Deuteronomy 21:19
then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This passage highlights the crucial requirement that both parents must agree to bring their rebellious son to judgment. This isn't just about formal procedure; it’s a safeguard ensuring that a child isn't condemned by the anger or malice of a single parent, but only by the united, undeniable testimony of both.
This passage appears within a section of laws dealing with the proper conduct within the Israelite community, specifically addressing extreme cases of disobedience. It follows laws about warfare and the treatment of captives and precedes further regulations on civil and religious matters, all aiming to maintain order and holiness in the Promised Land. The context here is about a deeply troubled family situation where a son’s incorrigible rebellion against his parents reaches such a point that they must bring him before the public authorities.
Imagine the weight of bringing your child to face a capital offense. What safeguards did God put in place to ensure this wasn't done lightly?
In this severe law, God required the agreement of both parents to bring a rebellious son to the elders. This wasn't just about punishing the son; it was a crucial protection against potential parental cruelty or a hasty, unconsidered accusation.
A Unified Front
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Deuteronomy 21:19 is available in the Sola app.
Why did God direct this serious matter to be brought to the city gate, rather than handled privately?
Bringing the rebellious son to the 'gate of the place where he lives' was profoundly significant. The city gate was the public square, the place of judgment, and the heart of community life.
A Public Trial
This law deals with extreme rebellion. What did this kind of stubborn defiance signify about the individual's character and his place in Israel?
The description 'stubborn and rebellious son' points to a deep-seated, incorrigible defiance, not just a momentary lapse in judgment. This wasn't about a child who made mistakes; it was about one who consistently rejected parental authority and guidance, even after discipline.
More Than Disobedience
Understand the original words
sha'ar · Hebrew Noun
Historically the place of judicial proceedings, commercial transactions, and community governance in an ancient Near Eastern city. It represents the public space where justice and covenantal order were upheld.
zaqen · Hebrew Noun
Leaders within the community chosen for their age, wisdom, and moral standing, tasked with administering justice according to God’s law. They were responsible for maintaining the holiness and order of the covenant community.
This proverb warns against cursing parents, directly echoing the severe disrespect that could lead a son to this extreme judgment in Deuteronomy.
Matthew 15:4Jesus quotes the commandment to honor parents, highlighting its importance and showing how Jesus viewed the seriousness of disregarding parental authority, which is central to the Deuteronomy passage.
Romans 1:30This passage lists 'disobedient to parents' as a characteristic of those who have turned away from God, connecting the societal breakdown seen in Deuteronomy with a spiritual rebellion.
Ephesians 6:1Paul directly exhorts children to obey their parents in the Lord, reinforcing the divine mandate for respecting parental authority that underpins the severity of the law in Deuteronomy.
calvinDeuteronomy 21:18-21: "If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:"
- If a man have a stubborn. What God had previously adverted to in two clauses, tie now embraces in a general law, for it cannot be doubted but that by rebellious children all are designated who are abusive or insulting to their father and mother. For if it be a capital crime to be diso…
bensonDeuteronomy 21:19: "Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;"
Deuteronomy 21:19 . His father and mother — The consent of both is required, to prevent the abuse of this law to cruelty. And it cannot reasonably be supposed that both would agree without the son’s abominable and incorrigible wickedness, in which case it seems a righteous law, because the crime of rebellion against his own parents did so full…
This passage highlights the crucial requirement that both parents must agree to bring their rebellious son to judgment. This isn't just about formal procedure; it’s a safeguard ensuring that a child isn't condemned by the anger or malice of a single parent, but only by the united, undeniable testimony of both.
This passage appears within a section of laws dealing with the proper conduct within the Israelite community, specifically addressing extreme cases of disobedience. It follows laws about warfare and the treatment of captives and precedes further regulations on civil and religious matters, all aiming to maintain order and holiness in the Promised Land. The context here is about a deeply troubled family situation where a son’s incorrigible rebellion against his parents reaches such a point that they must bring him before the public authorities.
This passage appears within a section of laws dealing with the proper conduct within the Israelite community, specifically addressing extreme cases of disobedience. It follows laws about warfare and the treatment of captives and precedes further regulations on civil and religious matters, all aiming to maintain order and holiness in the Promised Land. The context here is about a deeply troubled family situation where a son’s incorrigible rebellion against his parents reaches such a point that they must bring him before the public authorities.
"then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives," — This passage highlights the crucial requirement that both parents must agree to bring their rebellious son to judgment. This isn't just about formal procedure; it’s a safeguard ensuring that a chil…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
