Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 27:16
‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the assembled Israelites during a covenant ratification ceremony, listing solemn curses that the congregation must verbally affirm. The words — The verse hinges on אָרוּר (a.Rur), meaning “[is] cursed,” and מַקְלֶה (mak.Leh), meaning “[one who] dishonors,” which together establish a formal pronouncement against familial disrespect. The thread — This prohibition intersects with Exodus 20:12, which commands honoring parents for long life; Exodus 21:17, which mandates death for cursing them; and Leviticus 19:3, which pairs parental respect with Sabbath observance. Why it lands — The text demands concrete acknowledgment of familial duty as a non-negotiable covenant standard, requiring the reader to treat respect for parents as a binding legal and moral baseline rather than a cultural suggestion.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
- Exodus 21:17 Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.
- Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Deuteronomy 21:18 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined,
- Leviticus 20:9 If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his blood shall be upon him.
- Proverbs 30:11 There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
- Ezekiel 22:7 Father and mother are treated with contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the fatherless and the widow are oppressed.
- Matthew 15:4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’