Hanging
Summary
A form of capital punishment or post-mortem public exposure practiced in the ancient Near East, which under Mosaic law rendered the victim accursed—a curse Christ bore on the cross.
☩Ancient Practice
Several Hebrew terms describe forms of hanging or impalement. The word 'hoqia' (Numbers 25:4; 2 Samuel 21:6, 9) refers to impalement with dislocation of limbs. The more common 'talah' means to suspend or hang, used for Hebrew, Egyptian (Genesis 40:19), and Persian (Esther 7:10) practices. In most biblical instances, hanging appears to have been done to corpses after execution by other means, serving as public exposure rather than the means of death itself.
☩The Mosaic Law
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 established that anyone hanged on a tree was under God's curse, and their body must not remain overnight but be buried the same day to avoid defiling the land. This law applied to executed criminals whose bodies were publicly displayed. The 'tree' (ets) could refer to a wooden stake, pole, or cross-like structure.
☩Theological Fulfillment
Paul applies this passage to Christ's crucifixion in Galatians 3:13: 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' Jesus's death by hanging (crucifixion) was not accidental but theologically purposeful—He bore the curse that the law pronounced so that believers might receive the blessing promised to Abraham.
Related Verses81 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Hanging," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).