Leviticus 24:14
in Leviticus 24“Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
KJV
Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
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This verse in Leviticus 24
Commentary
6 notes on this verseLay their hands upon his head - It was by this ceremony that the people who heard him curse bore their public testimony in order to his being fully convicted, for without this his punishment would not have been lawful. By this ceremony also they in effect said to the man, Thy blood be upon thy own head.
This site's exposition
they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD
on Leviticus 24:12-14
No penalty for this has been written yet, so they hold the man and wait. Three other cases in the Torah have the same shape, the men unable to keep the passover at Numbers 9:6-8, the man gathering sticks at Numbers 15:32-36, and the daughters of Zelophehad at Numbers 27:1-11, and in each one Moses takes the question to God instead of deciding it himself. The ruling puts the hands of everyone who heard him on his head before the stones are thrown. Everywhere else in Leviticus a hand is laid on the head of an animal, and Deuteronomy 17:7 makes the same demand of witnesses, that the men whose word convicts a man strike first.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Lay their hands upon his head - Whereby they gave public testimony that they heard this person speak such words, and did in their own and all the peoples names, demand justice to be executed upon him, that by this sacrifice God might be appeased, and his judgments turned away from the people, upon whom they would certainly fall if he were unpunished.
The solemnity of the execution; before the congregation stoned him, the witnesses were to lay their hands upon his head. The Jews say that this was used in the execution of no criminals but blasphemers; and that it was done with words to this purport, " Thy blood be upon thy own head, for thou thyself hast occasioned it.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Lay their hands upon his head - As a protest against the impiety of the criminal, symbolically laying the guilt upon his head. Compare the washing of hands, Deu 21:6; Mat 27:24. Let all the congregation stone him - See Lev 20:2 note.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
ונשא חטאו [WHOSOEVER EXECRATETH HIS GOD] SHALL BEAR HIS SIN — i. e. shall be punished with excision if there was no legal warning preceding the offence (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 19; cf. Rashi on Leviticus:27).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הוֹצֵ֣א | hotze' | bring out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַֽמְקַלֵּ֗ל | hamkalel | the [one who] cursed | H7043 → | 82 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מִחוּץ֙ | michutz | from [the] outside | H2351 → | 164 times |
| לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה | lamachaneh | of the camp | H4264 → | 215 times |
| וְסָמְכ֧וּ | vesamekhu | and they will lean | H5564 → | 48 times |
| כָֽל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַשֹּׁמְעִ֛ים | hashomeim | those [who] heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְדֵיהֶ֖ם | yedeihem | hands their | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| רֹאשׁ֑וֹ | rosho | head his | H7218 → | 599 times |
| וְרָגְמ֥וּ | veragmu | and they will stone | H7275 → | 16 times |
| אֹת֖וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעֵדָֽה׃ | haedah | the congregation | H5712 → | 149 times |
הוֹצֵ֣אbring out
hotze'H3318 →1067 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַֽמְקַלֵּ֗לthe [one who] cursed
hamkalelH7043 →82 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מִחוּץ֙from [the] outside
michutzH2351 →164 times
לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔הof the camp
lamachanehH4264 →215 times
וְסָמְכ֧וּand they will lean
vesamekhuH5564 →48 times
כָֽל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
הַשֹּׁמְעִ֛יםthose [who] heard
hashomeimH8085 →1159 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְדֵיהֶ֖םhands their
yedeihemH3027 →1618 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
רֹאשׁ֑וֹhead his
roshoH7218 →599 times
וְרָגְמ֥וּand they will stone
veragmuH7275 →16 times
אֹת֖וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָעֵדָֽה׃the congregation
haedahH5712 →149 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Leviticus 20:27A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”
it leads to
- Leviticus 19:31
You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
- Leviticus 20:6
Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
- 1 Samuel 28:7–9
Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.” “There is a medium at Endor,” his servants replied.
- Leviticus 19:31
Through
Deuteronomy 17:7The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 13:5
Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 13:9
Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.
- 1 Corinthians 5:13
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
- Deuteronomy 17:12
But the man who acts presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to death. You must purge…
- Deuteronomy 13:5
Through
Deuteronomy 21:21Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 19:19–20
you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.
- Deuteronomy 19:19–20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
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About Leviticus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.