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12 [a](A)Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 20:12–17 The Decalogue falls into two parts: the preceding precepts refer to God, the following refer primarily to one’s fellow Israelites.

17 Whoever curses[a] father or mother shall be put to death.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 21:17 Curses: not merely an angrily uttered expletive at one’s parents, but a solemn juridical formula of justifiable retribution which was considered to be legally binding and guaranteed by God.

Anyone who curses father or mother shall be put to death;[a](A) and having cursed father or mother, such a one will bear the bloodguilt.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 20:9 Curses father or mother…put to death: this is more than a simple expletive uttered in anger against one’s parents. See note on Ex 21:17.
  2. 20:9–21 Bloodguilt: these penalties, beginning with cursing one’s parents, reflect the concerns of a patriarchal society that the breakdown of one’s relations with one’s parents can lead to the breakdown of all other familial relationships, resulting in the breakdown of society.

16 (A)Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord, your God, has commanded you, that you may have a long life and that you may prosper in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

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20 Those who curse father or mother—
    their lamp will go out[a] in the dead of night.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 20:20 Their lamp will go out: misfortune, even death, awaits them; cf. 13:9; Ex 21:17.