- James Jordan, The Law of the Covenant 106-07 (1984), at http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/:HTML, DjVu.
9.21.2008
In 1 Tim. 5:3, 17, to "honor" someone means to care for them financially (cf. 1 Tim. 5:16, 18). Honoring someone entails more than just money, but giving money is a strong evidence of honor. In line with this understanding, Jesus applies the death penalty for dishonoring parents directly to those who refuse to care for them in their old age (Mark 7:9-13). Jesus sets Exodus 21:17 right next to the fifth commandment in binding force. "Die the death" is a Greek rendering of the Hebrew duplication of the verb, called "pleonasm" in Hebrew grammar; it forms the testimony of two witnesses (Heb. 6:13-18), and indicates strong emphasis. The emphasis means that the death penalty cannot be set aside by any payment of money. Jesus very definitely establishes the death penalty for this offense. Notice also that "cursing" father and mother is definitely said to include verbally reviling them. Some translations give "speak evil" for "revile." The Greek word indicates something stronger than the English "speak evil," which could mean "say bad things about." Principally, however, this passage shows us that in the practical legal sense, refusing to care for parents in their old age is a capital offense.
