Deuteronomy 21:22-23
English Standard Version
A Man Hanged on a Tree Is Cursed
22 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 (A)his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for (B)a hanged man is cursed by God. (C)You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
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Deuteronomy 21:22-23
New English Translation
Disposition of a Criminal’s Remains
22 If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse[a] on a tree, 23 his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury[b] him that same day, for the one who is left exposed[c] on a tree is cursed by God.[d] You must not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
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- Deuteronomy 21:22 tn Heb “him.”
- Deuteronomy 21:23 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates by “make certain.”
- Deuteronomy 21:23 tn Heb “hung,” but this could convey the wrong image in English (hanging with a rope as a means of execution). Cf. NCV “anyone whose body is displayed on a tree.”
- Deuteronomy 21:23 sn The idea behind the phrase cursed by God seems to be not that the person was impaled because he was cursed but that to leave him exposed there was to invite the curse of God upon the whole land. Why this would be so is not clear, though the rabbinic idea that even a criminal is created in the image of God may give some clue (thus J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy [JPSTC], 198). Paul cites this text (see Gal 3:13) to make the point that Christ, suspended from a cross, thereby took upon himself the curse associated with such a display of divine wrath and judgment (T. George, Galatians [NAC], 238-39).
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
New International Version
Various Laws
22 If someone guilty of a capital offense(A) is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight.(B) Be sure to bury(C) it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.(D) You must not desecrate(E) the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
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