申命记 19:5

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

譬如他和鄰舍同進森林砍伐樹木，他手裡揮著斧子砍伐樹木的時候，斧頭竟脫了把，落在鄰舍身上，以致那人死了，他就可以逃到這些城中的一座去，這樣他就可以活命，

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
就 如 人 与 邻 舍 同 入 树 林 砍 伐 树 木 ， 手 拿 斧 子 一 砍 ， 本 想 砍 下 树 木 ， 不 料 ， 斧 头 脱 了 把 ， 飞 落 在 邻 舍 身 上 ， 以 致 於 死 ， 这 人 逃 到 那 些 城 的 一 座 城 ， 就 可 以 存 活 ，

Contextual Overview

¹ When the Lord your God gives you land that belongs to the other nations, nations that he will destroy, you will force them out and live in their cities and houses. ² Then choose three cities in the middle of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own. ³ Build roads to these cities, and divide the land the Lord is giving you into three parts so that someone who kills another person may run to these cities. ⁴ This is the rule for someone who kills another person and runs to one of these cities in order to save his life. But the person must have killed a neighbor without meaning to, not out of hatred. ⁵ For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood and swings an ax to cut down a tree. If the ax head flies off the handle, hitting and killing the neighbor, the one who killed him may run to one of these cities to save his life. ⁶ Otherwise, the dead person's relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer might be angry and chase him. If the city is far away, the relative might catch and kill the person, even though he should not be killed because there was no intent to kill his neighbor. ⁷ This is why I command you to choose these three cities. ⁸Carefully obey all these laws I'm giving you today. Love the Lord your God, and always do what he wants you to do. Then the Lord your God will enlarge your land as he promised your ancestors, giving you the whole land he promised to them. After that, choose three more cities of safety ¹⁰ so that innocent people will not be killed in your land, the land that the Lord your God is giving you as your own. By doing this you will not be guilty of allowing the death of innocent people. ¹¹ But if a person hates his neighbor and, after hiding and waiting, attacks and kills him and then runs to one of these cities for safety,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

head: Heb. iron, 2 Kings 6:5-7

helve: Heb. wood

lighteth: Heb. findeth

he shall flee: Numbers 35:25, Proverbs 27:12, Isaiah 32:2

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:11 - unawares Numbers 35:22 - General 2 Kings 6:4 - they cut down wood

Cross-References

Genesis 19:23
The sun had already come up when Lot entered Zoar.

Genesis 19:24
The Lord sent a rain of burning sulfur down from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19:26
At that point Lot's wife looked back. When she did, she became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:27
Early the next morning, Abraham got up and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord .

Leviticus 18:22
"‘You must not have sexual relations with a man as you would a woman. That is a hateful sin.

Leviticus 20:13
"‘If a man has sexual relations with another man as a man does with a woman, these two men have done a hateful sin. They must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.

Judges 19:22
While they were enjoying themselves, some wicked men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sexual relations with him."

Isaiah 1:9
The Lord All-Powerful allowed a few of our people to live. Otherwise we would have been completely destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Isaiah 3:9
The look on their faces shows they are guilty; like the people of Sodom, they are proud of their sin. They don't care who sees it. How terrible it will be for them, because they have brought much trouble on themselves.

Jeremiah 3:3
So the rain has not come, and there have not been any spring rains. But your face still looks like the face of a prostitute. You refuse even to be ashamed of what you did.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood,.... A wood is a place common to men, and cutting down wood a business which any man might do; whereas a private place, where a man had no right to be, and doing what he had no business with, rendered a case suspicious, and such a man was liable to be taken up when any affair happened of the kind here spoken of; so the Jewish writers observe t,

"a wood is a public place for him that hurts and him that is hurt to enter there;''

both had a right to go thither, the one as well as the other, he to whom the accident came, and he by whom it came; but they say, a court that belongs to a master of a house (a private court) is excepted, where there is no power or liberty for him that hurts or for him that is hurt to enter. Abba Saul says, What is hewing wood? It is what a man has a right to do, or is in his power; it is what is public and common, and not peculiar to any:

and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree; lifts up the axe and is about to strike with it, in order to cut down the tree pitched upon by him or by his neighbour, or both:

and the head slippeth from the halve; the head of the axe from the handle of it,

or the iron from the wood u; the iron part of the axe, which is properly the head, from the wooden part, which is laid hold on by the hand; and this not being well fastened, slips and falls off as the blow is fetching, or the stroke just ready to be given:

and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; hits him in some part as he stands by him, which proves fatal:

he shall flee unto one of these cities, and live; be safe and secure from the avenger of blood; such an one might have the benefit of one of these cities, for, for such they were designed: the rule with the Jews is, what is done by way of descent (i.e. which comes down and lights upon a man, and is not levelled against him, or thrown up at him) he is to be exiled (or to have the benefit of a city of refuge), but what is not by way of descent, he is not to have it. Some think this is spoken of the wood which is cleaved, and not of the wood in which the iron is fixed; but the wise men say it is to be so understood x; in which they are right.

t Misn. Maccot, c. 2. sect. 2. u הברזל מן העץ "ferrum e ligno", Pagninus, Montanus. x Misn. Maccot, c. 2. sect. 1. Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This and the next two chapters contain enactments designed to protect human life, and to impress its sanctity on Israel.

In Deuteronomy 19:1-13 the directions respecting the preparation of the roads to the cities of refuge, the provision of additional cities in case of an extension of territory, and the intervention of the elders as representing the congregation, are unique to Deuteronomy and supplementary to the laws on the same subject given in the earlier books (compare the marginal reference).

Deuteronomy 19:1, Deuteronomy 19:2

The three cities of refuge for the district east of Jordan had been already named. Moses now directs that when the territory on the west of Jordan had been conquered, a like allotment of three other cities in it should be made. This was accordingly done; compare Joshua 20:1 ff,

Deuteronomy 19:3

Thou shalt prepare thee a way - It was the duty of the Senate to repair the roads that led to the cities of refuge annually, and remove every obstruction. No hillock was left, no river over which there was not a bridge; and the road was at least 32 cubits broad. At cross-roads there were posts bearing the words Refuge, Refuge, to guide the fugitive in his flight. It seems as if in Isaiah 40:3 ff the imagery were borrowed from the preparation of the ways to the cities of refuge.

Deuteronomy 19:5

With the axe - literally, “with the iron.” Note the employment of iron for tools, and compare Deuteronomy 3:11 note.

Deuteronomy 19:8, Deuteronomy 19:9

Provision is here made for the anticipated enlargement of the borders of Israel to the utmost limits promised by God, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18, note; Exodus 23:31, note). This promise, owing to the sins of the people, did not receive its fulfillment until after David had conquered the Philistines, Syrians, etc.; and this but a transient one, for many of the conquered peoples regained independence on the dissolution of Solomon’s empire.