Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 27:25
‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses pronounces this curse during a public covenant ceremony, placing it immediately after a condemnation of secret murder and before a general mandate to keep the law.
The words — The Hebrew לֹקֵ֣חַ שֹׁ֔חַד (lo.Ke.ach Sho.chad) literally means "one who takes a bribe," paired with לְ/הַכּ֥וֹת נֶ֖פֶשׁ דָּ֣ם נָקִ֑י (le./ha.Kot Ne.fesh dam na.Ki), meaning "to strike down a person of innocent blood."
The thread — This prohibition against judicial corruption mirrors Exodus 23:7, which commands staying far from false accusations and protecting the innocent, and aligns with Psalm 15:5, which praises the one who refuses a bribe against the innocent.
Why it lands — The text requires legal authority to remain untainted by payment, demanding that readers reject any arrangement that trades impartial justice for personal gain. The people’s “Amen” confirms collective responsibility to uphold that standard.
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 taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Cross-references
- Exodus 23:7 Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
- Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
- Psalms 15:5 who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
- Deuteronomy 16:19 Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- Proverbs 1:11 If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,
- Ezekiel 22:12 In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.
- Micah 3:10 who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity.
- Micah 7:2 The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net.
- Matthew 26:15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.
- Matthew 27:3 When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.