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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

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IMPALEMENT

Driving of a pointed stake into a human body. It was apparently practiced in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, and possibly also in Israel. There are, however, many problems in understanding the exact nature of impalement and what it means in individual OT passages.

It is not always clear from documents written in Greek whether impalement or crucifixion is being described, since the same Greek word could refer to either procedure. (In crucifixion the body is fastened to a stake rather than being punctured by it.) Nor is it always clear whether the impalement is done to a living body or to a corpse. Probably both types of impalement were employed—the former as a method of execution, the latter as a means of exposing the corpse to the elements, beasts, and general disgrace. Furthermore, it is not clear to what extent “hanging” in the OT refers to impalement. Perhaps the fact that it is typically used with the preposition “on” (rather than “from”) indicates that impalement of some kind is intended.

Some light is shed on the nature of impalement through Mesopotamian sources, where it was apparently a means of execution, in one case for a woman who had caused her husband’s death because of another man (Code of Hammurabi 153), in another for a woman performing an abortion on herself (Middle Assyrian Laws 53). The latter law makes it clear that the woman should be impaled whether or not she lived through the abortion. The claim of Assyrian kings to have hung captives of war on stakes correlates with the portrayal in Assyrian art of battle scenes where impaled bodies can be seen. The stake could be pushed up into the chest, with the body resting facedown, or between the legs, with the body upright.

Darius’s provision in Ezra 6:11 for the punishment of violators of his decree that the temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt may refer to impalement. If the expression “hang on a tree [stake]” (Gn 40:19; Dt 21:22; Jos 8:29; 10:26; Est 2:23) refers to impalement, at least sometimes it is clear that it was a corpse being impaled (Jos 10:26). This interpretation also applies to Deuteronomy 21:22, in which the victim is first put to death and then “hung.” The point of similarity to the crucifixion of Christ (Gal 3:13) is the disgrace involved and not the precise form of treatment. Other possible examples of impalement are found in 2 Samuel 4:12 and 21:6-13.

Show passage in OET: EZR 6:11

OET-RV EZR 6:11

11 Also I decree that any man who changes this edict should have a beam pulled from his house, and after it’s sharpened and set into the ground, then he should be impaled on it. Then his entire house should be made into a rubbish heap because of what he did.

OET-LV EZR 6:11

11 And_from _of_me a _decree that every _of person who he _will _violate the_command this a _beam let _it _be _pulled _away from house _of_his and_he _will_be _lifted _up let _him _be _impaled on_it and_house _of_his a _refuse-heap let _it _be _made on this it _is _made.

Show passage in OET: GEN 40:19

OET-RV GEN 40:19

19 Within three days, Par’oh will display you publicly and then impale you on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh off your bones.”

OET-LV GEN 40:19

19 In_again three _of days Parˊoh he _will _lift _up DOM head _of_your from_on_you and_he _will _hang you on a _tree and_ the_bird[s] _he/it _will _eat DOM flesh _of_your from_on_you.

Show passage in OET: DEU 21:22

OET-RV DEU 21:22

22 If someone has committed a crime worthy of death, and that person is executed and you hang their body on a tree,

OET-LV DEU 21:22

22 And_because/when it _will _be in_anyone a _sin _of a _sentence _of death and_he _will _be _put _to _death and_you _will _hang DOM_him/it on a _tree.

Show passage in OET: JOS 8:29

OET-RV JOS 8:29

29 He hanged the king of Ay on a tree, but as the sun was going down, he commanded that the corpse be brought down from the tree. They threw it into the city gateway and piled a big heap of rocks on top of it which is still there today.

OET-LV JOS 8:29

29 And_DOM the _king _of (the)_ˊAy he _hanged on the_tree until the _time _of the _evening and_just_ the_sun _as _went Yəhōshūˊa he _commanded and_they _took _down DOM corpse _of_his from the_tree and_they _threw it to the _entrance _of the _gate _of the_city and_they _set _up on/upon/above_him/it a _heap _of stones great until the_day (the)_this.

Show passage in OET: JOS 10:26

OET-RV JOS 10:26

26 Then Yehoshua executed the five kings and hanged them on five trees, where their bodies were left until evening.

OET-LV JOS 10:26

26 And_he_struck _them _down Yəhōshūˊa after thus and_he_killed _them and_he_hanged _them on five trees and_they _were hanged on the_trees until the_evening.

Show passage in OET: EST 2:23

OET-RV EST 2:23

23 When the matter was investigated and the facts discovered, both conspirators were impaled on sharpened wooden poles, and in the presence of the king, the incident was recorded in the royal record of events.

OET-LV EST 2:23

23 And_ the_matter _it _was _sought and_it _was _found and_ both _of_them _they _were _hanged on a _gallows and_it _was _written in_the _book _of the _matters _of the_days to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before the_king.

Show passage in OET: GAL 3:13

OET-RV GAL 3:13

13 The messiah saved us from the law’s curse by becoming the curse for our sake, because it’s written, ‘anyone who’s hung on a tree is cursed’.

OET-LV GAL 3:13

13 chosen _one /messiah redeemed us from the curse of _the law, having _become a_curse for us, because it _has _been _written:
Cursed is everyone which having _hanged on a_tree,

Show passage in OET: SA2 4:12

OET-RV SA2 4:12

12 Then David commanded some of the young men and they killed the two brothers and cut of their hands and feet and hung them beside the Hevron pool, but they took Ish -Boshet’s head and buried it there in Hevron in Avner’s tomb.

OET-LV SA2 4:12

12 And_ Dāvid _he/it _commanded DOM the _young_men and_they_killed _them and_they _cut _off DOM hands _of_their and_DOM feet _of_their and_they _hanged_them at the_pool in_Ḩeⱱrōn and_DOM the _head _of Ish- boshet they _took and_they _buried_it in_the _tomb _of ʼAⱱnēr at_Ḩeⱱrōn.

Show passage in OET: SA2 21:6–13

OET-RV SA2 21:6

6 give us seven of his descendants and we’ll hang them before Yahweh in Giveah where Yahweh’s chosen king Sha’ul lived.
¶ “Okay, I’ll give them to you,” the king responded.

OET-RV SA2 21:7

7 However, the king spared Yonatan’s (Jonathan) son (and Sha’ul’s grandson) Mefiboshet because of the promises that he and Yonatan had made to each other before Yahweh.

OET-RV SA2 21:8

8 Instead he took two of the sons (Armoni and Mefiboshet) of Ritspah (Ayah’s daughter and one of Sha’ul’s slave-wives), as well as five sons of Sha’ul’s daughter Mikal, that she’d bore to Adriel (the son of Barzilay, the Meholati).

OET-RV SA2 21:9

9 He handed them over to the Givonim, and they hung them on a hill before Yahweh, and the seven of them died together. This happened at the beginning of the barley harvest.

OET-RV SA2 21:10

10 Then Ayah’s daughter Ritspah took sackcloth and she spread it on the rock where the corpses were. She kept the birds away during the day and the animals at night—staying there from the beginning of the harvest until the beginning of the rainy season.

OET-RV SA2 21:11

11 David was told what Ritspah had done,

OET-RV SA2 21:12

12 and he went and got the bones of Sha’ul and his son Yonatan from the leaders of Yavesh-Gilead, who had stolen them from the square of Beyt -Shean where the Pelishtim had hung them there on the day the Pelishtim had defeated Sha’ul at Gilboa.

OET-RV SA2 21:13

13 David took Sha’ul and Yonatan’s bones along with the bones of the seven men who’d been hung,

OET-LV SA2 21:6

6 Let _it _be _given to/for_us seven men of_descendants _of_his and_we_will _impale _them to/for_YHWH at_Gibeah of _Shāʼūl/(Saul) the _chosen _one _of YHWH and_ the_king _he/it _said I I _will _give_them.

OET-LV SA2 21:7

7 And_ the_king _he _had _compassion on Mephi- boshet the _son _of Yōnātān/(Yəhōnātān/(Jonathan)) the _son _of Shāʼūl on the _oath _of YHWH which was_between_them between Dāvid and_between Yōnātān the _son _of Shāʼūl.

OET-LV SA2 21:8

8 And_ the_king _he/it _took DOM the _two _of the _sons _of Riʦpāh the _daughter _of ʼAy^yāh whom she _had _borne to_Shāʼūl DOM ʼArmonī and_DOM Mephiboshet and_DOM the _five _of the _sons _of Mīkāl the _daughter _of Shāʼūl whom she _had _borne to_ˊAdrī^ʼēl the _son _of Barzillay the_Məḩolātī.

OET-LV SA2 21:9

9 And_he_gave _them in_the _hand _of the _Giⱱˊōnites and_they_impaled _them on_mountain to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before YHWH and_they _fell the _seven _of_of _them together and they _were _put _to _death days _of harvest in_first at_the_beginning _of of_the_harvest _of barley(s).

OET-LV SA2 21:10

10 And_ Riʦpāh the _daughter _of ʼAy^yāh _she/it _took DOM (the)_sackcloth and_she_spread _it _out to/for_her/it to the_rock from_the_beginning _of harvest until water it _was _poured _out on_them from the_heavens and_not she _permitted the _bird[s]_of the_heavens to_rest on_them by _day and_DOM the _animal[s]_of the_field night.

OET-LV SA2 21:11

11 And_it _was _told to_Dāvid DOM that_which Riʦpāh the _daughter _of ʼAy^yāh the _concubine _of Shāʼūl/(Saul) she _had _done.

OET-LV SA2 21:12

12 And_ Dāvid _he/it _went and_he/it _took DOM the _bones _of Shāʼūl and_DOM the _bones _of Yōnātān/(Yəhōnātān/(Jonathan)) his/its_son from_with the _citizens _of Yāⱱēsh/(Jabesh) who they _had _stolen DOM_them from_the _open _square _of Bēyt Shan where mmm wwww the in/on_day struck _down Pelishtim DOM Shāʼūl on_Gilboˊa.

OET-LV SA2 21:13

13 And_he/it _ascended from_there DOM the _bones _of Shāʼūl and_DOM the _bones _of Yōnātān his/its_son and_they _gathered DOM the _bones _of the _impaled_men.

Jump to OET EZR 6:11 section.

Jump to OET GEN 40:19 section.

Jump to OET DEU 21:22 section.

Jump to OET JOS 8:29 section.

Jump to OET JOS 10:26 section.

Jump to OET EST 2:23 section.

Jump to OET GAL 3:13 section.

Jump to OET SA2 4:12 section.

Jump to OET SA2 21:6–13 section.

See also Criminal Law and Punishment.