“‘But if he shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,
Parallel translations
- KJV But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
- BSB But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,
- NKJV ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait,
- NASB ‘But if he pushed him suddenly, without hostility, or threw any object at him without malicious intent,
- NLT “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,
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
If a death happens suddenly, without hostility or ambush, it is treated differently from murder. Lack of malice changes the case.
Overview
Here the law turns to unintentional killing, where a person causes death without enmity or premeditation. By carefully separating accident from intent, God's law protects the genuinely innocent from blood vengeance while still upholding the gravity of a life lost. Such measured justice reflects the character of a God who judges righteously and distinguishes between the guilty and the unfortunate.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 21:13but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen: then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.
- Num 35:11then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.
- Deut 19:5as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies, he shall flee to one of these cities and live.
- Josh 20:3that the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
- Josh 20:5If 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.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 35:22 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.