Deuteronomy 27 · WEB
The Stones, the Altar, and the Curses on Mount Ebal
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Summary
Moses commands Israel to erect plastered stones inscribed with the law on Mount Ebal upon crossing the Jordan, and to build a stone altar there. Six tribes are to stand on Mount Gerizim for blessing and six on Mount Ebal for the curse. The Levites then recite twelve curses — covering idolatry, dishonoring parents, removing landmarks, exploiting the blind and vulnerable, sexual immorality, violence, bribery, and a sweeping final curse on anyone who does not keep the whole law. To each curse the entire people responds: "Amen" — meaning, "So be it; I agree to this."
Themes
- The law written publicly in stone — the covenant made visible and permanent
- Corporate covenant ratification — the entire nation saying "Amen" to the curses
- The curses primarily address sins committed "in secret" — hidden violations of human dignity
- The law as a total system: "cursed is he who doesn't confirm the words of this law by doing them" (all of it)
- The geographical embodiment of covenant choice: blessing and curse on facing mountains
Key verses
- Deut 27:26 — “Cursed is he who doesn't confirm the words of this law by doing them. All the people shall say, 'Amen.'”
- Deut 27:9-10 — “Be silent and listen, Israel! Today you have become the people of the LORD your God. You shall therefore obey the LORD your God's voice.”
Context & background
Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal stand facing each other in the Samarian highlands of the central West Bank — near modern Nablus (ancient Shechem) in the Palestinian territories. The two mountains are roughly 940 meters and 940 meters above sea level, forming a natural amphitheater. The ceremony described here was actually carried out in Joshua 8:30-35 after Israel's initial victories in Canaan. The plastered inscribed stones were a form of public legal display known elsewhere in the ancient Near East. Paul quotes verse 26 in Galatians 3:10 to argue that everyone who relies on the works of the law is under a curse — since no one keeps the whole law — setting up his argument that Christ redeemed us from this curse.
Cross-references
- Galatians 3:10-13 — Paul quotes Deut 27:26 and applies it to show everyone is under the curse
- Joshua 24:1-28 — Joshua's covenant renewal ceremony at Shechem — the same location
- Joshua 8:30-35 — The actual fulfillment of this ceremony when Israel entered the land
- Matthew 5:19 — Jesus insists on the importance of keeping "the least of these commandments"
- Romans 3:19-20 — The law puts everyone under condemnation — Deut 27:26 applied