Anyone
who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:17
Exodus 21 [16.] “Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 21 [17.] “Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 21 [18.] “If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn’t die, but is confined to bed; if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.
Meaning:
This short law sits among the civil laws God gave Israel at Mount Sinai. It sounds severe to modern ears, yet it reveals how seriously God regards the family and the honor due to parents. Jesus himself quoted it when he exposed the way religious tradition was being used to neglect fathers and mothers.
- Part of the Book of the Covenant
Exodus 21 to 23 is often called "the Book of the Covenant." It applies the Ten Commandments to the everyday life of a nation newly freed from Egypt. This law stands in a group of capital offenses that includes murder and kidnapping. Placing contempt for parents alongside such crimes shows that, in God's eyes, attacking the foundation of the family was an attack on the life of the whole community.
- What It Means to "Curse"
The Hebrew word translated "curses" comes from a root meaning "to be light" or "to treat as trivial." It is the opposite of the word "honor" in the fifth commandment, which comes from a root meaning "to be heavy" or "to give weight" (Exodus 20:12). To curse one's parents was not just to swear at them in a moment of anger; it was to treat them with settled contempt, to call down evil on them and to despise their place in one's life.
Proverbs uses the same language: "Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness" (Proverbs 20:20), and it warns against "the eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother" (Proverbs 30:17). The law is repeated in Leviticus, showing that it was a fixed part of Israel's moral teaching.
- Why So Severe?
In ancient Israel the family was the basic unit of society, worship and inheritance. Parents passed on the knowledge of God and his covenant to the next generation. A household in which parents were despised would soon be a household in which God was forgotten. The severe penalty guarded the very channel through which faith was meant to flow. In practice, such cases were heard publicly before the elders, not settled by private anger.
For Christians, the civil penalties of Israel's law are no longer applied, since the church is not a nation-state and Christ has borne the curse of the law for all who believe. But the moral principle remains. Paul repeats the command to honor father and mother, calling it "the first commandment with a promise" (Ephesians 6:1-3).
- Jesus and This Law
When Pharisees and scribes criticized his disciples for eating with unwashed hands, Jesus quoted this very law: "He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death" (Mark 7:8-13). He used it to show that God takes honoring parents with the utmost seriousness, and that no religious vow such as "Corban" could cancel that duty. Jesus upheld the heart of the law while exposing traditions that emptied it of meaning.
The Significance of Exodus 21:17
- Honor Begins with Words
This law focuses on speech. How we speak to and about our parents reveals the attitude of our hearts. Even where parents have failed, believers are called to avoid contempt and to speak with respect and truthfulness, seeking peace wherever possible.
- Grace for Those Who Have Failed
Many people carry regret about how they have treated their parents. The law shows the seriousness of that sin, but the gospel offers forgiveness: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Forgiveness frees us to begin honoring our parents now, in whatever way is still possible.
Cross-References:
Exodus 20:12: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you." The positive command that this law protects.
Proverbs 20:20: "Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness." Wisdom literature echoes the same warning.
Ephesians 6:2-3: "“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise: “that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”" The New Testament keeps the duty to honor parents.
Mark 7:10: "For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’" Jesus quotes this law to expose a tradition that let people neglect their parents.
Conclusion: Exodus 21:17 shows how highly God values the honor of parents and the health of the family. Jesus affirmed its seriousness when he confronted traditions that undermined it. For believers today, it calls us to speak and act towards our parents with respect, and it points us to the grace of God for every failure.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible