7:10a–b

7:10a contains a quote from Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. 7:10b contains a quote from Exodus 21:17 and Leviticus 20:9. If you use footnotes, you may want to refer to these verses in a footnote.

7:10a

For Moses said: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the next words of Jesus. He gave a clear example of the way the Pharisees and other leaders ignored God’s command. Moses taught people to obey God’s commands. For example, the God’s Word says:

For example, Moses said

Moses said: Moses said the following sentence when he gave God’s message to the people of Israel. Later, he wrote it down. It was a command from God.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Moses commanded (Good News Bible)
-or-
Moses gave you this law from God (New Living Translation)

Honor your father and your mother: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Honor means to show respect to someone through words and actions. For example, the Good News Bible says:

Respect your father and your mother

This same word Honor occurs in 7:6c.

your: Moses was speaking to all the people of Israel. What he said applied to each of them individually. Consider if it is more natural to use the singular or the plural pronoun “your” in this situation.

father and…mother: In some languages it is more natural to say “mother and father.” Translate the words of this phrase in the order that is natural in your language.

7:10b

Anyone who: The words Anyone who begin a general statement. In some languages, it may be more natural to say “He who” or “If you.” For example, the Good News Bible says:

If you curse your father or your mother

curses his father or mother: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as curses means “speaks evil of,” “reviles,” or “insults.” For example:

He who speaks evil of father or mother (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Whoever insults his father or mother (NET Bible)

Here the word curses does not mean “to put a curse on someone.”

Jesus quoted from what Moses said to show that it was very important to honor one’s parents according to the Jewish law.

must be put to death: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must be put to death means “must be killed.” This is a passive phrase.

If your language uses only active verbs, here are some other ways to translate this:

must die
-or-
it is necessary to kill that person

© 2008 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.