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.
Parallel Translations
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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.
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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.
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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.
Cross-references (5)
Passages linked to Deuteronomy 19:6 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Numbers 35:12 The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
- Deuteronomy 21:22 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 If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before.
- 2 Samuel 14:7 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 life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also.’ Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and would leave to my husband neither name nor remainder on the surface of the earth.”
- Jeremiah 26:15-16 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 in truth Yahweh has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.” Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets: “This man is not worthy of death; for he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Or, cannot be judged to death.
Or, cannot be judged to death.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Deu 19:6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue…
Deu 19:6 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.
Ver. 6. While his heart is hot.] As Nebuchadnezzar’s oven - viz., with anger and grief, and such like passions; which, like heavy bodies down steep hills, once in motion move themselves, and know no ground but the bottom.
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 This verse is to be joined with Deu 19:3,…
This verse is to be joined with Deu 19:3, as is evident, the 4th and 5th verses coming in as a parenthesis, which is usual in Scripture and other authors.
And slay him; which is supposed, but not allowed, as appears from the following words. But the avenger of blood is not to be punished with death for killing the manslayer, in case he found him without the borders of the city of refuge after he had been received there, Num 35:26,27, because then he was guilty of a new crime, to wit, a contempt of God’s ordinance, and a gross neglect of the duty of self-preservation, and therefore deserved death from God, who might permit it to be inflicted by the avenger of blood.
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 Lest the avenger of blood pursue the slayer,.... These…
Lest the avenger of blood pursue the slayer,.... These words are to be connected with Deu 19:3, where it is ordered to prepare the way to the cities of refuge, and to divide the land into three parts, for the convenience of the slayer to flee thither, lest he that was next of kin, and incensed against the slayer, and determined to avenge what was done, should pursue after him:
while his heart is hot; by reason of the loss of his relation, upon which his passions being raised, his heart becomes inflamed with wrath and anger; which pushes him upon an eager and hasty pursuit of the slayer, before he sits down and coolly considers and deliberates on the affair:
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and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; wherefore it was proper that everything should be done to make the way to these cities as easy and as short as it could be:
whereas he was not worthy of death; had not committed an action deserving of it, it being done ignorantly and without notice, as follows:
inasmuch as he hated him not in time past; See Gill on Deu 19:4.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Grief. The law granted so much to the sudden…
Grief. The law granted so much to the sudden passion of a relation, who met the man slayer out of the cities of refuge, as not to punish him if he gave way to the dictates of vengeance, how unjust soever. (Calmet)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer,…
Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot--This verse is a continuation of Deu 19:3 (for Deu 19:4-5, which are explanatory, are in a parenthetical form), and the meaning is that if the kinsman of a person inadvertently killed should, under the impulse of sudden excitement and without inquiring into the circumstances, inflict summary vengeance on the homicide, however guiltless, the law tolerated such an act; it was to pass with impunity. But to prevent such precipitate measures, the cities of refuge were established for the reception of the homicide, that "innocent blood might not be shed in thy land" (Deu 19:10). In the case of premeditated murder (Deu 19:11-12), they afforded no immunity; but, if it were only manslaughter, the moment the fugitive was within the gates, he found himself in a safe asylum (Num 35:26-28; Jos 20:6).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 6. avenger of blood] Heb. go‘el haddâm (2Sa_14:11, Num_35:19-27,…
6. avenger of blood] Heb. go‘el haddâm (2Sa_14:11, Num_35:19-27, Jos_20:3; Jos_20:5; Jos_20:9). The consuetudinary law of the vendetta is not abrogated, but persists so far as the nearest, or other, kinsman of the slain still takes the duty of punishing the slayer. See v. 22 and Add. note.
while his heart is hot] and he cannot discriminate between accidental and wilful murder. It was doubtless to avoid the same unjust passion that the right of sanctuary arose among the nomad Arabs.
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because the way is long] to the One Altar, Deu_14:24; cp. Deu_12:21.
mortally] Heb. to, or as to, the life (nephesh), Deu_19:11; cp. Deu_22:26.
whereas, etc.] Heb. there being no case of death to (against) him (a circumstantial clause); cp. Deu_21:22, Deu_22:26.
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.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").
avenger
Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Moses is still speaking to the people of Israel.
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the avenger of blood
Here "blood" represents the person who was killed. An "avenger of blood" is a close relative of the person who was killed. This relative is responsible for punishing the murderer. (See: Metonymy)
the one who took a life
This is an idiom. AT: "the one who killed the other person" (See: Idiom)
in the heat of his anger
Someone being very angry is spoken of as if anger were something that could become hot. AT: "and being very angry" (See: Metaphor)
strike him and kill him
"And the blood avenger strikes and kills the one who had killed the other person"
though that man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past
"though that man did not deserve to die since he accidentally killed the other person and was not his enemy, and he had not planned to hurt the man"
translationWords
anger
die
command
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 19:6 avenger (literally the redeemer of blood): The law…
19:6 avenger (literally the redeemer of blood): The law allowed murder to be avenged by members of the victim’s family. When they found the killer, they could put him to death (Num 35:16-21). The idea was that blood shed by the victim must be paid for by the blood of the person responsible for the act (see Gen 4:15; 9:6). In this way, the land polluted by the shed blood could be purified (Num 35:33-34).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.