Leviticus 20:9 · Bible study
Leviticus 20:9 Commentary: Death for Cursing Parents
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the OT law mandate death for cursing parents?
Research Summary
- Meaning: In ancient Israel, cursing parents was a capital crime, enforcing the Fifth Commandment by making dishonor a community concern.
- Key words: קלל (qalal), to lighten, despise, curse; מות יומת (mot yumat), shall surely be put to death; דמיו בו (damav bo), his blood is upon him.
- Main debate: Whether the curse must involve the divine Name (Targum) or includes any contemptuous speech (Clarke, Wesley).
- Theological theme: The family as the foundation of covenant community, and God's demand for holiness in relationships.
- Best use: Teaching on the Fifth Commandment, the gravity of speech, and the holiness of family authority in God's plan.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
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.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“‘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 himself.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`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.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
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.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
He that curseth his father, or mother, dying let him die. He hath cursed his father, and mother: let his blood be upon him.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque varón que maldijere á su padre ó á su madre, de cierto morirá: á su padre ó á su madre maldijo; su sangre será sobre él.
Aquele que amaldiçoar seu pai ou sua mãe certamente morrerá; a seu pai ou a sua mãe amaldiçoou; seu sangue será sobre ele.
Si un homme quelconque maudit son père ou sa mère, il sera puni de mort; il a maudit son père ou sa mère: son sang retombera sur lui.
Wer seinem Vater oder seiner Mutter flucht, der soll des Todes sterben. Sein Blut sei auf ihm, daß er seinem Vater oder seiner Mutter geflucht hat.
Als er iemand is, die zijn vader of zijn moeder zal gevloekt hebben, die zal zekerlijk gedood worden; hij heeft zijn vader of zijn moeder gevloekt; zijn bloed is op hem!
Chiunque maledice suo padre o sua madre dovrà esser messo a morte; ha maledetto suo padre o sua madre; il suo sangue ricadrà su lui.
Ktobykolwiek złorzeczył ojcu swemu, albo matce swej, śmiercią umrze; ojcu swemu, i matce swej złorzeczył, krew jego będzie na nim.
Кто будет злословить отца своего или мать свою, тот да будет предан смерти; отца своего и мать свою он злословил: кровь его на нем.
凡 咒罵 父 母 的，總要 治死他；他咒罵了 父 母，他的罪（原文是血；本章同）要歸到他身上。
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.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 20:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse enforces the Fifth Commandment with the severest penalty. Adam Clarke notes that the Hebrew verb קלל (qalal) goes beyond outright cursing to include speaking contemptuously or disrespectfully of parents, any speech that lessens them in others' eyes. Wesley specifies that it does not cover every perverse expression but targets bitter reproaches or imprecations. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges points to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, which limits the death penalty to cases where the sacred Name is mentioned in the curse. Keil and Delitzsch set this law within a list of capital offenses, affirming that the phrase “his blood shall be upon him” means the criminal bears full responsibility for his own death. The phrase appears repeatedly in Leviticus 20 and Ezekiel, indicating a settled legal formula. The agreement is clear: in Israel's theocracy, dishonoring parents was understood as an assault on God's ordained authority structure. The high penalty was not arbitrary but reflected the foundational role of the family in keeping the covenant community holy. That ancient urgency still calls us to consider how we honor those God has placed over us.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Narrow interpretation (divine Name required): Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and later rabbinic sources limit the death penalty to cursing that explicitly invokes God's name.
- Broad interpretation (any contemptuous speech): Clarke and Wesley argue that qalal includes any disrespectful or degrading speech, as evident from the broader semantic range of the Hebrew verb.
What is clear: The OT law treats cursing parents as a capital offense, demonstrating the foundational importance of parental authority in God's covenant community.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Definition of "cursing" | All commentators agree it refers to serious verbal dishonor, not every careless word. | Some (Targum, rabbinic tradition) require the divine Name to be pronounced for the death penalty to apply; others (Clarke, Wesley) include any contemptuous or degrading speech. |
| Applicability of the death penalty today | Christians agree that honoring parents is a permanent moral duty rooted in creation and reaffirmed in the New Testament. | Many view this law as part of Israel's unique theocracy, not binding on modern states; a minority argue that the principle of capital punishment for certain offenses remains valid, though they do not apply it to this specific case. |
| Relationship to the Fifth Commandment | All traditions see this verse as a penal expansion of Exodus 20:12, showing the seriousness of honor. | Some interpret the law as purely ceremonial, tied to Israel's national identity; others see a moral principle that carries weight in any Christian household, even if the penalty is not enforced by the state. |
| Connection to the New Testament | Jesus and Paul reaffirm the command to honor parents (Mark 7:10; Ephesians 6:2). | Some worry that grace cancels the seriousness of dishonor; others emphasize that the gospel provides both forgiveness and the Spirit's power to restore honor in broken families. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Leviticus 20 stands as the penal appendix of the Holiness Code (chapters 17, 26), where the repeated call “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy” (v. 7) frames the laws that follow. Verse 9 is the first specific penalty listed, placed before a long catalogue of sexual offenses, adultery, incest, homosexuality, bestiality. This positioning tells us that dishonoring parents was viewed with a gravity equal to the most severe moral breaches in Israel.
In ancient Israel the family was the basic unit of covenant life. Parents represented God to their children; the command to honor them (Exodus 20:12) carried a promise of longevity in the land. To curse a parent was therefore not just a personal failing but an act that destabilized the whole community's relationship with God. The death penalty (carried out by stoning, as Gill notes from Jarchi and the Talmud) served to purge evil from the people (Deuteronomy 13:5). The formula “his blood shall be upon him” (דמיו בו) is a legal idiom that places bloodguilt squarely on the offender, the community bears no guilt in executing him. The same phrase appears for adultery, incest, and other capital crimes in this chapter (verses 11, 13, 16, 27).
The law repeats Exodus 21:17 and echoes Deuteronomy 27:16, where a curse is pronounced on anyone who dishonors parents. These repetitions show the command's centrality. Modern readers must handle this text carefully: we do not live under Israel's theocracy, and the death penalty for cursing is not advocated for civil societies today. Yet the principle remains that honoring parents is woven into the fabric of holiness, and to treat it lightly is to erode the foundation God built for family and faith.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 20:9. The verse appears consistently across manuscript traditions and in parallel passages (Exodus 21:17).
Reception History
Jewish tradition, as reflected in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan cited by the Cambridge Bible, limited the death penalty to cases where the divine Name was invoked. The Mishnah (Sanhedrin 7:8) discusses procedural requirements for this capital crime. Early Christian interpreters like Augustine saw the law as establishing the seriousness of honoring parents as a natural duty. Reformation commentators such as Calvin, Matthew Henry, and Gill treated it as a moral demonstration of God's commitment to family authority while noting its theocratic setting. In modern preaching, the verse is often cited in series on the Ten Commandments, emphasizing the weight of the Fifth Commandment. It also appears in discussions about the nature of Old Testament law and its application to Christian ethics. The verse continues to challenge readers to consider how words and attitudes toward parents reflect the heart of worship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Gravity of Dishonoring Parents, The Hebrew verb קלל (qalal) means to treat lightly, to despise, to curse. Clarke and Wesley agree it is not a slip of the tongue but a settled contempt that strikes at God's order. The death penalty shows that words carry the weight of life and death in the covenant community.
- God's Design for the Family, Parents are God's first representatives on earth. To honor them is to honor God; to curse them is to curse His arrangement. This law protects the family as the training ground for holiness.
- Proportional Justice and Grace, The principle “his blood shall be upon him” affirms personal responsibility. But the same Bible that commands this law also offers forgiveness for those who repent. Christ honored His Father perfectly and covers our failures.
Five-point outline
- The Theocratic Framework, Israel was a nation under God's direct rule, where civil and religious law were one. This context is unique and not directly transferable to modern states.
- The Seriousness of Speech, Words are not neutral; they reveal the heart and can tear down or build up. Jesus taught that what comes out of the mouth defiles a person (Matthew 15:18).
- The Community's Role, The elders and people of the land were responsible to carry out judgment (Leviticus 20:2, 27). The whole community shared the task of maintaining holiness.
- Christ Fulfills the Law, Jesus submitted to His parents (Luke 2:51) and never dishonored them. He earned the blessing we cannot. In Him, the curse is reversed for all who believe.
- Application Today, We honor parents by showing respect, providing for their needs, and speaking well of them. When parents fail or are abusive, honor looks different (boundaries, forgiveness, still valuing them as God's image-bearers).
Illustration hooks
- A teenager in a store loudly berating a parent, others look away, but the community feels the breakdown. In ancient Israel, that breakdown was a public crisis.
- A boardroom where a successful adult dismisses a parent's advice with contempt. The pattern of disrespect begins in small things and grows.
- A congregation that gossips about an elder's parenting choices, how easily we dishonor those God placed in authority when we speak lightly of them.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God take cursing parents so seriously?
- Does this law mean I am under a curse if I ever spoke harshly to my parents?
- How do I honor parents who have hurt me badly or abandoned me?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shocks modern readers. The death penalty for words seems extreme. But it reveals something profound: God treats the family as the cornerstone of His covenant community. In ancient Israel, to curse a parent was to attack the foundation of holy living. As you discuss this passage, let it challenge your view of honor, speech, and community responsibility. The goal is not guilt but deeper understanding of God's design so we can love our families well.
Discussion questions
- Read Leviticus 20:9 in its context (vv. 1, 8 and vv. 10, 27). Why do you think the law against cursing parents is placed first among these penalties?
- The Hebrew word קלל (qalal) is translated “curse” but also means to treat as light or insignificant. How does that broader meaning expand your understanding of the sin?
- Verse 9 ends with “his blood shall be upon him.” What does that phrase communicate about personal responsibility and the community's role in judgment?
- Compare this verse with Exodus 21:17 and Deuteronomy 27:16. How do these cross-references reinforce the same message? What do they add?
- In what ways do you see our culture treating parents lightly? Name specific examples (media, conversations, attitudes).
- How does Jesus' teaching on honoring parents (Mark 7:9, 13) deepen or correct your understanding of this command? Did He relax it or intensify it?
- What is one step you could take this week to honor your parents or parental figures more intentionally, whether they are easy to honor or difficult? If you have no living parents, how might you honor other spiritual elders?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 21:17 | “Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. |
| Leviticus 20:11 | “‘The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon themselves. |
| Leviticus 20:13 | “‘If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon themselves. |
| Leviticus 20:16 | “‘If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. |
| Leviticus 20:27 | “‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their blood shall be upon themselves.’” |
| Deuteronomy 27:16 | ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or his mother.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ |
| Joshua 2:19 | It shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head, and we will be guiltless. Whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is on him. |
| Judges 9:24 | that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother who killed them, and on the men of Shechem who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke broadens the meaning of "curses" to include any contemptuous, disrespectful, or belittling speech toward parents. The Hebrew term covers not just outright malediction but every word that lessens parents in others' eyes or makes their judgment suspect.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes the traditional Jewish interpretation that the death penalty for cursing a parent applies specifically when the sacred name of God is invoked in the curse. The recurring phrase "his blood shall be upon him" indicates the person bears full responsibility for the penalty.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that the death penalty for cursing a parent is just and self-inflicted. The offender bears full responsibility; his own blood is upon him, meaning his guilt alone brings the punishment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill specifies that the death penalty for cursing a parent was carried out by stoning. He notes that the formula "his blood shall be upon him" consistently signals death by stoning in these contexts, making the punishment clear and specific.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch clarify that the burning commanded for certain capital offenses in the law means burning the corpse after execution, not death by fire. The punishment was stoning, followed by cremation of the body, which heightened the dishonor of the crime.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads this chapter not as a mere appendix of penalties but as centered on the land itself reacting against moral pollution. The holy land must be kept holy or it will violently reject its inhabitants, a principle that explains why the Canaanites were dispossessed and why Israel faced the same threat.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry stresses that God's repeated command against sacrificing children to Molech shows how seriously He takes this sin. The repetition itself is not vain; it is meant to make the people pay closer attention and understand that what God says twice must be vital for their safety.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley clarifies that "curseth" does not mean every harsh expression but specifically bitter insults or curses. The phrase "his blood shall be upon him" means the person is responsible for his own death, as he deserves to die for the unnatural crime of cursing a parent.