Deuteronomy Chapter 21 · Verse 22
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:
Original Language Analysis
וְכִֽי
H3588
וְכִֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 11
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
יִהְיֶ֣ה
H1961
יִהְיֶ֣ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
2 of 11
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
בְאִ֗ישׁ
And if a man
H376
בְאִ֗ישׁ
And if a man
Strong's:
H376
Word #:
3 of 11
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
מִשְׁפַּט
worthy of
H4941
מִשְׁפַּט
worthy of
Strong's:
H4941
Word #:
5 of 11
properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, ind
מָ֖וֶת
death
H4194
מָ֖וֶת
death
Strong's:
H4194
Word #:
6 of 11
death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin
וְהוּמָ֑ת
and he be to be put to death
H4191
וְהוּמָ֑ת
and he be to be put to death
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
7 of 11
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
אֹת֖וֹ
H853
אֹת֖וֹ
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
9 of 11
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
Cross References
Acts 23:29Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.Acts 26:31And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.Matthew 26:66What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.Deuteronomy 22:26But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:Luke 23:33And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Historical Context
Hanging executed criminals on trees or posts served as public warning in the ancient Near East. Assyrian, Persian, and Roman sources describe similar practices. For Israel, this wasn't the method of execution but post-mortem display amplifying shame and deterring crime. The reference to "a tree" (ets) could mean a living tree or a wooden stake/pole. Roman crucifixion, developed later, combined execution and hanging on wood in one act. When Jesus was crucified, Jewish authorities recognized the Deuteronomic curse being enacted, unknowingly fulfilling prophetic typology (John 19:31).
Questions for Reflection
- How does the typology of the cursed tree deepen your understanding of Christ's substitutionary atonement—bearing not just our sins but the covenant curse itself?
- In what ways does the transformation from curse to blessing, from death tree to life-giving cross, illuminate the gospel's power to reverse the effects of the fall?
Analysis & Commentary
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—The Hebrew chet mishpat-mavet ("sin worthy of death," literally "sin of judgment of death") indicates capital crimes under Mosaic law. Talita oto al-ets ("hang him on a tree") describes post-execution public display, not execution by hanging. Ancient Israel executed by stoning or the sword; hanging the corpse on a tree was additional public disgrace.
This law directly prefigures Christ's crucifixion. Paul declares: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13), quoting verse 23. Jesus bore the covenant curse—public shame, divine rejection, substitutionary death—to redeem lawbreakers. Peter likewise references this: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).
The phrase ets (tree/wood) connects Eden's tree of knowledge (rebellion's origin) to Calvary's cross (rebellion's remedy). The cursed tree becomes the means of blessing, as the bronze serpent lifted up brought healing (Numbers 21:9; John 3:14-15).