Leviticus 24:11
“The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.”
What does Leviticus 24:11 mean?
This verse introduces a serious incident in the wilderness community: a man born to an Israelite mother and Egyptian father has cursed God's name publicly. The people bring him to Moses because they're uncertain how to handle such a grave offense, recognizing that blaspheming God's name breaks something fundamental to their covenant relationship with the Lord. The specific naming of his mother (Shelomith) and her lineage emphasizes that this person belonged to Israel's community, making the transgression both more shocking and more urgent to address justly. What happens next in Leviticus becomes the basis for how Israel handles this kind of offense, touching on both the seriousness of honoring God's name and how a covenant community maintains its integrity.