King James Version

Deuteronomy 25:3

Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

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Hebrew

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אַרְבָּעִ֥יםarbaimfortyאַרְבָּעִיםadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “forty”, the ordinary formH705forty-forty.יַכֶּ֖נּוּyakenvstrikeנָכָהverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “strike”, an unfinished actionH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.לֹ֣אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…יֹסִ֑יףyosifaddיָסַףverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “add”, an unfinished actionH3254to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)add, [idiom] again, [idiom] any more, [idiom] cease, [idiom] come more, [phrase] conceive again, continue, exceed, [idiom] further, [idiom] gather together, get more, give more-over, [idiom] henceforth, increase (more and more), join, [idi…פֶּןpenthat...notפֵּןconjunction — “that...not”H6435properly, removal; used only (in the construction) adverb as conjunction, lest(lest) (peradventure), that...not.יֹסִ֨יףyosifaddיָסַףverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “add”, an unfinished actionH3254to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)add, [idiom] again, [idiom] any more, [idiom] cease, [idiom] come more, [phrase] conceive again, continue, exceed, [idiom] further, [idiom] gather together, get more, give more-over, [idiom] henceforth, increase (more and more), join, [idi…לְהַכֹּת֤וֹlehakotvoto strikeנָכָהpreposition, verb, hiphil, infinitive construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “to strike”, the to-form of the verbH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…אֵ֨לֶּה֙elehtheseאֵלֶּהpronoun, demonstrative, common, plural — “these”H428these or thosean-(the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).מַכָּ֣הmakahwoundמַכָּהnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “wound”, the ordinary formH4347a wound; figuratively, carnage, also pestilencebeaten, blow, plague, slaughter, smote, [idiom] sore, stripe, stroke, wound(-ed).רַבָּ֔הrabahaboundרַבadjective, adjective, feminine, singular, absolute — “abound”, the ordinary formH7227abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)(in) abound(-undance, -ant, -antly), captain, elder, enough, exceedingly, full, great(-ly, man, one), increase, long (enough, (time)), (do, have) many(-ifold, things, a time), (ship-)master, mighty, more, (too, very) much, multiply(-tude),…וְנִקְלָ֥הveniqlahand baseקָלָהconjunction, verb, niphal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and base”, a completed action in a sequenceH7034to be light (as implied in rapid motion), but figuratively, only (be (causatively, hold) in contempt)base, contemn, despise, lightly esteem, set light, seem vile.אָחִ֖יךָachikhabrother ; kindredאָחnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “brother ; kindred”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH251a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other. Compare also the proper names beginning with 'Ah-' or 'Ahi-'.לְעֵינֶֽיךָleeyneykhato eye , , -sightעַיִןpreposition, noun, common, both genders, dual, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “to eye , , -sight”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5869an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)affliction, outward appearance, [phrase] before, [phrase] think best, colour, conceit, [phrase] be content, countenance, [phrase] displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, [phrase] favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), [idiom] him…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should be dishonoured before thine eyes.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

Young’s Literal Translation

forty [times] he doth smite him — he is not adding, lest, he is adding to smite him above these — many stripes, and thy brother is lightly esteemed in thine eyes.

World English Bible

He may sentence him to no more than forty stripes. He shall not give more, lest if he should give more and beat him more than that many stripes, then your brother will be degraded in your sight.

Darby Translation

With forty [stripes] shall they beat him; they shall not exceed, lest, if they continue to beat him with many stripes above these, thy brother become despicable in thine eyes.

Douay-Rheims

Yet so, that they exceed not the number of forty: lest thy brother depart shamefully torn before thy eyes.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should be dishonoured before thine eyes.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And they shall scourge him with forty stripes in number, they shall not inflict more; for if thou shouldest scourge him with more stripes beyond these stripes, thy brother will be disgraced before thee.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἀριθμῷ τεσσαράκοντα μαστιγώσουσιν αὐτόν οὐ προσθήσουσιν· ἐὰν δὲ προσθῇς μαστιγῶσαι ὑπὲρ ταύτας τὰς πληγὰς πλείους, ἀσχημονήσει ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἐναντίον σου.