Ulangan 21:22-23

Disposition of a Criminal’s Remains

21:22 If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse ¹  on a tree, 21:23 his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury ²  him that same day, for the one who is left exposed ³  on a tree is cursed by God. ⁴  You must not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Mazmur 7:15-17

7:15 he digs a pit ⁵ 

and then falls into the hole he has made. ⁶ 

7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans ⁷ 

and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. ⁸ 

7:17 I will thank the Lord for ⁹  his justice;

I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! ¹⁰ 

[21:22]  ¹ tn Heb “him.”

[21:23]  ² tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates by “make certain.”

[21:23]  ³ tn Heb “hung,” but this could convey the wrong image in English (hanging with a rope as a means of execution). Cf. NCV “anyone whose body is displayed on a tree.”

[21:23]  ⁴ sn 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 [JPSTC], 198). 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 [NAC], 238-39).

[7:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; the wicked sinner digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim. The redundancy in the Hebrew text has been simplified in the translation.

[7:15]  ⁶ tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.

[7:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “his harm [i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14] returns on his head.”

[7:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence [i.e., the violence he intended to do to others] comes down.”

[7:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “according to.”

[7:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[to] the name of the Lord Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case the compound “Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.