH5038
• shall not remain all nightלוּןlûn lîyn · to lodgeH3885
• upon the treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
• but thou shalt in any wiseקָבַרqâbar · to buryH6912
• him that dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• for he that is hangedתָּלָהtâlâh · to hangH8518
• accursedקְלָלָהqelâlâh · curseH7045
• of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• that thy landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
• be not defiledטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
• which Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• givethנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• an inheritanceנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 21:23

• John 19:31The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
• Deuteronomy 7:26Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
• Numbers 25:4And Yhwh said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before Yhwh against the sun, that the fierce anger of Yhwh may be turned away from Israel.
• Joshua 7:12Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
• 2 Samuel 21:6Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto Yhwh in Gibeah of Saul, whom Yhwh did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
• Romans 9:3For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
• Galatians 3:13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
• 1 Corinthians 16:22If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Maranatha.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
• Leviticus 18:25And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
• Numbers 35:33So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 21:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23His body shall not remain all night upon the tree - Its exposure for the space of one day was judged sufficient. The law which required this answered all the ends of public justice, exposed the shame and infamy of the conduct, but did not put to torture the feelings of humanity by requiring a perpetual exhibition of a human being, a slow prey to the most loathsome process of putrefaction. Did ever the spiking of the heads of state criminals prevent high…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23He that is hanged is accursed of God - i. e. “Bury him that is hanged out of the way before evening: his hanging body defiles the land; for God‘s curse rests on it.” The curse of God is probably regarded as lying on the malefactor because, from the fact of his being hanged, be must have been guilty of a especially atrocious breach of God‘s covenant. Such an offender could not remain on the face of the earth without defiling it (compare Leviticus 18:25…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. 23anyone who is hung (literally a man hung): The ancient Greek version reads for everyone who is hanged on a tree. Compare Galatians 3:13, which explains how this saying applies to Jesus. is under God's curse: Sinners who refuse to repent experience God's judgment. But this saying probably means that people would assume God cursed someone in this condition. In reality, the person might have been misjudged or even killed without a legal trial.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 21:23

• Accursed
• Burial
• Hanging
• Punishment
• Quotations and Allusions
• Sanitation

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• That Day
• Adonizedec
• Controversy
• Crucifixion
• Divers
• Hanging
• Rebellious
• Wrought

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