Numbers 35:16-26

16 "'Anyone who uses an iron weapon to kill someone is a murderer. He must be put to death.

17 Anyone who takes a rock and kills a person with it is a murderer. He must be put to death.

18 Anyone who picks up a piece of wood and kills someone with it is a murderer. He must be put to death.

19 A relative of the dead person must put the murderer to death; when they meet, the relative must kill the murderer.

20 A person might shove someone or throw something at someone and cause death.

21 Or a person might hit someone with his hand and cause death. If it were done from hate, the person is a murderer and must be put to death. A relative of the dead person must kill the murderer when they meet.

22 "'But a person might suddenly shove someone, and not from hatred. Or a person might accidentally throw something and hit someone.

23 Or a person might drop a rock on someone he couldn't see and kill that person. There was no plan to hurt anyone and no hatred for the one who was killed.

24 If that happens, the community must judge between the relative of the dead person and the killer, according to these rules.

25 They must protect the killer from the dead person's relative, sending the killer back to the original city of safety, to stay there until the high priest dies (the high priest had the holy oil poured on him).

26 "'Such a person must never go outside the limits of the city of safety.

Numbers 35:16-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 35

Though the tribe of Levi had no part in the division of the land, yet cities out of the several tribes are here ordered to be given them to dwell in, to the number of forty eight, Nu 35:1-8, six of which were to be cities of refuge, Nu 35:9-15, but not for wilful murderers, in whatsoever way they might kill a man, Nu 35:16-21, but for such who had killed a man unawares, Nu 35:22-24, and several rules are given relating to such persons, Nu 35:25-29, but no satisfaction was to be taken in case of murder, nor to excuse a person's return to his own house before the death of the high priest, who had fled to a city of refuge, that so the land might not be defiled, Nu 35:30-34.