Leviticus 24:10-16
Summary for Lev 24:10-23: 24:10-23 a A large body of non-Israelites, including other Semitic people as well as Egyptians, came out of Egypt with Israel (Exod 12:38 b). Among them was a man of mixed parentage, whose mother was an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian. A quarrel broke out between the man and a full-blooded Israelite. In the altercation, the man who was half-Egyptian verbally cursed the Israelite, using the name of God in an irreverent manner.24:11 c blasphemed . . . with a curse In biblical times, a name was more than a means of identification; it represented a person’s character, reputation, and origin. God is holy, and he was to be regarded as holy in all of Israel’s life (see 10:3 d). The Israelites had been instructed to treat God’s name with reverence (Exod 20:7 e). Using his name in a curse reflected a sinful attitude toward God himself (Lev 24:15 f), and it deserved death (24:13-16 g). The wording in the Hebrew text is very strong: Two verbs meaning “curse” are used, one that indicated a more formal type of curse, the other a blasphemous or irreverent expression. The two terms are synonymous in 24:15-16 h.
• the Name of the Lord: The Hebrew text refers simply to “the Name” to reflect care and reverence for God’s name.
24:14 i Those who heard a blasphemer curse were to lay their hands on his head. This indicated their own innocence by symbolically transferring the guilt (see 16:21 j), as well as their willingness to accept responsibility for the blasphemer’s death. A single witness was not enough to cause a man to die (see Num 35:30 k; Deut 17:2-7 l; Matt 18:16 m; 2 Cor 13:1 n; 1 Tim 5:19 o; Heb 10:28 p).
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