“For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.”
My Notes
What Does Leviticus 20:9 Mean?
God prescribes the death penalty for cursing one's parents: "every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death." The severity reflects the weight the Torah places on parental honor — it's the fifth commandment, and its violation is treated as a capital offense.
The word "curseth" (qalal — to make light of, to treat as insignificant, to diminish) doesn't just mean profanity directed at parents. It means to reduce their weight — to treat them as valueless, to dismiss their significance, to verbally strip them of the dignity they carry as parents. The opposite of "honor" (kavod — heaviness, weight, glory) is this lightening.
The phrase "his blood shall be upon him" assigns responsibility: the person who cursed their parents bears their own blood-guilt. The consequence isn't someone else's doing — it's self-inflicted. When you curse your parents, you've signed your own death warrant. The responsibility is entirely yours.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the severity of this penalty reflect the weight God places on the parent-child relationship?
- 2.What does 'cursing' (making light of) parents look like in modern culture?
- 3.How does the principle survive even when the specific penalty (death) is no longer applied?
- 4.Where have you 'lightened' your parents — treated them as insignificant — in ways that this verse addresses?
Devotional
Curse your parents, and you die. The severity of the sentence reveals the weight God places on the parent-child relationship. In the same legal code that addresses murder and adultery, dishonoring your parents by making them light carries the ultimate penalty.
The word for curse — qalal — means to lighten, to diminish, to treat as insignificant. It's the exact opposite of the fifth commandment's "honor" (kavod — to give weight, to treat as heavy). Honoring your parents means giving them the weight of significance. Cursing them means stripping that weight away. You make them light. Insignificant. Disposable.
The death penalty for this offense shocks modern sensibilities — and it should provoke serious reflection rather than dismissal. God ties the stability of society to the honor of parents. When children can treat their parents as worthless without consequence, the entire social order begins to unravel. The family is the foundational unit; when its authority structure is attacked from within, everything built on it becomes unstable.
"His blood shall be upon him" is the legal assignment of blame: you did this to yourself. The consequence isn't God's cruelty — it's the natural result of attacking the relationship that made your life possible. The parents who gave you life carry a weight that, if you strip away, costs you your own life.
The New Testament doesn't prescribe the death penalty for cursing parents, but it doesn't soften the severity of the sin. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for using Corban to avoid supporting their parents (Mark 7:10-13) — and quotes this very verse. The principle remains even when the penalty changes: treating your parents as light is one of the gravest sins in God's economy.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For everyone that curseth his father or his mother,.... Here begins the account of the penalties annexed to the several…
Curseth his father or his mother - See the notes on Gen 48:12, and Exo 20:12 (note). He who conscientiously keeps the…
Moses is here directed to say that again to the children of Israel which he had in effect said before, Lev 20:2. We are…
The penalty of death is here assigned for cursing a parent, as in Exo 21:17. In both places Targ. Ps-Jon. gives the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture