Deuteronomy 21:23
Hanged on a Tree
Wording onlyQuoted by the apostles in Galatians 3:13, in the older Greek wording
Paul’s “every one that hangeth on a tree” is the Greek wording. The Hebrew says it in fewer words.
Side by Side
The Older Text
Septuagint, translated before Messiah
His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but ye shall by all means bury it in that day; for every one that is hanged on a tree is cursed of God.
The Later Text
Masoretic, finished about 1,000 years after the cross
His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)
Quoted in Galatians 3:13
The apostle’s Old Testament
Messiah hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
Your KJV reads: the Hebrew in Deuteronomy (“he that is hanged”), then the Greek wording in Galatians (“every one that hangeth on a tree”).
See what changed and why ↓What Your Bible Says
Messiah hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
Galatians 3:13 KJV
Paul says Messiah bore the curse on our behalf, and he proves it from the Law itself.
What the Jewish Bible Says
His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled.
Deuteronomy 21:23 KJV
The Hebrew is short: he that is hanged is accursed of Elohim. The tree is named earlier in the verse.
What Changed
The Greek spells it out: “every one that is hanged on a tree.” Paul took that wording. The Hebrew already speaks of a man hanged on a tree, so nothing in the meaning moves.
The Curse Is Not the Law
Paul is not calling the Law a curse. Three verses earlier he names the curse: “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). The curse falls on the one who tries to stand before Elohim by his own works and fails. Messiah bore that curse. The Law that pronounced it is still “holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). Delivered through Messiah, His people walk in it.
Purpose of the Change
No motive evident: wording variation only. The pair still matters because Paul quoted the Greek wording.
The Bottom Line
Paul quoted the Greek. Messiah bore the curse; the Law is not the curse.
The tree of the curse gives way to the tree of life: “And there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3). “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life” (Revelation 22:14).
Dig Deeper The evidence, for anyone who wants it
Cursed of God?
Both texts say the hanged man is cursed “of God.” Paul leaves those two words out. He does not say Elohim rejected Messiah. He says Messiah was “made a curse for us.” The curse was ours, and He carried it.
Why the Body Came Down
The Law said the body must not hang overnight, so the land would not be defiled. The body of Messiah was taken down and buried the same day, before the Sabbath began (John 19:31, 42), in keeping with that command. The Law was honored even at the cross.