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Deuteronomy 27:21

‘Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:21 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB ‘Cursed is he who lies with any kind of animal.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
  • KJV Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.
  • BSB ‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
  • NASB ‘Cursed is one who has sexual intercourse with any animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
  • NLT ‘Cursed is anyone who has sexual intercourse with an animal.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’

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

A curse falls on bestiality, a perversion of God's created order.

Overview

This act distorts the boundaries God set in creation between humans and animals. Such sins defile the land and the people. The curse underscores that sexual conduct is a matter of covenant holiness, not mere private choice.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Lev 18:23“‘You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it. No woman may give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.
  • Exod 22:19“Whoever has sex with an animal shall surely be put to death.
  • Lev 20:15“‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (10)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Deuteronomy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Deuteronomy 27:21YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on DeuteronomyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 27:21 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.