Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB He may sentence him to no more than forty stripes. He shall not give more; lest, if he should give more, and beat him more than that many stripes, then your brother will be degraded in your sight.
- BSB He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight.
- NKJV Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother be humiliated in your sight.
- NASB He may have him beaten forty times, but not more, so that he does not have him beaten with many more lashes than these, and that your brother does not become contemptible in your eyes.
- NLT But never give more than forty lashes; more than forty lashes would publicly humiliate your neighbor.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
No more than forty stripes may be given, lest the offender be degraded; even the guilty retain their God-given dignity. Justice has limits that protect human worth.
Overview
Capping the punishment at forty lashes guarded the condemned man, still called 'your brother,' from being dehumanized. Jewish practice later set the limit at thirty-nine to avoid any miscount, the beatings Paul himself received (2 Corinthians 11:24). The law's restraint testifies that even sinners bear God's image, a dignity Christ honored by suffering scourging in our place (Matthew 27:26).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Job 18:3Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight?
- Jas 2:2–3For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
- Luke 15:30But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
- 2 Cor 11:24–25Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
- Luke 18:9–12And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 25:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.