What is the meaning of Exodus 21:17? Anyone who curses • The word “curses” points to a willful, verbal assault—an intentional rejection rather than a careless slip. • Scripture views such speech as a direct offense against God-given authority (Leviticus 20:9, “Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or mother, and his blood is upon him,”). • Jesus confirms the gravity of this sin when He rebukes the Pharisees for nullifying parental honor: “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother must be put to death’” (Matthew 15:4). • Proverbs underlines the same warning: “Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness” (Proverbs 20:20). • God takes words seriously because they reveal the heart (Matthew 12:34-37). his father or mother • Parents are the first human authority children meet; despising them trains the heart to despise every other authority—including God’s. • The fifth commandment gives the positive side: “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). • Paul echoes this link between honor and blessing: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with a promise” (Ephesians 6:1-3). • By singling out both father and mother, Scripture affirms the dignity and authority of each parent. must surely • The double emphasis (“must surely”) signals absolute certainty; no loopholes, no leniency. • This pattern appears whenever God stresses an unbreakable decree (Genesis 2:17, “You must not eat of the tree…for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die,”). • Hebrews reminds us that “every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment” under the Law (Hebrews 2:2). • The wording underscores God’s unchanging standard of holiness and justice. be put to death • Capital punishment in Israel marked certain sins as community-destroying; blatant rebellion against parents threatened the covenant fabric (Deuteronomy 21:18-21, where a persistently rebellious son could be stoned). • The penalty shows sin’s cost; “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), a truth later carried to the cross. • While Christ bore the curse for us (“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,” Galatians 3:13), the principle still stands: unchecked contempt for authority leads to death—spiritual if not civil. • Modern believers no longer enforce Mosaic civil penalties, yet we uphold the moral weight: honoring parents remains a non-negotiable command (Colossians 3:20). summary Exodus 21:17 treats verbal contempt for parents as a capital offense because it strikes at God’s established order and reflects a heart in open rebellion against Him. The verse magnifies the seriousness of sin, highlights the blessing tied to honoring parents, and ultimately directs us to Christ, who took the death our rebellion deserved and empowers us to live in obedient honor today. |
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