Deuteronomy 19:11

Bible in Basic English

But if any man has hate for his neighbour, and waiting for him secretly makes an attack on him and gives him a blow causing his death, and then goes in flight to one of these towns;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But if someone hates his neighbor, lies in ambush for him, attacks him, and strikes him fatally, and flees to one of these cities,

Hebrew Names Version
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and strike him mortally so that he dies, and he flee into one of these cities;

King James Version
But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:

Lexham English Bible
But if someone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and murders him, and the murderer flees to one of these cities,

English Standard Version
"But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities,

New Century Version
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,

New English Translation
However, suppose a person hates someone else and stalks him, attacks him, kills him, and then flees to one of these cities.

Amplified Bible
"But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait and ambush for him and attacks him and strikes him down so that he dies, and the assailant escapes to one of these cities,

New American Standard Bible
"But if there is a person who hates his neighbor, and waits in ambush for him and rises up against him and strikes him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,

Geneva Bible (1587)
But if a man hate his neighbour, and lay waite for him, and rise against him, and smite any man that he die, and flee vnto any of these cities,

Legacy Standard Bible
"But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and strikes down his life so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,

Contemporary English Version
But what if you really do commit murder? Suppose one of you hates a neighbor. So you wait in a deserted place, kill the neighbor, and run to a Safe Town.

Complete Jewish Bible
"However, if someone hates his fellow member of the community, lies in wait for him, attacks him, strikes him a death blow, and then flees into one of these cities;

Darby Translation
But if a man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and he flee into one of these cities,

Easy-to-Read Version
"But suppose there is a man who hates his neighbor. That man might hide and wait to kill the person he hates. If he kills that person and runs to one of these cities of safety,

George Lamsa Translation
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and attack him, and smite him mortally so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities;

Good News Translation
"But suppose you deliberately murder your enemy in cold blood and then escape to one of those cities for protection.

Literal Translation
And if a man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes his life from him, so that he dies, and flees to one of these cities,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf eny man beare hate agaynst his neghboure, and layeth waite for him, and ryseth agaynst him, and smyteth him that he dye, and flyeth in to one of these cities,

American Standard Version
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally so that he dieth, and he flee into one of these cities;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But and if any man hate his neyghbour, and lay awayte for hym, and ryse agaynst hym, and smyte hym that he die, & then fleeth vnto any of these cities:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities;

King James Version (1611)
But if any man hate his neighbour and lie in wait for him, and rise vp against him, and smite him mortally that hee die, and fleeth into one of these Cities:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if there should be in thee a man hating his neighbour, and he should lay wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him, that he die, and he should flee to one of these cities,

English Revised Version
But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities:

Berean Standard Bible
If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe if ony man hatith his neiybore, and settith aspies, `ether tresouns, to his lijf, and risith, and smytith him, and he is deed, and he fleeth to oon of the forseid citees,

Young's Literal Translation
`And when a man is hating his neighbour, and hath lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and smitten him -- the life, and he hath died, and he hath fled unto one of these cities,

Update Bible Version
But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and smites him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;

Webster's Bible Translation
But if any man shall hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally, that he dieth, and he shall flee into one of these cities:

World English Bible
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and strike him mortally so that he dies, and he flee into one of these cities;

New King James Version
"But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,

New Living Translation
"But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge.

New Life Bible
"But there might be a man who hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, goes against him, and hurts him so that he dies. After this he might run to one of these cities.

New Revised Standard
But if someone at enmity with another lies in wait and attacks and takes the life of that person, and flees into one of these cities,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, when any man shall be hating his neighbour, and shall lie in wait for him and rise up against him, and smite him so as to take away his life that he dieth, - and shall then flee into one of these cities,

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if any man hating his neighbour, lie in wait for his life, and rise and strike him, and he die, and he flee to one of the cities aforesaid,

Revised Standard Version
"But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and attacks him, and wounds him mortally so that he dies, and the man flees into one of these cities,

THE MESSAGE
On the other hand, if a man with a history of hatred toward his neighbor waits in ambush, then jumps him, mauls and kills him, and then runs to one of these cities, that's a different story. The elders of his own city are to send for him and have him brought back. They are to hand him over to the avenger of blood for execution. Don't feel sorry for him. Clean out the pollution of wrongful murder from Israel so that you'll be able to live well and breathe clean air.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and strikes him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities,

Contextual Overview

¹ When the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, have been cut off by him, and you have taken their place and are living in their towns and in their houses; ² You are to have three towns marked out in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage. ³ You are to make ready a way, and see that the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, is marked out into three parts, to which any taker of life may go in flight. ⁴ This is to be the rule for anyone who goes in flight there, after causing the death of his neighbour in error and not through hate; ⁵ For example, if a man goes into the woods with his neighbour for the purpose of cutting down trees, and when he takes his axe to give a blow to the tree, the head of the axe comes off, and falling on to his neighbour gives him a wound causing his death; then the man may go in flight to one of these towns and be safe: ⁶ For if not, he who has the right of punishment may go running after the taker of life in the heat of his wrath, and overtake him because the way is long, and give him a death-blow; though it is not right for him to be put to death because he was not moved by hate. ⁷ And so I am ordering you to see that three towns are marked out for this purpose. ⁸ And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers; ⁹ If you keep and do all these orders which I give you today, loving the Lord your God and walking ever in his ways; then let three more towns, in addition to these three, be marked out for you: ¹⁰ So that in all your land, which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage, no man may be wrongly put to death, for which you will be responsible.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

But if any: Deuteronomy 27:24, Genesis 9:6, Exodus 21:12-14, Numbers 35:16-21, Numbers 35:24, Proverbs 28:17

mortally: Heb. in life

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:13 - General Exodus 21:13 - lie not Exodus 21:14 - presumptuously Leviticus 24:17 - And he Numbers 35:12 - until he stand Numbers 35:20 - by laying Numbers 35:31 - Moreover Deuteronomy 17:8 - between blood

Cross-References

Genesis 19:28
And looking in the direction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the lowland, he saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of an oven.

Genesis 19:29
So it came about that when God sent destruction on the towns of the lowland, he kept his word to Abraham, and sent Lot safely away when he put an end to the towns where he was living.

2 Kings 6:18
Now when the Aramaeans came down to Elisha, he made a prayer to the Lord saying, Lord, make this people blind. And he made them blind at Elisha's request.

Ecclesiastes 10:15
The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.

Isaiah 57:10
You were tired with your long journeys; but you did not say, There is no hope: you got new strength, and so you were not feeble.

Jeremiah 2:36
Why do you go about so much for the purpose of changing your way? you will be shamed on account of Egypt, as you were shamed on account of Assyria.

Acts 13:11
And now, see, the hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind and not able to see the sun for a time. And straight away a dark mist came down on him; and he went about looking for a guide.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if any man hate his neighbour,.... Has conceived enmity in his heart against him, bears him a mortal hatred, and has formed a scheme in his mind to take away his life:

and lie in wait for him knowing and expecting he will come by in such a way at such a time:

and rise up against him; out of the place where he lay in wait, just at the time he is passing by:

and smite him mortally that he die; or smite him

in soul or life z; in such a part where life is in danger, and the consequence of it is that he dies:

and fleeth into one of these cities; for shelter from the avenger of blood.

z נפש, "anima", Montanus, Vatablus.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 19:11. If any man hate his neighbour — Exodus 21:13.