20:9 “‘If anyone 3 curses his father and mother 4 he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself. 5
25:39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service. 7
26:46 These are the statutes, regulations, and instructions which the Lord established 9 between himself and the Israelites at Mount Sinai through 10 Moses.
1 tn Some English versions translate “it shall be shown to [or “be seen by”] the priest,” taking the infection to be the subject of the verb (e.g., KJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV). Based on the Hebrew grammar there is no way to be sure which is intended.
2 sn Compare the regulations in Lev 18:6-23.
3 tn Heb “If a man a man who.”
4 tn Heb “makes light of his father and his mother.” Almost all English versions render this as some variation of “curses his father or mother.”
5 tn Heb “his blood [plural] is in him.” Cf. NAB “he has forfeited his life”; TEV “is responsible for his own death.”
sn The rendering “blood guilt” refers to the fact that the shedding of blood brings guilt on those who shed it illegitimately (even the blood of animals shed illegitimately, Lev 17:4; cf. the background of Gen 4:10-11). If the community performs a legitimate execution, however, the blood guilt rests on the person who has been legitimately executed (see the remarks and literature cited in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 328).
6 tc Although the MT has “persons” (plural), the LXX and Syriac have the singular “person” corresponding to the singular adjectival participle “dead” (cf. also Num 6:6).
7 tn Heb “you shall not serve against him service of a slave.” A distinction is being made here between the status of slave and indentured servant.
8 tn Heb “but if a little remains in the years.”
9 tn Heb “gave” (so NLT); KJV, ASV, NCV “made.”
10 tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV).