Leviticus 20:8-10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
8 Be careful, therefore, to observe my statutes. I, the Lord, make you holy.
9 Anyone who curses father or mother shall be put to death;[a](A) and having cursed father or mother, such a one will bear the bloodguilt.[b] 10 [c]If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife,(B) both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.
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- 20:9 Curses father or mother…put to death: this is more than a simple expletive uttered in anger against one’s parents. See note on Ex 21:17.
- 20:9–21 Bloodguilt: these penalties, beginning with cursing one’s parents, reflect the concerns of a patriarchal society that the breakdown of one’s relations with one’s parents can lead to the breakdown of all other familial relationships, resulting in the breakdown of society.
- 20:10–21 See 18:6–23 and notes there. It appears that the inclusion of various penalties in 20:10–21 accounts for the different order of the cases here compared to the order found in 18:6–23. The reason why the offenses in 20:10–21 carry different penalties, however, is not clear. Perhaps the cases in vv. 17–21 were considered slightly less serious, being condemned but not criminally prosecuted.
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