The Best 50+ Bible Verses About Death Penalty

Exploring the Bible's perspective on the death penalty can be eye-opening. This article compiles 50 verses that touch on this complex issue.

Some verses offer clear guidance, while others leave room for interpretation. Together, they provide a comprehensive look at how the Bible addresses the death penalty.

50 Bible Verses About Death Penalty

10 Bible Verses on Death Penalty and Justice

• "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death." — Exodus 21:12
• "Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death." — Leviticus 24:17
• "Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty." — Numbers 35:30
• "But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you." — Deuteronomy 19:11-13
• "If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God." — Deuteronomy 21:22-23
• "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man." — Genesis 9:6
• "You shall not permit a sorceress to live." — Exodus 22:18
• "The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death." — Leviticus 20:10
• "But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." — Deuteronomy 13:9-10
• "So David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.' And Nathan said to David, 'The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.'" — 2 Samuel 12:13-14

10 Bible Verses on Death Penalty in the Old Testament

• "And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death." — Exodus 21:15
• "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: "Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones."'" — Leviticus 20:1-2
• "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel." — Deuteronomy 22:22
• "Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.' So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died." — Numbers 15:32-36
• "Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness." — Deuteronomy 17:6
• "You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people." — Exodus 31:14
• "A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them." — Leviticus 20:27
• "If a man is found kidnapping any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper shall die; and you shall put away the evil from among you." — Deuteronomy 24:7
• "He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed." — Exodus 22:20
• "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear." — Deuteronomy 21:18-21

10 Bible Verses on Death Penalty and Forgiveness

• "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." — Matthew 6:14-15
• "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided His garments and cast lots." — Luke 23:34
• "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.'" — John 8:7
• "Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." — Acts 7:60
• "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." — Romans 5:10
• "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." — Ephesians 4:32
• "Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." — Colossians 3:13
• "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." — 1 John 1:9
• "Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" — Matthew 18:21-22
• "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him." — Luke 17:3-4

10 Bible Verses on Death Penalty and Redemption

• "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." — Isaiah 53:5
• "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." — Romans 3:23-24
• "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." — 2 Corinthians 5:17
• "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." — Ephesians 1:7
• "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." — Hebrews 9:12
• "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." — 1 Peter 1:18-19
• "And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." — Revelation 1:5
• "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." — Romans 8:1
• "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." — Galatians 5:1
• "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." — 1 Timothy 1:15

10 Bible Verses on Death Penalty in the New Testament

• "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." — Matthew 5:38-39
• "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." — John 3:17
• "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil." — Romans 13:1-4
• "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good." — 1 Peter 2:13-14
• "Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" — Hebrews 10:28-29
• "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment." — Matthew 12:36
• "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." — Luke 12:47-48
• "For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar." — Acts 25:11
• "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." — Romans 14:10
• "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books." — Revelation 20:12

What Does the Bible Say About Death Penalty

The Bible's perspective on the death penalty is complex and multifaceted. It offers a range of views that can guide us in understanding justice, forgiveness, and redemption. These teachings can help us navigate our own beliefs and actions in a compassionate and hopeful way.

One key theme is justice. Verses like Exodus 21:12 and Leviticus 24:17 emphasize that those who commit severe crimes should face serious consequences. This reflects a strong sense of justice and the importance of maintaining order in society.

Forgiveness is another important theme. Jesus' words in Matthew 6:14-15 and Luke 23:34 remind us that forgiveness is crucial. Even when dealing with serious offenses, the Bible encourages us to forgive others as God forgives us.

Redemption is also a significant theme. Verses like Isaiah 53:5 and Romans 3:23-24 highlight that everyone has the chance to be redeemed through Christ. This offers hope that even those who have committed grave sins can find a path to redemption.

In the New Testament, the focus shifts towards mercy and understanding. Matthew 5:38-39 and John 3:17 suggest that we should seek to understand and forgive rather than condemn. This shift encourages us to approach the death penalty with a more compassionate mindset.

How to Apply These Bible Verses About Death Penalty

Applying the Bible's teachings on the death penalty to daily life can be transformative. These verses guide us in understanding justice, forgiveness, and redemption, helping us live more compassionate and meaningful lives.

• Practice forgiveness daily. When someone wrongs you, remember Jesus' words in Matthew 6:14-15 and choose to forgive.
• Seek justice in your community. Support fair laws and practices that reflect the Bible's emphasis on justice, like those in Exodus 21:12.
• Pray for those who have committed serious offenses. Ask God to guide them towards redemption, inspired by verses like Isaiah 53:5.
• Engage in community service. Help those in need and show mercy, following the compassionate mindset encouraged in Matthew 5:38-39.
• Reflect on your actions and attitudes. Regularly examine if they align with the principles of justice, forgiveness, and redemption found in the Bible.

Remember, God is always with you, guiding you through every step. Your faith can lead to powerful changes in your life and the lives of others.

Explore more prayers and Bible verses on PrayersFor or use our Bible Verse Generator to deepen your understanding and faith.