Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Bring out of the camp him who cursed; and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
- BSB “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.
- NKJV “Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
- NASB “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have all the congregation stone him.
- NLT “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard the curse to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him 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
Witnesses were to lay hands on the blasphemer's head, and the whole congregation was to stone him. The community shared responsibility for upholding God's honor.
Overview
The laying on of hands signified that the witnesses transferred the guilt back upon the offender, affirming the testimony was true. Communal stoning made the whole assembly participants in purging evil from their midst. The seriousness reflects how holy God is, and how grave it is to despise his name, a debt only Christ could fully bear for sinners.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Deut 17:7The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
- Lev 20:27A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
- Deut 21:21And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
- Lev 20:2Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
- John 10:31–33Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
- Num 5:2–4Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:
- John 8:59Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
- Josh 7:25And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
- Num 15:35–36And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
- Deut 22:21Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
- Lev 13:46All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
- Deut 13:9–10But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
- Acts 7:58–59And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 24:14 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
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