Deuteronomy 21 · Verse 18

Deuteronomy 21:18

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:

Deuteronomy 21:18, King James Version

Deuteronomy 21:18 in other translations

BSB	If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined,
WEB	If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and though they chasten him, will not listen to them,
ASV	If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, that will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and, though they chasten him, will not hearken unto them;
YLT	‘When a man hath a son apostatizing and rebellious--he is not hearkening to the voice of his father, and to the voice of his mother, and they have chastised him, and he doth not hearken unto them--
DARBY	If a man have an unmanageable and rebellious son, who hearkeneth not unto the voice of his father, nor unto the voice of his mother, and they have chastened him, but he hearkeneth not unto them;
BBE	If a man has a son who is hard-hearted and uncontrolled, who gives no attention to the voice of his father and mother, and will not be ruled by them, though they give him punishment:
Webster	If a man shall have a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not hearken to them:

What does Deuteronomy 21:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 21:18-21

18-21. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son--A severe law was enacted in this case. But the consent of both parents was required as a prevention of any abuse of it; for it was reasonable to suppose that they would not both agree to a criminal information against their son except from absolute necessity, arising from his inveterate and hopeless wickedness; and, in that view, the law was wise and salutary, as such a person would be a pest and nuisance to society. The punishment was that to which blasphemers were doomed [Le 24:23]; for parents are considered God's representatives and invested with a portion of his authority over their children.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 18 The stubborn, rebellious, gluttonous, and drunken son is to be stoned to death - This law, severe as it may seem, must have acted as a powerful preventive of crime. If such a law were in force now, and duly executed, how many deaths of disobedient and profligate children would there be in all corners of the land!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Observe how the criminal is here described. He is a stubborn and rebellious son. No child was to fare the worse for weakness of capacity, slowness, or dulness, but for wilfulness and obstinacy. Nothing draws men into all manner of wickedness, and hardens them in it more certainly and fatally, than drunkenness. When men take to drinking, they forget the law of honouring parents. His own father and mother must complain of him to the elders of the city. Children who forget their duty, must thank themselves, and not blame their parents, if they are regarded with less and less affection. He must be publicly stoned to death by the men of his city. Disobedience to a parent's authority must be very evil, when such a punishment was ordered; nor is it less provoking to God now, though it escapes punishment in this world. But when young people early become slaves to sensual appetites, the heart soon grows hard, and the conscience callous; and we can expect nothing but rebellion and destruction.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Deuteronomy 21:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּֽי\־ki-ifH3588

יִהְיֶ֣הyih.Yehhe will belongH1961

לְאִ֗ישׁle.'Ishto anyoneH376

בֵּ֚ןbena sonH1121

סוֹרֵ֣רso.RerstubbornH5637

וּמוֹרֶ֔הu.mo.Rehand rebelliousH4784

אֵינֶ֣נּוּ'ei.Ne.nunot heH369

שֹׁמֵ֔עַsho.Me.a'[is] listeningH8085

בְּק֥וֹלbe.Kolto [the] voice ofH6963

אָבִ֖יו'a.Vivfather hisH1

וּבְק֣וֹלu.ve.Koland to [the] voice ofH6963

אִמּ֑וֹ'i.Momother hisH517

וְיסְּר֣וּve.yi.se.Ruand they will disciplineH3256

אֹת֔וֹ'o.To<obj.> himH853

וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808

יִשְׁמַ֖עyish.Ma'he will listenH8085

אֲלֵיהֶֽם\׃'a.lei.Hemto themH413

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 21:18

Leviticus 19:3
Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Amos 4:11-12
I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
Hebrews 12:9-11
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Proverbs 23:13-14
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Proverbs 30:17
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
Isaiah 1:2
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Isaiah 1:5
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Proverbs 20:20
Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
Proverbs 29:17
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
Proverbs 19:18
Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

have a stubborn.
Pr 28:24; 30:11,17; Isa 1:2
obey the voice.
27:16; Ex 20:12; 21:15,17; Le 19:3; 21:9; Pr 15:5; 20:20; Eze 22:7
when they.
8:5; 2Sa 7:14; Pr 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13,14; 29:17; Heb 12:9-11
will not.
Isa 1:5; Jer 5:3; 31:18; Eze 24:13; Am 4:11,12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Deuteronomy 21:17
But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
Deuteronomy 21:18
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
Deuteronomy 21:19
Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

Read all of Deuteronomy 21

Deuteronomy 21:18 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Cuando alguno tuviere hijo contumaz y rebelde, que no obedeciere á la voz de su padre ni á la voz de su madre, y habiéndolo castigado, no les obedeciere;
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Si un homme a un fils indocile et rebelle, qui n’écoute pas la voix de son père ni la voix de sa mère, et qu’ils l’aient châtié, et qu’il ne les ait pas écoutés,
German Elberfelder 1871	Wenn ein Mann einen unbändigen und widerspenstigen Sohn hat, welcher der Stimme seines Vaters und der Stimme seiner Mutter nicht gehorcht, und sie züchtigen ihn, aber er gehorcht ihnen nicht:
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Si genuerit homo filium contumacem et protervum, qui non audiat patris aut matris imperium, et coërcitus obedire contempserit: