Deuteronomy 21 22

Deuteronomy 21:22 kjv

And 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:

Deuteronomy 21:22 nkjv

"If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

Deuteronomy 21:22 niv

If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole,

Deuteronomy 21:22 esv

"And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

Deuteronomy 21:22 nlt

"If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree,

Deuteronomy 21 verses

Deuteronomy 21 22 Meaning

Deuteronomy 21:22 outlines a legal stipulation regarding capital punishment in ancient Israel. It describes a situation where an individual has committed a grave sin that warrants the death penalty, and after execution, their body is publicly displayed by being hung on a tree or pole. This act of hanging was not the method of execution itself, but a post-mortem act designed to signify extreme disgrace, a public warning, and divine curse upon the offender, visible to the entire community.

Deuteronomy 21 22 Context

Deuteronomy 21 is a section of Israel's legal code delivered by Moses, addressing various aspects of communal life, from unsolved murders to specific familial and judicial situations. This particular verse (21:22) is part of a brief section (21:22-23) concerning the aftermath of capital punishment. It follows regulations about an insubordinate son (21:18-21), suggesting a connection to sins against parental authority or grievous transgressions that violate the social and covenantal fabric of Israel. The focus is not on the specific capital offense itself, but on the subsequent treatment of the executed body, which was subject to a highly significant, if brief, public display of utter disgrace. This legal instruction provided guidelines for maintaining the sanctity of the land and underscored the gravity of specific sins while also placing a crucial limitation on the extent of public degradation.

Deuteronomy 21 22 Word analysis

• And if a man (וְכִֽי־יִהְיֶ֥ה אִ֖ישׁ – wəḵî-yihyeh ʾîš):

  • ʾîš (איש): A generic term for a male person, emphasizing that this law applies to any man within the community who commits such a grave sin. It implies individual responsibility before God's law.

• have committed a sin worthy of death (חֵטְא מִשְׁפַּט־מָוֶת – ḥēṭʾ mišpaṭ-māwet):

  • ḥēṭʾ (חֵטְא): Sin, offense. Signifies deviation from God's commands.
  • mišpaṭ-māwet (מִשְׁפַּט־מָוֶת): "Judgment of death," or "sentence of death." This specifies that the sin is not just any transgression, but one that legally (under the Mosaic Covenant) carries capital punishment as its decreed consequence (e.g., idolatry, blasphemy, specific sexual sins, striking or cursing a parent). This indicates a judicial process resulting in a verdict of death.

• and he be put to death (וְהוּמַת – wəhûmmat):

  • hûmmat (הומת): This is a Hophal passive form of the verb mût (מות), "to die." So, "he is caused to die," or "he is put to death." This explicitly states that the person has already undergone legal execution by the community, usually by stoning for capital offenses in Israel. The hanging is therefore not the method of execution but a post-mortem act.

• and thou hang him (וְתָלִ֥יתָ אֹת֖וֹ – wəṯālîṯā ʾōṯô):

  • tālâ (תלה): To hang, suspend, crucify. In this context, it refers to fastening the already deceased body to a structure. This act served as a public spectacle, an extension of the punishment to demonstrate the severity of the offense and the ultimate rejection by God and community.

• on a tree (עַל־עֵץ – ʿal-ʿēṣ):

  • ʿal (על): On, upon, against.
  • ʿēṣ (עץ): Tree, wood, gallows. This generic term is significant because it is the same word used throughout the Old Testament and subsequently referenced in the New Testament to describe the "cross" or "wood" upon which Jesus was crucified. In the OT context, it denotes a stake, post, or living tree used for displaying a body. The hanging was meant to publicly declare the executed person's utter curse and abomination before God and man.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "a sin worthy of death": Highlights the strict, divine judgment prescribed by the Mosaic Law for certain grave offenses. These were sins that not only violated human communal harmony but were direct affronts to God's holiness and covenant. The outcome was seen as God's righteous wrath against sin, enacted through the judicial process.
  • "he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree": This sequence is critical. Execution comes first, then post-mortem hanging. This disproves the notion that hanging was the primary method of execution (like a modern gallows) for Israelites. Rather, it emphasizes the punitive display after the initial death, designed for maximum public deterrence and theological impact—declaring the person to be under the full curse of the Law. The public display on the "tree" made this divine curse profoundly visible.

Deuteronomy 21 22 Bonus section

The act of hanging on a "tree" or stake, as detailed in Deut 21:22, carried unique connotations compared to other forms of execution or public shaming in the ancient Near East. Unlike some cultures that left bodies exposed for carrion or long periods, Israelite law required prompt burial (Dt 21:23). This command, even for the most defiled, points to a concern for the sanctity of life and the land. It limited the disgrace, emphasizing justice and public warning without resorting to excessive desecration or long-term pollution. The "cursed" status of the person hung was deeply ingrained in the Jewish understanding, setting the stage for the dramatic theological reversal accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross. This means that Christ was identified with humanity's worst transgressors in order to deliver them from the penalty and curse they faced under God's righteous law.

Deuteronomy 21 22 Commentary

Deuteronomy 21:22 defines a critical legal and theological practice in ancient Israel. When a grave transgression meriting capital punishment was committed and the sentence carried out, the body of the condemned was to be hung on a "tree" or pole. This was not the act of killing, but a symbolic, public exhibition of the executed person's utter degradation and, most profoundly, their status as cursed by God. Such a public display served as a powerful deterrent and reaffirmed the severity of the Law and the purity demanded by the covenant.

However, the immediate follow-up in verse 23 places a vital limitation: the body could not remain overnight. This detail highlights a core Israelite principle: even the most heinous criminal, once executed and publicly disgraced, could not be left exposed to pollute the holy land beyond the day of execution. The land was God's, and prolonged defilement, even by a corpse symbolizing a curse, was intolerable.

This ancient law attains immense theological significance in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, in Galatians 3:13, explicitly references this passage ("Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree") to explain Jesus' atoning work. Jesus, though perfectly righteous, endured death by crucifixion – a "hanging on a tree" – becoming, metaphorically, a curse for humanity. By willingly undergoing such a shameful, divinely-cursed death, Christ took upon Himself the very curse of the Law that all humanity deserved due to sin, thereby redeeming believers from that condemnation and opening the way to blessing. The act meant for profound curse under the Old Covenant became the means of profound blessing and redemption under the New.