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Saturday, June 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 5 / Ordinary 10
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Read the Bible

Bishop's Bible

Numbers 35:18

Or if he smyte hym with a handweapon of wood that a man may dye with, then if he dye, he is a murtherer: let the same murtherer be slaine therfore.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Homicide;   Punishment;   Refuge;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities of Refuge;   Homicide;   Murder;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Murder;   Punishments;   Refuge, Cities of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Kinsman-Redeemer;   Motives;   Murder;   Punishment;   Easton Bible Dictionary - City;   Murder;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Avenger;   Capital Punishment;   Cities of Refuge;   Crimes and Punishments;   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;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Assassination;   Hand Weapon;   Homicide;   Murder;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Asylum;   Avenger of Blood;   Priestly Code;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
King James Version
Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Lexham English Bible
Or if he hit him with a wooden object, by which he will die, and he does die, he is a killer; the killer must surely be put to death.
English Standard Version
Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
New Century Version
Anyone who picks up a piece of wood and kills someone with it is a murderer. He must be put to death.
New English Translation
Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon so that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.
Amplified Bible
'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.
New American Standard Bible
'Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may be slaine, if he die, he is a murtherer, and the murtherer shall die the death.
Legacy Standard Bible
Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Complete Jewish Bible
Or if he hits him with a wood utensil in his hand capable of killing someone, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.
Darby Translation
Or if he have smitten him with an instrument of wood, in the hand, wherewith one may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall certainly be put to death;
Easy-to-Read Version
If you use a piece of wood large enough to kill someone and you kill another person, you are a murderer, and you must die.
George Lamsa Translation
Or if he struck him with an instrument of wood by hand, so that he might die, and he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Christian Standard Bible®
If anyone has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.
Literal Translation
And if he strikes him with a wooden instrument in the hand, by which he dies, and he dies, he is a murderer; dying the murderer shall die.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf he smyte him wt an handweapon of wodd (wherwith eny man maie be slayne) that he dye, then is he a murthurer, and shal dye the death.
American Standard Version
Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Bible in Basic English
Or if he gave him blows with a wood instrument in his hands, causing his death, he is a taker of life and is certainly to be put to death.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.
King James Version (1611)
Or if he smite him with an handweapon of wood, (wherewith he may die) and he die, hee is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if he should smite him with an instrument of wood from his hand, whereby he may die, and he thus die, he is a murderer; let the murderer by all means be put to death.
English Revised Version
Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a manslayer: the manslayer shall surely be put to death.
Berean Standard Bible
If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If a man smytun with a staf dieth, he schal be vengid bi `the blood of the smytere.
Young's Literal Translation
`Or with a wooden instrument [in] the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he [is] a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death.
Update Bible Version
Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Webster's Bible Translation
Or [if] he shall smite him with a hand-weapon of wood, with which he may die, and he shall die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
World English Bible
Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
New King James Version
Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.
New Living Translation
Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.
New Life Bible
Or if he hit him with a piece of wood in his hand so that he died, he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death.
New Revised Standard
Or anyone who strikes another with a weapon of wood in hand that could cause death, and death ensues, is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Or, if with hand-weapon of wood, wherewith one might die, he smote him and he died a manslayer, he is, - the manslayer shall surely die.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If he that is struck with wood die: he shall be revenged by the blood of him that struck him.
Revised Standard Version
Or if he struck him down with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.
THE MESSAGE
"Or if he's carrying a wooden club heavy enough to kill and the man dies, that's murder; he's a murderer and must be put to death.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he might die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

Contextual Overview

9 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying: 10 Speake vnto the chyldren of Israel, and say vnto them: When ye be come ouer Iordane into the lande of Chanaan: 11 Ye shall appoint you cities, to be cities of refuge for you: that he whiche sleeth a person vnwares, may flee thyther. 12 And these cities shalbe vnto you a refuge from the auenger of blood: that he which killeth, dye not, vntill he stand before the congregation in iudgement. 13 And of these cities which ye shal geue, sixe cities shall ye haue for refuge. 14 Ye shal geue three on this side Iordane, and three in the land of Chanaan, whiche shalbe cities of refuge. 15 And these sixe cities shalbe a refuge, both for the chyldren of Israel, and for the straunger, & for hym that dwelleth among you: that all they whiche kyll any person vnwares, may flee thyther. 16 And if any man smyte another with an instrument of iron that he dye, then is he a murtherer, and the murtherer shall dye for it. 17 If he smyte hym with throwyng a stone, that a man may dye with, and if he dye, he that smote hym is a murtherer: let the same murtherer be slayne therefore. 18 Or if he smyte hym with a handweapon of wood that a man may dye with, then if he dye, he is a murtherer: let the same murtherer be slaine therfore.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 30:1
Rachel when she sawe that she bare Iacob no children, she enuied her sister, and sayde vnto Iacob: Geue me children, or els I am but dead.
Genesis 35:20
And Iacob set vp a stone on ende vpon her graue: whiche is called Rachels grauestone vnto this day.
Genesis 35:21
And Israel went thence, and pitched his tent beyonde the towre of Eder.
Genesis 35:27
And so Iacob came vnto Isahac his father to Mamre, vnto Ciriath-arba, whiche is Hebron, where Abraham and Isahac dwelt.
Genesis 42:4
But Beniamin Iosephes brother, woulde not Iacob sende with his other brethren: for he saide, lest peraduenture destruction come vpon hym.
Genesis 42:38
And he said: My sonne shall not go downe with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if destruction come vpon hym by the way whiche ye go, ye shall bring my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue.
Genesis 43:14
And God almightie geue you mercye in the sight of the man, that he may deliuer you your other brother, & [this] Beniamin: and thus I am as one that is quite robbed of his chyldren.
Exodus 12:7
And they shall take of the blood and stryke it on the two [syde] postes, and on the vpper doore post, euen in the houses where they shall eate hym.
1 Chronicles 4:9
And Iabes was more honorable then his brethren: And his mother called his name Iabes, saying: because I bare him with sorowe.
Psalms 16:10
For thou wylt not leaue my soule in hell: neither wylt thou suffer thyne holy one to see corruption.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Or if he smote him with an hand weapon of wood,.... A stick, or staff, or club:

wherewith he may die, and he die; which is sufficient to kill a man, as the same Targum explains it; and a man dies with the blow that is given him by it:

he is a murderer, and the murderer shall surely be put to death; no pardon given him, or the benefit of the city of refuge allowed him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sense is: Inasmuch as to take another man’s life by any means whatsoever is murder, and exposes the murderer to the penalty of retaliation; so, if the deed is done in hostility, it is in truth actual murder, and the murderer shall be slain; but if it be not done in hostility, then the congregation shall interpose to stop the avenger’s hand.

Numbers 35:19

When he meeteth him - Provided, of course, it were without a city of refuge.

Numbers 35:24

The case of the innocent slayer is here contemplated. In a doubtful case there would necessarily have to be a judicial decision as to the guilt or innocence of the person who claimed the right of asylum.

Numbers 35:25

The homicide was safe only within the walls of his city of refuge. He became a virtual exile from his home. The provisions here made serve to mark the gravity of the act of manslaughter, even when not premeditated; and the inconveniences attending on them fell, as is right and fair, upon him who committed the deed.

Unto the death of the high priest - The atoning death of the Saviour cast its shadow before on the statute-book of the Law and on the annals of Jewish history. The high priest, as the head and representative of the whole chosen family of sacerdotal mediators, as exclusively entrusted with some of the chief priestly functions, as alone privileged to make yearly atonement within the holy of holies, and to gain, from the mysterious Urim and Thummim, special revelations of the will of God, was, preeminently, a type of Christ. And thus the death of each successive high priest presignified that death of Christ by which the captives were to be freed, and the remembrance of transgressions made to cease.


 
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