Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
HANG'ING. According to Jewish law, the criminal was first strangled and then hanged. Num 25:4; Deut 21:22. The body was to be taken down before sunset. It was a special mark of infamy and a curse, Deut 21:23. Jesus is said to have been "hanged on a tree;" literally, "on a beam of wood." Acts 5:30; Gal 3:13. But the expression refers to his crucifixion.