Daily Readings in the Bible Deuteronomy 20-22

The Lord included punishments for those who broke His laws. The Old Testament Law provided three types of punishment: the death penalty for serious public sins against life, religion and the family; ‘cutting-off’ for grave private sins; and restoration for property offenses.

Stoning seems to be the most common form of the death penalty in the Old Testament. We read in Deuteronomy 21:22-23, however, about hanging a criminal from a tree. The hanging of criminals in a public place was practiced...