Lev 24:10-23 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Lev 24:10-23: 24:10-23 A large body of non-Israelites, including other Semitic people as well as Egyptians, came out of Egypt with Israel (Exod 12:38 ). 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.

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).
24:17 ^q Because human life was patterned after the life of God himself (Gen 1:26 ^r, 27 ^s), murder was a blasphemous act. It required the same penalty as oral blasphemy (Gen 9:6 ^t). For a similar law and its qualifiers, see Exod 21:12-14 ^u.
24:20 ^v eye for an eye: The legal principle involved is often called lex talionis (“law of retaliation”), which is that the penalty must fit the crime. When an injured party sought revenge on behalf of their kinsman (see Num 35:19-21 ^w), excessive revenge naturally ensued instead of appropriate justice. This provoked even greater retaliation, resulting in a cycle of increasing violence. Lex talionis served to regulate the prosecution of crimes (see also Lev 6:2-7 ^x; cp. Exod 21:24 ^y; Lev 24:20 ^z; Deut 19:21 ^aa; Matt 5:28-39 ^ab).
24:22 ^ac Although foreigners were not citizens, they were human beings entitled to equal justice under the law (see 16:29 ^ad, 31 ^ae).