Essay do Powtórzonego Prawa 21:18

Part of creating any ordered society involves continuity between the generations. Even so, this law seems to us to be “cruel and unusual punishment.” It becomes more understandable in the context of Deuteronomy’s transfer of power from parents (who have a choice here to report their son) to elders, that is, to society at large (see Marcus). The behavior of this son is regarded as a threat, not only to his family, but to the entire community (Frymer-Kensky 1992a). The law may also be, in its intensity, a reflection of the God-Israel relationship (see Psalms 78:8, Jer. 5:23) (Greenstein, personal communication).