Deuteronômio 21

Deuteronômio 21

Morris - The reason why a person executed by hanging on a tree is specially cursed is not explained. It probably is because of its prophetic implications, anticipating the future death of Christ when He would bear "our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). Ever since Adam's sin brought God's curse of death on the earth (Genesis 3:17-19+), the whole creation had been awaiting the time when Christ would be "made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13+). The primeval curse was occasioned because Adam ate the delectable fruit of the tree of temptation; therefore, the second Adam must Himself become the bitter fruit on the tree of salvation. As Christ must be buried before sundown to avoid profaning the sabbath (John 19:31), so every criminal executed by hanging or by crucifixion (which practice had not yet been introduced in Moses' day) must likewise be buried before sundown in order not to delay a receipt of the accursed victim by the cursed ground. That Christ was actually "hanged on a tree" is confirmed three times in the New Testament (Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39; Acts 13:29). NET NOTE on accursed of God - 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)