What is the meaning of Leviticus 20:9? If anyone curses his father or mother “Anyone who curses his father or mother…” • God had already commanded, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12), so this phrase describes the direct violation of the Fifth Commandment. • To “curse” is to speak evil or treat with contempt—something Proverbs 20:20 and Proverbs 30:17 condemn sharply. • Jesus, quoting Exodus 21:17, reinforced the gravity of such disrespect (Matthew 15:4; Mark 7:10). His use of the verse shows the moral principle did not expire with the old covenant. • The statement is open-ended—“anyone”—signaling that neither age, status, nor gender excuses dishonor. • By addressing fathers and mothers together, the text upholds equal parental authority, echoing Ephesians 6:2 and Colossians 3:20, where children are urged to obey “in the Lord, for this is right.” he must be put to death “…he must be put to death.” • Under Israel’s theocratic law, capital punishment safeguarded family and societal stability (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). • This penalty underscores the seriousness with which God views parental authority; an attack on the home was an attack on the covenant community itself. • The civil sanction also foreshadows the universal truth that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God ties blatant rebellion to the ultimate consequence. • While today’s governments are not bound to apply Mosaic civil penalties, Romans 13:4 teaches that the state still bears the sword to restrain evil. The principle—rebellion deserves judgment—remains intact. He has cursed his father or mother “He has cursed his father or mother…” • The repetition functions like a legal charge: the sin is identified, witnessed, and proven. • It stresses personal accountability; no excuse or mitigating circumstance is offered (cf. Deuteronomy 24:16, “Each is to die for his own sin”). • Scripture distinguishes an impulsive outburst from a settled, defiant pattern. Deuteronomy 21:18-20 describes a “stubborn and rebellious son” who will not obey “after they discipline him.” Persistent contempt, not one careless word, is in view. • The family was expected to initiate discipline, a sobering reminder that love sometimes requires hard decisions (Hebrews 12:6-11). his blood shall be upon him “…his blood shall be upon him.” • The offender, not the community, bears the guilt (Ezekiel 18:20). Justice is satisfied; societal hands are clean. • The phrase echoes Genesis 9:6, where taking life incurs life, highlighting God’s commitment to uphold His image in humanity. • It anticipates the substitutionary hope later fulfilled in Christ. Though we all deserve to have our blood upon ourselves, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:21), so that repentant rebels can be forgiven. • The warning therefore becomes an invitation: honor the Son who honored His Father perfectly (John 8:29) and find refuge in His shed blood instead of bearing our own. summary Leviticus 20:9 presents more than an ancient legal code; it reveals God’s heart for ordered families, personal responsibility, and reverence for authority. Cursing parents flouts the Fifth Commandment, warrants death under Israel’s civil law, and pictures the spiritual death all sin earns. The verse calls every generation to honor father and mother, to recognize the lethal seriousness of rebellion, and to flee to Christ—who bore the guilt of the disobedient—so that we might live lives that display the honor God deserves. |
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