And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
And the LORD said to Moses, 'The man must certainly be put to death. The entire community must stone him to death outside the camp.'
God is commanding that a man who broke the Sabbath law be executed by stoning outside the camp as punishment for his disobedience.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Numbers, the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, where God had given them the Ten Commandments, including the strict observance of the Sabbath as a sign of their covenant with Him. This verse refers to an incident where a man was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath, which was considered work and a direct violation of God's law, reflecting the theocratic society's emphasis on obedience to maintain holiness. As a result, God instructed Moses to enforce the death penalty by stoning to underscore the seriousness of such disobedience in their community.
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