Leviticus 24:10-16·~1 min

Punishment for Blasphemy

During a fight in the camp, the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father blasphemes the Name with a curse. He is brought to Moses and kept in custody until the LORD's will is made clear.

N¹⁰ow the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) ¹²They placed him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

The LORD commands that the blasphemer be taken outside the camp and stoned by the assembly after the witnesses lay hands on him. The ruling is then stated as a general law for anyone who curses God or blasphemes the LORD's name, whether native or foreigner.

¹³Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹⁴“Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him. ¹⁵And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin. ¹⁶Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

Section summaryA fight in the camp leads to a man cursing the Name, and he is held until the LORD's judgment is known. The LORD then requires the blasphemer's death and declares that anyone who blasphemes, whether native or foreigner, bears the same penalty.

Role in the chapterThis section shifts from sanctuary order to a breach within the camp. It shows that holiness is not only maintained by offerings and ritual care but also guarded against open contempt for the LORD's name.