16 Cursed H779 be he that setteth light H7034 by his father H1 or his mother. H517 And all the people H5971 shall say, H559 Amen. H543
If a man H376 have a stubborn H5637 and rebellious H4784 son, H1121 which will not obey H8085 the voice H6963 of his father, H1 or the voice H6963 of his mother, H517 and that, when they have chastened H3256 him, will not hearken H8085 unto them: Then shall his father H1 and his mother H517 lay hold H8610 on him, and bring him out H3318 unto the elders H2205 of his city, H5892 and unto the gate H8179 of his place; H4725 And they shall say H559 unto the elders H2205 of his city, H5892 This our son H1121 is stubborn H5637 and rebellious, H4784 he will not obey H8085 our voice; H6963 he is a glutton, H2151 and a drunkard. H5433 And all the men H582 of his city H5892 shall stone H7275 him with stones, H68 that he die: H4191 so shalt thou put H1197 evil H7451 away H1197 from among H7130 you; and all Israel H3478 shall hear, H8085 and fear. H3372
There is a generation H1755 that curseth H7043 their father, H1 and doth not bless H1288 their mother. H517 There is a generation H1755 that are pure H2889 in their own eyes, H5869 and yet is not washed H7364 from their filthiness. H6675 There is a generation, H1755 O how lofty H7311 are their eyes! H5869 and their eyelids H6079 are lifted up. H5375 There is a generation, H1755 whose teeth H8127 are as swords, H2719 and their jaw teeth H4973 as knives, H3979 to devour H398 the poor H6041 from off the earth, H776 and the needy H34 from among men. H120 The horseleach H5936 hath two H8147 daughters, H1323 crying, Give, H3051 give. H3051 There are three H7969 things that are never satisfied, H7646 yea, four H702 things say H559 not, It is enough: H1952 The grave; H7585 and the barren H6115 womb; H7356 the earth H776 that is not filled H7646 with water; H4325 and the fire H784 that saith H559 not, It is enough. H1952 The eye H5869 that mocketh H3932 at his father, H1 and despiseth H936 to obey H3349 his mother, H517 the ravens H6158 of the valley H5158 shall pick it out, H5365 and the young H1121 eagles H5404 shall eat H398 it.
For G1063 God G2316 commanded, G1781 saying, G3004 Honour G5091 thy G4675 father G3962 and G2532 mother: G3384 and, G2532 He that curseth G2551 father G3962 or G2228 mother, G3384 let him die G5053 the death. G2288 But G1161 ye G5210 say, G3004 Whosoever G3739 G302 shall say G2036 to his father G3962 or G2228 his mother, G3384 It is a gift, G1435 by G1537 whatsoever G3739 G1437 thou mightest be profited G5623 by me; G1700 And G2532 honour G5091 not G3364 his G846 father G3962 or G2228 his G846 mother, G3384 he shall be free. Thus G2532 have ye made G208 the commandment G1785 of God G2316 of none effect G208 by G1223 your G5216 tradition. G3862
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 27
Commentary on Deuteronomy 27 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 27
De 27:1-10. The People Are to Write the Law upon Stones.
2. it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan—"Day" is often put for "time"; and it was not till some days after the passage that the following instructions were acted upon.
thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister—These stones were to be taken in their natural state, unhewn, and unpolished—the occasion on which they were used not admitting of long or elaborate preparation; and they were to be daubed over with paint or whitewash, to render them more conspicuous. Stones and even rocks are seen in Egypt and the peninsula of Sinai, containing inscriptions made three thousand years ago, in paint or plaister. By some similar method those stones may have been inscribed, and it is most probable that Moses learned the art from the Egyptians.
3. thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law—It might be, as some think, the Decalogue; but a greater probability is that it was "the blessings and curses," which comprised in fact an epitome of the law (Jos 8:34).
5-10. there shalt thou build an altar … of whole stones—The stones were to be in their natural state, as if a chisel would communicate pollution to them. The stony pile was to be so large as to contain all the conditions of the covenant, so elevated as to be visible to the whole congregation of Israel; and the religious ceremonial performed on the occasion was to consist: first, of the elementary worship needed for sinful men; and secondly, of the peace offerings, or lively, social feasts, that were suited to the happy people whose God was the Lord. There were thus, the law which condemned, and the typical expiation—the two great principles of revealed religion.
De 27:11-13. The Tribes Divided on Gerizim and Ebal.
11-13. These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people … these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse—Those long, rocky ridges lay in the province of Samaria, and the peaks referred to were near Shechem (Nablous), rising in steep precipices to the height of about eight hundred feet and separated by a green, well-watered valley of about five hundred yards wide. The people of Israel were here divided into two parts. On mount Gerizim (now Jebel-et-Tur) were stationed the descendants of Rachel and Leah, the two principal wives of Jacob, and to them was assigned the most pleasant and honorable office of pronouncing the benedictions; while on the twin hill of Ebal (now Imad-el-Deen) were placed the posterity of the two secondary wives, Zilpah and Bilhah, with those of Reuben, who had lost the primogeniture, and Zebulun, Leah's youngest son; to them was committed the necessary but painful duty of pronouncing the maledictions (see on Jud 9:7). The ceremony might have taken place on the lower spurs of the mountains, where they approach more closely to each other; and the course observed was as follows: Amid the silent expectations of the solemn assembly, the priests standing round the ark in the valley below, said aloud, looking to Gerizim, "Blessed is the man that maketh not any graven image," when the people ranged on that hill responded in full simultaneous shouts of "Amen"; then turning round to Ebal, they cried, "Cursed is the man that maketh any graven image"; to which those that covered the ridge answered, "Amen." The same course at every pause was followed with all the blessings and curses (see on Jos 8:33, 34). These curses attendant on disobedience to the divine will, which had been revealed as a law from heaven, be it observed, are given in the form of a declaration, not a wish, as the words should be rendered, "Cursed is he," and not, "Cursed be he."