“But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,
Parallel translations
- WEB 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;
- KJV 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:
- BSB If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,
- NASB “But if there is a person who hates his neighbor, and waits in ambush for him and rises up against him and strikes him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,
- NLT “But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
But a true murderer who kills out of hatred and ambush may not claim refuge. The cities shield the innocent, not the guilty.
Overview
The law sharply distinguishes the deliberate killer who lies in wait from the accidental manslayer. Refuge was never meant to let murderers escape justice. This shows God's mercy never compromises His justice; the guilty must answer for their crimes, and innocent blood must be avenged.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Deut 27:24‘Cursed is he who secretly kills his neighbor.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
- Num 35:16–21“‘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.
- Prov 28:17A man who is tormented by life blood will be a fugitive until death; no one will support him.
- Exod 21:12–14“One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
- Num 35:24then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
- Gen 9:6Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 19:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.