Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
- KJV And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
- NKJV “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
- NASB “And one who strikes his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.
- NLT “Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death.
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
Whoever attacks his father or mother is to be put to death. Violent assault on parents is treated as a most serious crime.
Overview
This severe penalty underscores the gravity of the fifth commandment, treating violence against parents as an assault on the God-given order of family and authority. Honoring parents was foundational to the covenant community. The command magnifies the perfect obedience of Christ, who honored both His earthly parents and His Father flawlessly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Tim 1:9We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers,
- Deut 21:18–21If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined,
- Prov 30:17As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.
- Prov 30:11There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
- Deut 27:24‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 21:15 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.