Back to Deuteronomy 19

Deuteronomy 19:4-13

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.

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Deuteronomy 19:4-13 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.

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    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.

  • KJV King James Version

    And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;

    As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

    Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

    Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

    And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

    If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:

    That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

    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.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past;

    as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live;

    lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not deserving of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

    Wherefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.'

    And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers —

    if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in His ways — then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three;

    that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

    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.

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Cross-references (61)

  • 1 Kings 2:31 (vv10, 13) 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,…
  • Numbers 35:15-24 (v4) For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the foreigner living among them, shall these six cities be for refuge, that…
  • 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.
Show all 59 cross-references
  • 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…
  • Joshua 20:7-8 (v9) They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called…
  • 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…
  • Proverbs 6:17 (v10) arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
  • Isaiah 59:7 (v10) Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Desolation and destruction are in…
  • 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.
  • Genesis 15:18-21 (v8) In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great…
  • Exodus 23:31 (v8) I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the…
  • Exodus 34:24 (v8) For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither shall any man desire your land when you go up to appear before…
  • 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 35:12 (v6) The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
  • 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 4:42 (v4) that the man slayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally and didn’t hate him in time past, and that fleeing to one of…
  • Deuteronomy 11:22-25 (v9) For if you shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you—to do them, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways,…
  • Deuteronomy 12:20 (v8) When Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has promised you, and you say, “I want to eat meat,” because your soul desires to eat…
  • Deuteronomy 12:32 (v9) Whatever thing I command you, that you shall observe to do. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it.
  • 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…
  • Matthew 27:4-5 (v10) saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.” He threw down the pieces of…
  • Genesis 28:14 (v8) Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the…
  • Genesis 31:2 (v4) Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
  • 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.
  • Numbers 35:25 (v5) The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city…
  • Numbers 35:33 (v10) “ ‘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…
  • Deuteronomy 11:24-25 (v8) Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates,…
  • Deuteronomy 19:6 (v4) 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…
  • Deuteronomy 19:13 (v10) Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
  • Deuteronomy 21:1-9 (v10) If someone is found slain in the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it isn’t known who has struck…
  • Joshua 3:4 (v4) Yet there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measure—don’t come closer to it—that you may know the way by…
  • 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…
  • 1 Kings 4:21 (v8) Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and…
  • 2 Kings 6:5-7 (v5) But as one was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.” The…
  • 2 Kings 21:16 (v10) Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; in addition to his sin with which…
  • 2 Kings 24:4 (v10) and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and Yahweh would not pardon.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:2 (v4) In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. Yahweh your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd…
  • Ezra 4:20 (v8) There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was…
  • Proverbs 27:12 (v5) A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.
  • Proverbs 28:17 (v11) A man who is tormented by life blood will be a fugitive until death; no one will support him.
  • Isaiah 30:33 (v4) For his burning place has long been ready. Yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made its pyre deep and large with fire and much wood.…
  • Isaiah 32:2 (v5) A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the storm, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a large…
  • Jeremiah 7:6-7 (v10) if you don’t oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and don’t shed innocent blood in this place, and don’t walk after other…
  • Joel 3:19 (v10) Egypt will be a desolation, and Edom will be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed…
  • Jonah 1:14 (v10) Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t lay on us…
  • Deuteronomy 21:22 (v6) If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
  • Joshua 20:5 (v6) If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor…
  • 2 Samuel 14:7 (v6) Behold, the whole family has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the…
  • Psalms 94:21 (v10) They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
  • Jeremiah 26:15-16 (v6) Only know for certain that, if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for…

59 distinct cross-references across this passage (61 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (15 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13 That murder be not committed upon murder.

That murder be not committed upon murder.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12 Deu 19:4 And this [is] the case of the…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv6, 8, 12 This verse is to be joined with Deu 19:3,…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv4–13 And this is the case of the slayer, which…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv8–9 Enlarge thy coast - As far as Euphrates.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv9, 11 Verse 9. Shalt thou add three cities more] This…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv8, 12 Deu 19:8-9. If the Lord thy God enlarge thy…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv6, 7, 8, 12, 13 Grief. The law granted so much to the sudden…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv6, 8 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer,…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv8, 11 8-10. Then shalt thou add — Here are directions…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–13 4. And this is the case of] See note…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv4, 8, 10, 11 Vers. 4-7. (cf. Num_35:11, etc.)
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v6 Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv4, 6, 8, 11 This is the law
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv4, 6, 9, 11, 13 19:4 A slayer who kills . . . unintentionally…
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