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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Numbers 35:26

'But if at any time the one guilty of manslaughter comes outside the border of his city of refuge to which he fled,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Avenger of Blood;   Homicide;   Refuge;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities of Refuge;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Blood-Avenger;   Levites;   Murder;   Punishments;   Refuge, Cities of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Kinsman-Redeemer;   Punishment;   Vengeance;   Easton Bible Dictionary - City;   Murder;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat, Valley of;   Murder;   Pentateuch;   Tombs;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Avenger;   Bloodguilt;   Cities of Refuge;   Manslayer;   Murder;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Clean and Unclean;   Kin;   Numbers, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Refuge, Cities of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Levi;   Refuge;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Goel;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Assassination;   Ezekiel;   Homicide;   Murder;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Blood-revenge;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Asylum;   Avenger of Blood;   Go'el;   Priestly Code;   Sabbath;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,
King James Version
But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
Lexham English Bible
But if the killer surely goes out of the territory of the city of his refuge to which he fled,
English Standard Version
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled,
New Century Version
"‘Such a person must never go outside the limits of the city of safety.
New English Translation
But if the slayer at any time goes outside the boundary of the town to which he had fled,
New American Standard Bible
'But if at any time he goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he flees,
Geneva Bible (1587)
But if the slayer come without the borders of the citie of his refuge, whither he was fled,
Legacy Standard Bible
But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee,
Contemporary English Version
But if you ever leave the Safe Town
Complete Jewish Bible
But if the killer ever goes beyond the limits of the city of refuge he fled to,
Darby Translation
But if the manslayer shall in any way come outside the limits of the city of his refuge whither he hath fled,
Easy-to-Read Version
"You must never go outside the limits of your city of safety. If you do and if a member of the dead person's family catches you and kills you, that family member will not be guilty of murder.
George Lamsa Translation
But if the slayer shall at any time go outside the bounds of the city of his refuge, to which he has fled;
Good News Translation
If you leave the city of refuge to which you have escaped
Christian Standard Bible®
“If the one who kills someone ever goes outside the border of the city of refuge he fled to,
Literal Translation
But if the manslayer at all goes out from the border of the city of his refuge, there to which he has fled,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf the deedsleyer go out of the borders of his fre cite, that he was fled vnto,
American Standard Version
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth,
Bible in Basic English
But if ever he goes outside the walls of the safe town where he had gone in flight,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But if the slayer come without the borders of his citie of refuge, whyther he was fled:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth;
King James Version (1611)
But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the citie of his refuge, whither he was fled:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if the slayer should in any wise go out beyond the bounds of the city whither he fled for refuge,
English Revised Version
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth;
Berean Standard Bible
But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If the sleere is foundun with out the coostis `of the citees that ben asigned to exilid men,
Young's Literal Translation
`And if the man-slayer at all go out [from] the border of the city of his refuge whither he fleeth,
Update Bible Version
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,
Webster's Bible Translation
But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he had fled;
World English Bible
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,
New King James Version
But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled,
New Living Translation
"But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge,
New Life Bible
But if the man who killed another person at sometime goes outside his city where he went to be safe,
New Revised Standard
But if the slayer shall at any time go outside the bounds of the original city of refuge,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But if the man-slayer, go out, of the bounds of his city of refuge, whereinto he hath fled;
Douay-Rheims Bible
If the murderer be found without the limits of the cities that are appointed for the banished,
Revised Standard Version
But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the bounds of his city of refuge to which he fled,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee,

Contextual Overview

9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10"Tell the Israelites, 'When you cross the Jordan [River] into the land of Canaan, 11then you shall select for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge, so that the one who kills any person unintentionally may escape there. 12'The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who has caused the death of another will not be killed until he has had a [fair] trial before the congregation. 13'The cities which you are to provide shall be your six cities of refuge. 14'You shall provide three cities on this [east] side of the Jordan [River], and three [more] cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be the cities of refuge. 15'These six cities shall be a refuge for the Israelites and for the stranger and the resident alien among them; so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may escape there. 16'But if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with an iron object so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death. 17'If he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a stone in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death. 18'Or if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a wooden object in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

After the manslayer had been received into the city of refuge, the avenger of blood could only act as prosecutor; and the magistrates, in the presence of the people, were appointed to decide the cause according to the rules here laid down. Probably the accused person was tried at or near the place where the deceased had been slain, and where evidence could most easily be brought, and in case he was acquitted by the decision of the judges, and with the approbation of the people, he was conveyed back to the city of refuge, where he was protected as a kind of prisoner at large, till the death of the high priest; when the public loss, and the grief occasioned by it, might be supposed to swallow up all personal regrets and resentments, and then he was permitted to return to his house and estate. But if, in the mean while, he ventured to leave the city, and the avenger met him and slew him, he was supposed to merit his doom by thus neglecting the appointment of God for his preservation, and the avenger must not be punished. This shews that in other cases, if the avenger slew an innocent man on surmise, he was liable to the punishment of a murderer; but if, by the testimony of two credible witnesses, the man who had fled to the city of refuge was adjudged guilty, he must without fail be put to death.

Reciprocal: Joshua 2:19 - whosoever

Cross-References

Genesis 25:20
Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean (Syrian) of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean.
Genesis 28:2
"Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take from there as a wife for yourself one of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.
Genesis 31:18
and he drove away all his livestock and [took along] all his property which he had acquired, the livestock he had obtained and accumulated in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 35:9
Then God [in a visible manifestation] appeared to Jacob again when he came out of Paddan-aram, and declared a blessing on him.
Genesis 35:13
Then God ascended from Jacob in the place where He had spoken with him.
Genesis 35:16
Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel began to give birth and had difficulty and suffered severely.
Genesis 35:18
And as her soul was departing, (for she died), she named him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow); but his father called him Benjamin (son of the right hand).

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge,.... Which seems to be the three thousand cubits assigned to every city of the Levites, and so to the cities of refuge; and which, according to the Jewish writers, were a refuge, as the city itself; and it is said x,

"he, that kills a man there, is killed for him, but though the border is a refuge, the slayer does not dwell in it, as it is said. Numbers 35:25, "he shall abide in it", but not in its borders:''

whither he was fled; on account of manslaughter.

x Maimon. Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 8. sect. 11. Misn. Maccot, c. 2. sect. 7.


 
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