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Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

Deuteronomy 27:24

"'Cursed be he who slays his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Amen;   Assassination;   Curse;   Homicide;   Instruction;   Law;   Responsive Religious Service;   Reward;   Word of God;   Worship;   The Topic Concordance - Curses;   Profit;   Violence;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ebal;   Gerizim;   Marriage;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Curse;   Neighbour;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Apostasy;   Blessing;   Curse, Accursed;   Murder;   Worship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Moses;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Ebal;   Law;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Ark of the Covenant;   Blessing and Cursing;   Covenant;   Neighbor;   Temple of Jerusalem;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Bond ;   Synagogue;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amen;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Gerizim;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Amen;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Apostasy;   Covenant, in the Old Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Judaism;   Taḳḳanah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
‘The one who secretly kills his neighbor is cursed.’
Hebrew Names Version
Cursed be he who strikes his neighbor in secret. All the people shall say, Amein.
King James Version
Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Lexham English Bible
‘Cursed be the one who strikes down his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.'
English Standard Version
"‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.'
New Century Version
"Anyone will be cursed who kills a neighbor secretly." Then all the people will say, "Amen!"
New English Translation
‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.' Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!'
Amplified Bible
'Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
New American Standard Bible
'Cursed is he who attacks his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
Cursed be hee that smiteth his neyghbour secretly: And all the people shal say: So be it.
Legacy Standard Bible
‘Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.'
Complete Jewish Bible
"‘A curse on anyone who secretly attacks a fellow member of the community.' All the people are to say, ‘Amen!'
Darby Translation
Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly! And all the people shall say, Amen.
Easy-to-Read Version
"The Levites will say, ‘Cursed is the one who kills anyone, even if he is not caught!' "Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!'
George Lamsa Translation
Cursed be he who smites his neighbor secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Good News Translation
"‘God's curse on anyone who secretly commits murder.' "And all the people will answer, ‘Amen!'
Literal Translation
Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor secretly! And all the people shall say, Amen!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Cursed be he that slayeth his neghboure secretly. And all the people shal saye, Amen.
American Standard Version
Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Bible in Basic English
Cursed is he who takes his neighbour's life secretly. And let all the people say, So be it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Cursed be he that smyteth his neighbour secretly: and all the people shall say, Amen.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour in secret. And all the people shall say: Amen.
King James Version (1611)
Cursed be hee that smiteth his neighbour secretly: and all the people shall say, Amen.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Cursed is he that smites his neighbour secretly: and all the people shall say, So be it.
English Revised Version
Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour in secret. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Berean Standard Bible
'Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.' And let all the people say, 'Amen!'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Cursid is he that sleeth pryueli his neiybore; and al the puple schal seie, Amen! Cursid is he that slepith with `the wijf of his neiybore; and al the puple schal seie, Amen!
Young's Literal Translation
`Cursed [is] he who is smiting his neighbour in secret, -- and all the people have said, Amen.
Update Bible Version
Cursed be he that smites his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Webster's Bible Translation
Cursed [be] he that smiteth his neighbor secretly: and all the people shall say, Amen.
World English Bible
Cursed be he who strikes his neighbor in secret. All the people shall say, Amen.
New King James Version
"Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.' "And all the people shall say, "Amen!'
New Living Translation
‘Cursed is anyone who attacks a neighbor in secret.' And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.'
New Life Bible
‘Cursed is the one who hits his neighbor in secret.' And all the people will say, ‘Let it be so.'
New Revised Standard
"Cursed be anyone who strikes down a neighbor in secret." All the people shall say, "Amen!"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Cursed, be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say - Amen.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Cursed be he that secretly killeth his neighbour: and all the people shall say: Amen.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

Contextual Overview

11 And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, 12 "When you have passed over the Jordan, these shall stand upon Mount Ger'izim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Is'sachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zeb'ulun, Dan, and Naph'tali. 14 And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel with a loud voice: 15 "'Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to the LORD, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.' And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen.' 16 "'Cursed be he who dishonors his father or his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' 17 "'Cursed be he who removes his neighbor's landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' 18 "'Cursed be he who misleads a blind man on the road.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' 19 "'Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' 20 "'Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife, because he has uncovered her who is his father's.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 19:11, Deuteronomy 19:12, Exodus 20:13, Exodus 21:12-14, Leviticus 24:17, Numbers 35:31, 2 Samuel 3:27, 2 Samuel 11:15-17, 2 Samuel 12:9-12, 2 Samuel 13:28, 2 Samuel 20:9, 2 Samuel 20:10

Reciprocal: Genesis 49:6 - secret Exodus 21:14 - slay Exodus 21:15 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 27:7
'Bring me game, and prepare for me savory food, that I may eat it, and bless you before the LORD before I die.'
Genesis 27:8
Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you.
1 Samuel 21:2
And David said to Ahim'elech the priest, "The king has charged me with a matter, and said to me, 'Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.' I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.
1 Samuel 21:13
So he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and made marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard.
1 Samuel 27:10
When A'chish asked, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negeb of Judah," or "Against the Negeb of the Jerah'meelites," or, "Against the Negeb of the Ken'ites."
2 Samuel 14:5
And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.
Job 15:5
For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
Proverbs 12:19
Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Proverbs 30:8
Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Cursed [be] he that smiteth his neighbour secretly,.... And kills him, and the murder is not known; the curse of God follows such, and overtakes them sooner or later. Some interpret this of smiting with the tongue, of secret backbiting and slander; so the Targum of Jonathan,

"that smiteth with the third tongue;''

or false accusation:

and all the people shall say Amen; as disapproving of and condemning such a practice, even slander, and especially murder.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare Joshua 8:32-35. The solemnity was apparently designed only for the single occasion on which it actually took place.

Deuteronomy 27:12, Deuteronomy 27:13

The tribes appointed to stand on Gerizim to bless the people all sprang from the two wives of Jacob, Leah and Rachel. All the four tribes which sprang from the handmaids Zilpah and Bilhah are located on Ebal. But in order, as it would seem, to effect an equal division, two tribes are added to the latter from the descendants of the wives, that of Reuben, probably because he forfeited his primogeniture Genesis 49:4; and of Zebulun, apparently because he was the youngest son of Leah.

The transaction presents itself as a solemn renewal of the covenant made by God with Abraham and Isaac, but more especially with Jacob and his family. Accordingly the genealogical basis of the “twelve patriarchs” (compare Acts 7:12; Revelation 7:4 ff), the sons of Jacob, is here assumed. The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are merged in the name of Joseph, their father; and Levi regains on this occasion his place collaterally with the others. “The Levites” of Deuteronomy 27:14 are no doubt “the priests the Levites” (compareJoshua 8:33; Joshua 8:33), in whom the ministerial character attaching to the tribe was more particularly manifested. It is noteworthy that the group of tribes which stood on Gerizim far exceeded the other in numbers and in importance, thus perhaps indicating that even by the Law the blessing should at length prevail.

Deuteronomy 27:15

The “Amen” attested the conviction of the utterers that the sentences to which they responded were true, just, and certain; so in Numbers 5:22, and in our own Commination Office, which is modelled after this ordinance of Moses.

Deuteronomy 27:15-26

Twelve curses against transgressions of the covenant. The first eleven are directed against special sins which are selected by way of example, the last comprehensively sums up in general terms and condemns all and every offence against God’s Law. Compare the marginal references.


 
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