Exodus 22:28

22:28 “You must not blaspheme ¹  God ²  or curse the ruler of your people.

Isaiah 8:21

8:21 They will pass through the land ³  destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, ⁴  and they will curse their king and their God ⁵  as they look upward.

Acts 23:5

23:5 Paul replied, ⁶  “I did not realize, ⁷  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ⁸ 

¹ tn The two verbs in this verse are synonyms: קָלַל (qalal) means “to treat lightly, curse,” and אָרַר (’arar) means “to curse.”

² tn The word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is “gods” or “God.” If taken as the simple plural, it could refer to the human judges, as it has in the section of laws; this would match the parallelism in the verse. If it was taken to refer to God, then the idea of cursing God would be more along the line of blasphemy. B. Jacob says that the word refers to functioning judges, and that would indirectly mean God, for they represented the religious authority, and the prince the civil authority (Exodus, 708).

³ tn Heb “he will pass through it.” The subject of the collective singular verb is the nation. (See the preceding note.) The immediately preceding context supplies no antecedent for “it” (a third feminine singular suffix in the Hebrew text); the suffix may refer to the land, which would be a reasonable referent with a verb of motion. Note also that אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) does appear at the beginning of the next verse.

⁴ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

⁵ tn Or “gods” (NAB, NRSV, CEV).

⁶ tn Grk “said.”

⁷ tn Or “know.”

⁸ sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.