^21:22If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse⁴¹ on a tree, ^21:23his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury⁴² him that same day, for the one who is left exposed⁴³ on a tree is cursed by God.⁴⁴ You must not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

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Footnotes

41 Heb “him.”
42 The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates by “make certain.”
43 Heb “hung,” but this could convey the wrong image in English (hanging with a rope as a means of execution). Cf. “anyone whose body is displayed on a tree.”
44 The idea behind the phrase cursed by God seems to be not that the person was impaled because he was cursed but that to leave him exposed there was to invite the curse of God upon the whole land. Why this would be so is not clear, though the rabbinic idea that even a criminal is created in the image of God may give some clue (thus J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy [], ). Paul cites this text (see Gal 3:13) to make the point that Christ, suspended from a cross, thereby took upon himself the curse associated with such a display of divine wrath and judgment (T. George, Galatians [], ).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

NLTNew Living Translation

“If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree, the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“And if a man commits a sin punishable by death, and so he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, his dead body shall not hang on the tree, but certainly you shall bury him on that day, for cursed by God is one that is being hung; so you shall not defile your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

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