Leviticus 24:14

14 "Bring the one who has cursed to the outside of the camp and have all who heard [him] lay their hands on his head; then have the whole community stone him.^[a]

Leviticus 24:14 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 24:14

Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp
To show that he had no part nor lot in Israel, and that he was unworthy to be a member of their civil community, or of their church state; and, besides, the place of stoning, or where malefactors suffered any kind of death, was without the camp, as afterwards without the city, see ( Hebrews 13:12 Hebrews 13:13 ) ; let all that heard [him] lay their hands upon his head;
the Targum of Jonathan adds,

``and the judges;''

so Jarchi remarks, that they that "heard him" are the witnesses, and the word "all" comprehends the judges: Maimonides says ^F5 the same, and observes that hands were laid on no malefactor but the blasphemer; and this was done to show that the one had bore a faithful testimony, and the other had pronounced a righteous sentence on him; and that he had brought this guilt and punishment upon himself by his sin; wherefore it was usual for them to say, as the same writers observe,

``thy blood be upon thine own head, and we not punished for thy death, which thou hast been the cause of to thyself:''

and let all the congregation stone him;
which Aben Ezra interprets of the great men of Israel; nor can it be thought that every individual of the people could cast a stone at him, but it was to be done by some of them, in the presence of them all, or as many as could conveniently get together to behold it; and this was done to show their detestation of the sin, and to deter from the commission of it: it was the same kind of punishment that was ordered to be inflicted on him that cursed his father or mother, ( Leviticus 20:9 ) ; God, the God of mercy, requiring no sorer punishment, though it deterred a greater, for such a sin against himself, than against a common parent.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Hilchot Obede Cochabim, c. 2. sect. 10.

Leviticus 24:14 In-Context

12 They put him in custody until the Lord's decision could be made clear to them.

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

14 "Bring the one who has cursed to the outside of the camp and have all who heard [him] lay their hands on his head; then have the whole community stone him.

15 And tell the Israelites: If anyone curses his God, he will bear the consequences of his sin.

16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death; the whole community must stone him. If he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death, whether the foreign resident or the native.

Footnotes

• [a] Lv 24:23