Numbers 35:22

22 “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,

Numbers 35:22 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 35:22

But if he thrust him suddenly, without enmity
Push him from a precipice, before he is aware, without any malicious design against his life, but merely through accident:

or have cast upon him anything;
from the top of a house, or from a building he is pulling down, or pushes a bowing wall upon him, not knowing that he is passing by it:

and without lying of wait:
or having contrived to do it, just as he goes along, or in any other similar way.

Numbers 35:22 In-Context

20 So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder.

21 Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.

22 “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,

23 or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies.

24 If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative: