Texts in Conversation
Deuteronomy 21 calls a hanged man cursed by God, though the Hebrew can mean he cursed God. Paul in Galatians keeps the curse on the man and drops the reference to God, while the Aramaic Targum Onkelos reverses it and hangs him for a sin against God.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 21:23
Hebrew Bible
21 Then all the men of his city must stone him to death. In this way you will purge wickedness from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid. 22 If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse on a tree, 23 his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury him that same day, for the one who is left exposed on a tree is cursed by God. You must not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Galatians 3:13
New Testament
11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law because the righteous one will live by faith. 12 But the law is not based on faith, but the one who does the works of the law will live by them. 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith. 15 Brothers and sisters, I offer an example from everyday life: When a covenant has been ratified, even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it.
Onkelos Deuteronomy 21:23
Targum
21 then all the men of the city shall stone him with stones, that he die; and you shall put away the evil doer from among you, and all Israel will hear, and be afraid. 22 When a man guilty of the judgment of death is put to death, and you have hanged him on a gallows; 23 his body shall not remain upon the gallows, but you shall surely bury him on that day: for he was hanged because he had sinned before the Lord; and your land which the Lord your God has given you to inherit shall not be defiled.
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Notes and References
“... Deuteronomy 21:23 according to the base text: “For a hanged man is a curse of God” qillath elohim taluy. — Here ‘lhym is a subjective genitive, so qllt ‘lhym = a curse on God’s part, that is, one cursed by God. So rightly the LXX: kekatēramenos hypo theou pas kremamenos epi xylou. So too the apostle, although he has left ‘lhym untranslated. By contrast, the rabbinic scholars almost universally (see an exception at § 2 Cor 1:3 A) understood ‘lhym as an objective genitive; qllt ‘lhym thus = “a curse or imprecation against God.” [...] Targum Onkelos Deuteronomy 21:23: “His corpse should not remain overnight on the cross, but rather you shall bury him on the same day; since he had incurred guilt before God, he was crucified.” — Here qllt ‘lhym is interpreted to mean “flippant behavior against God”; ‘lhym is also an objective genitive. ...”
Strack, Hermann L., and Paul Billerbeck
A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash, Volume 3: Romans through Revelation
(p. 1094) Lexham Press, 2023
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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