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who blasphemes Yahweh’s name, he shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. The foreigner as well as the native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
Leviticus 24:16
Leviticus 24 [5.] “You shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it: two tenths of an ephah shall be in one cake. You shall set them in two rows, six on a row, on the pure gold table before Yahweh. You shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire to Yahweh. Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before Yahweh continually. It is on the behalf of the children of Israel an everlasting covenant. It shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy to him of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire by a perpetual statute.”
Leviticus 24 [10.] The son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelite woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. They put him in custody, until Yahweh’s will should be declared to them. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “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. You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. He who blasphemes Yahweh’s name, he shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. The foreigner as well as the native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
Leviticus 24 [17.] “‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death. He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor; as he has done, so shall it be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has injured someone, so shall it be done to him. He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death. You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am Yahweh your God.’”
Meaning:
This law was given after an incident in the wilderness camp. During a fight, the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father “blasphemed the Name, and cursed”. Moses did not know what should be done, so the man was held until God made his will known. The answer was this law, which applied to everyone living among God’s people.
- “He who blasphemes Yahweh’s name”
In the Bible, God’s name is not just a label. It stands for who he is, his character, his holiness and his presence among his people. To blaspheme the Name means to curse God, speak of him with contempt, or treat him as worthless.
- “All the congregation shall certainly stone him”
The whole community was to carry out the sentence, after the witnesses laid their hands on the offender’s head. This showed that blasphemy was not a private matter. It defiled the whole people, and the whole people were responsible to remove it.
- “The foreigner as well as the native-born”
The offender had an Egyptian father. There was one standard for all who lived in Israel.
- Blasphemy and Jesus
This law stands behind several events in the Gospels. When Jesus forgave sins, scribes thought, “Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). When he said, “before Abraham came into existence, I AM” (John 8:58), “they took up stones to throw at him” (John 8:59). At his trial the high priest declared, “You have heard the blasphemy!” and the council condemned him to death (Mark 14:63-64). Later Stephen was stoned on a similar charge (Acts 7:57-58).
Yet Jesus was not dishonouring God’s name. He was God’s Son, speaking the truth.
The Significance of Leviticus 24:16
- Reverence for God’s name
Christians are not called to stone anyone, but the principle remains: God’s name is holy and should be spoken with love and respect.
- The innocent condemned
Jesus was put to death as a blasphemer, though he was innocent. He bore the penalty of sinners so that those who have dishonoured God can be forgiven.
Cross-References:
Mark 14:64: "You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" Jesus condemned for blasphemy.
Mark 2:7: "Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" An earlier accusation.
Acts 7:58: "They threw him out of the city, and stoned him." Stephen’s death.
Conclusion: Leviticus 24:16 commanded that anyone, native or foreigner, who blasphemed the name of Yahweh should be stoned by the whole community. The law shows how holy God’s name is and how seriously he takes contempt for it. In the Gospels this law was used to condemn Jesus, who was not a blasphemer but the Son of God, and who died bearing the penalty for others.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible