But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities; then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
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Deuteronomy 19:11-13 sits inside this longer paragraph.
When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess. You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit into three parts, that every man slayer may flee there. This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him in time past— as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood and his hand swings the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and hits his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer while hot anger is in his heart and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, even though he was not worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past. Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves. If Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers; and if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you today, to love Yahweh your God, and to walk ever in his ways, then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, in addition to these three. This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you. But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities; then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
Parallel Translations
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But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;
then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
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But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
Show all 3 translations
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But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities;
then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
Cross-references (21)
- 1 Kings 2:31 (v13) The king said to him, “Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him; that you may take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause,…
- Deuteronomy 7:2 (v13) and when Yahweh your God delivers them up before you, and you strike them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant…
- Deuteronomy 7:16 (v13) You shall consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God shall deliver to you. Your eye shall not pity them. You shall not serve their gods;…
- Deuteronomy 21:9 (v13) So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in Yahweh’s eyes.
- Numbers 35:33-34 (v13) “ ‘So you shall not pollute the land where you live; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that…
Show all 20 cross-references
- 2 Samuel 21:1 (v13) There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Yahweh. Yahweh said, “It is for…
- Genesis 9:6 (vv11, 13) Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
- Leviticus 24:17 (v13) “ ‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death.
- Leviticus 24:21 (v13) He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death.
- Numbers 35:16-21 (v11) “ ‘But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. If he…
- Deuteronomy 13:8 (v13) you shall not consent to him nor listen to him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him;
- Deuteronomy 25:12 (v13) then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.
- Deuteronomy 27:24 (v11) ‘Cursed is he who secretly kills his neighbor.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
- 2 Samuel 21:14 (v13) They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father: and they performed…
- Ezekiel 16:5 (v13) No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you, to have compassion on you; but you were cast out in the open field, because you were…
- Exodus 21:12-14 (v11) “One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death, but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I…
- Numbers 35:24 (v11) then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
- 1 Kings 2:5-6 (v12) “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the…
- 1 Kings 2:28-34 (v12) This news came to Joab; for Joab had followed Adonijah, although he didn’t follow Absalom. Joab fled to Yahweh’s Tent, and held onto the…
- Proverbs 28:17 (v11) A man who is tormented by life blood will be a fugitive until death; no one will support him.
20 distinct cross-references across this passage (21 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv12–13 The Magistrates.
The Magistrates.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv11–12 Deu 19:11 But if any man hate his neighbour,…
Deu 19:11 But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
Ver. 11. But if any man hate his neighbour.] As Cain did Abel, as Esau Jacob, as Absalom Amnon; as Dr Story did Queen Elizabeth, whom he cursed daily in his grace at board; {a} as Tyrone did the English, strangling some of his own men for no other reason but because they fed on English bread; howbeit he never spake of the queen but with honour; yea, the profane wretch styled himself cousin to God, enemy to all the world, and friend to the Queen of England. {b}
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{a} A.D. 1567. - Ibid.
{b} Speed.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v12 The elders of his city; either of the slain…
The elders of his city; either of the slain person, who were most likely to prosecute the murderer; or of the murderer, because God would oblige even his own fellow citizens to prosecute him to death, that it might appear how hateful murder and the murderer is to God, and ought to be to all men.
Fetch him thence; demand him of the elders of the city of refuge, who upon the hearing of the cause and the evidence of the murder were obliged to deliver the offender to justice.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv11–13 Then the elders of his city shall send and…
Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence,.... The Targum of Jonathan is,"the wise men of his city,''the sanhedrim, or court of judicature, or at least the civil magistrates of that city, to which such a murderer belonged, had a power to send to the city of refuge whither he was fled, and demand the delivering of him up to them, that his case might be tried before them, and it might appear whether he was a proper person to receive the benefit of the city of refuge or not, and if not, to pass sentence of death upon him, and see it executed as follows:
and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die; that is, after the examination and trial of him, and when he is found guilty, and sentence is passed upon him, then he was to be delivered into the hands of the avenger of blood, to be the executioner of that sentence.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v11 Verse 11. If any man hate his neighbour] See…
Verse 11. If any man hate his neighbour] See Clarke on Ex 21:13.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v12 Deu 19:12. The elders of his city — The…
Deu 19:12. The elders of his city — The city of the manslayer. The sense is, that upon any information or suspicion of murder, laid against any one that had taken refuge in any of these cities, the magistrates of the town or district where the fact was committed, should send for the person out of the refuge-city, bring him to a fair trial, and, upon clear evidence of wilful murder, condemn him to death, and cause execution to be done without fear, partiality, or affection; as they valued the divine blessing, and desired to be free of the guilt of innocent blood, which otherwise would be required at their hands.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv12–13 His city. Strict enquiry was made into the circumstances…
His city. Strict enquiry was made into the circumstances attending the manslaughter, Numbers xxxv. 12. If the refugee was proved guilty, he was delivered up to the next relation of the deceased to be put to death. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v11 11-13. But if any man hate — The appointment…
11-13. But if any man hate — The appointment of cities of refuge was a merciful provision for the security of those who unintentionally should shed blood. The usage in the time of Moses evidently was the carrying out rigorously the law of retaliation. But if life had been taken without malice this provision for cities of refuge afforded a place of escape from the avenger of blood. But they were not to be places of refuge for murderers. They were not to protect those who had slain their fellow-men through hatred or for gain. Such guilty ones were to be taken from the cities by the magistrates and given up to the avenger of blood. Human life was sacred among the Hebrews. We see how carefully it was protected, how stringent was the legislation. Moses made provision for the protection of property also.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11. But if any man hate his neighbour, etc.]…
11. But if any man hate his neighbour, etc.] The wilful murderer must not escape through the provision of protection for the innocent slayer.
and lie in wait] Cp. E, Exo_21:14. For mortally see Deu_19:6.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v11 Vers. 11-13. These cities, however, were not to be…
Vers. 11-13. These cities, however, were not to be places of refuge for murderers, for those who from hatred and with wicked intent had slain others; if such fled to one of these cities, they were not to be suffered to remain there; the elders of their own city were to require them to be delivered up, that the avenger might put them to death. (Num_35:16-33, etc.) In the earlier legislation, it is enacted that the congregation shall judge in such matters, and that by their decision it should be determined in any case whether the person who had slain another was to be allowed to remain in a city of refuge or be delivered over to the avenger of blood. With this the ordinance here is not inconsistent; the elders were not to act as judges, but merely as magistrates, to apprehend the man and bring him to trial.
Vers. 11-13. Lex talionis.
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The refuge provided by mercy is open to abuse. The perversity of man will poison the streams from the heavenly fountain. But in this city of peace none shall abide except those who have clean hands. False hopes are doomed to crushing disappointment. Even from the gate of heaven there is a back way to the prison-house of hell. The man of blood eventually destroys himself.
I HATRED IS INGENIOUS IN ACCOMPLISHING ITS NEFARIOUS ENDS. Hatred has an insatiable appetite. It drives a man in whom it dwells, as with a slave-master"s whip, to do its base behests. It robs him of his sleep at night, that he may lie in ambush for some innocent victim. All day long he is driven to most odious tasks by this spirit of mischief. Without interruption, hatred holds its busy conclave in the dark caverns of the soul, and presses into service every faculty of the man, until it has clutched its prey.
II THE MURDEROUS MAN FLATTERS HIMSELF THAT HE SHALL BE SAFE. He is conscious that vengeance is in store for him. No sooner is the deed done than cowardly fear seizes him. The righteousness of God has fleet-footed detectives in its service. Nevertheless, cunning falsehood comes to him as the devil"s comforter. Though his hands be stained through and through with blood, he will wear gloves of innocence, a mask of pretence. It were a nobler thing to brave the matter out, and defy all opposition. But this the sinner cannot do. He quails before the omniscient eye; and, however insecure the hiding-place, he cheats himself with the hope of escape. Guilty as his conscience affirms him to be, he seeks a place among the innocent. For the sinner no refuge can be found. The earth shall cast him out.
III THE POWER OF DEATH IS A SOVEREIGN FUNCTION OF THE STATE. "The elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence." Human life is too precious to be placed at the disposal of private revenge; therefore the chief province of the state politic is to protect life against violence. Unbiased natures are the only proper judges of right and wrong. Justice will speak only in the calm atmosphere of sincerity and truth. The representative power of the whole community is the only power which fully suffices to vindicate the claims of righteousness. This is God"s vicegerent upon the earth. Hence magistrates are described as "gods.
IV RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOBLER THAN PITY. There are circumstances in which Pity must not speak a time for her to be silent. "Thine eye shall not pity." There are some situations in which her presence would be out of place, her action injurious. But Righteousness must never be absent. The very atmosphere in God"s kingdom is penetrated with her vital breath. Her scepter is the scepter of God, and exerts a potent influence over every department of human life. Righteousness is the soul"s proper robe, and without it she can nowhere fitly appear. All true prosperity is the fruit of righteousness. It cannot go well with any nation, nor with any man, until guilt is put away. Even compassion for others must be a righteous compassion. D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v11 his neighbor
his neighbor
Here "neighbor" means any person in general.
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lies in wait for him
The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "hides and waits in order to kill him" or "plans to kill him" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
rises up against him
This is an idiom. AT: "attacks him" (See: Idiom)
mortally wounds him so that he dies
"hurts him so that he dies" or "and kills him"
must send and bring him back from there
"must send someone to get him and bring him back from the city that he escaped to"
turn him over
This is an idiom. AT: "give him over" (See: Idiom)
into the hand of the responsible relative
Here "the hand" represents the authority of someone. AT: "to the authority of the responsible relative" or "to the responsible relative" (See: Metonymy)
the responsible relative
This is the relative of the person who was killed. This relative is responsible for punishing the murderer.
he may die
"the murderer may die" or "the responsible relative may execute the murderer"
Your eye must not pity him
Here "your eye" represents the whole person. AT: "Do not show him mercy" or "Do not feel sorry for him" (See: Synecdoche)
you must eradicate the bloodguilt from Israel
Here "bloodguilt" represents the guilt for murdering an innocent person. AT: "you must execute the murderer so that the people of Israel will not be guilty for the death of an innocent person" (See: Metonymy)
from Israel
Here "Israel" refers to the people of Israel. (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
neighbor
die
elder
send
hand
Israel
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv11, 13 19:11 The Hebrew term rendered is hostile (literally is…
19:11 The Hebrew term rendered is hostile (literally is a hater) indicates a constant and long-standing hateful attitude, which constituted evidence that the killer was predisposed to commit a crime and therefore probably did it.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.