Bible Strands
Exodus 21:15
Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God delivers this judicial statute to Israel through Moses within the covenant law sequence. It directly follows the penalty for premeditated murder and precedes the law on kidnapping.
The words — The Hebrew מַכֶּה (ma.Keh) literally means "one who strikes," while יוּמָֽת (yu.Mat) translates to "he will be put to death." These terms establish the specific violent action and its mandatory judicial consequence.
The thread — The prohibition against violence toward parents echoes in Deuteronomy 21:18 regarding a rebellious son and Deuteronomy 27:24 on secret violence. Proverbs 30:11 later records a generation that curses their fathers and mothers.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of parental authority as a foundational boundary for the community. It requires readers to accept that violent assault against parents carries the highest judicial penalty.
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
And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
Cross-references
- 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,
- Deuteronomy 27:24 ‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Proverbs 30:11 There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
- Proverbs 30:17 As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.
- 1 Timothy 1:9 We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers,