And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
- BSB Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be 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 1:9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
- Deut 21:18–21If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
- Prov 30:17The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
- Prov 30:11There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
- Deut 27:24Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall 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.