Numbers 35:23

Complete Jewish Bible

or, without seeing him, being his enemy or seeking to harm him, he throws a stone big enough to cause death; and the person dies.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
or with any stone, whereby a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

King James Version
Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

Lexham English Bible
or with any stone, without seeing it dropped on him so that he dies, while he was not seeking his injury,

English Standard Version
or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm,

New Century Version
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.

New English Translation
or with any stone large enough that a man could die, without seeing him, and throws it at him, and he dies, even though he was not his enemy nor sought his harm,

Amplified Bible
or without seeing him hit him [accidentally] with a stone object that could kill him, and he died, and [the offender] was not his enemy nor intending to harm him,

New American Standard Bible
or had any deadly stone, and without looking he dropped it on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor was he seeking to harm him,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Or any stone (whereby he might be slaine) and sawe him not, or caused it to fall vpon him, and he die, and was not his enemie, neither sought him any harme,

Legacy Standard Bible
or with any stone—by which one might die, yet without seeing—and it fell upon him, and he died, but he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury,

Darby Translation
or [have smitten him] with any stone wherewith one may die, without seeing him, and have cast it upon him so that he die, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

Easy-to-Read Version
Perhaps you threw a rock that was large enough to kill, but it hit someone you didn't see and killed them. You didn't plan to kill anyone. You didn't hate the person you killed—it was only an accident.

George Lamsa Translation
Or with any stone with which a man may die, without seeing him when he cast it upon him, and he died, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

Good News Translation
Or suppose that, without looking, you throw a stone that kills someone whom you did not intend to hurt and who was not your enemy.

Christian Standard Bible®
or without looking drops a stone that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and didn’t intend to harm him,

Literal Translation
or with any stone without seeing, by which he dies, and has caused it to fall on him, and he dies, and he is not an enemy to him, nor seeking his evil;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
or cast at him with a stone (wherof a man maye dye, & sawe it not) so yt he dye, & is not his enemie, nether thought him eny euell,

American Standard Version
or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

Bible in Basic English
Or has given him a blow with a stone, without seeing him, so causing his death, though he had nothing against him and no desire to do him evil:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Or any maner of stone that a man may dye with, and saw him not, and he caused it to fall vpon hym, and he dye, and was not his enemie, neither sought hym any harme:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

King James Version (1611)
Or with any stone wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it vpon him, that he die, and was not his enemie, neither sought his harme:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
or smite him with any stone, whereby a man may die, unawares, and it should fall upon him, and he should die, but he was not his enemy, nor sought to hurt him;

English Revised Version
or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

Berean Standard Bible
or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
he doith ony thing of these;

Young's Literal Translation
or with any stone wherewith he dieth, without seeing, and causeth [it] to fall upon him, and he dieth, and he [is] not his enemy, nor seeking his evil;

Update Bible Version
or with any stone, whereby a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he wasn't his enemy, neither sought his harm;

Webster's Bible Translation
Or with any stone, by which a man may die, seeing [him] not, and shall cast [it] upon him, that he die, and [was] not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

World English Bible
or with any stone, whereby a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

New King James Version
or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm,

New Living Translation
or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies.

New Life Bible
or he threw a stone without seeing him, killing him without hating him or meaning to hurt him,

New Revised Standard
or, while handling any stone that could cause death, unintentionally drops it on another and death ensues, though they were not enemies, and no harm was intended,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Or with any stone whereby one might die without seeing him, and it fall upon him, and he dieth; he, not being at enmity with him, nor seeking to harm him,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And enmity, he do any of these things,

Revised Standard Version
or used a stone, by which a man may die, and without seeing him cast it upon him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy, and did not seek his harm;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
or with any deadly object of stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury,

Contextual Overview

⁹ (RY: vii, LY: vi) Adonai said to Moshe, ¹⁰ "Tell the people of Isra'el, ‘When you cross the Yarden into the land of Kena‘an, ¹¹ you are to designate for yourselves cities that will be cities of refuge for you, to which anyone who kills someone by mistake can flee. ¹² These cities are to be a refuge for you from the dead person's next-of-kin, who might otherwise avenge his kinsman's death by slaying the killer prior to his standing trial before the community. ¹³ In regard to the cities you are to give, there are to be six cities of refuge for you. ¹⁴ You are to give three cities east of the Yarden and three cities in the land of Kena‘an; they will be cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six cities will serve as refuge for the people of Isra'el, as well as for the foreigner and resident alien with them; so that anyone who kills someone by mistake may flee there. ¹⁶ "‘However, if he hits him with an iron implement and thus causes his death, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁷ Or if he hits him with a stone in his hand big enough to kill someone, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁸ 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:11 - unawares

Cross-References

Genesis 33:2
putting the slave-girls and their children first, Le'ah and her children second, and Rachel and Yosef last.

Genesis 35:2
Then Ya‘akov said to his household and all the others with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that you have with you, purify yourselves, and put on fresh clothes.

Genesis 35:4
They gave Ya‘akov all the foreign gods in their possession and the earrings they were wearing, and Ya‘akov buried them under the pistachio tree near Sh'khem.

Genesis 35:8
Then D'vorah, Rivkah's nurse, died. She was buried below Beit-El under the oak, which was given the name Alon-Bakhut [oak of weeping].

Genesis 35:15
Ya‘akov called the place where God spoke with him Beit-El.

Genesis 35:18
But she died in childbirth. As she was dying she named her son Ben-Oni [son of my grief], but his father called him Binyamin [son of the right hand, son of the south].

Genesis 35:20
Ya‘akov set up a standing-stone on her grave; it is the standing-stone of Rachel's grave to this day.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Or with any stone wherewith a man may die,.... Which is sufficient to kill a man, if thrown at him:

seeing him not; and so without intention: the Jews s from hence gather, that a blind man is to be acquitted and dismissed, and not banished and so stands in no need of a city of refuge; though others say he is to be banished, and needs it, and ought to have the privilege of it:

and cast it upon him that he die; casting, it upon another account, and with another view, but yet falling upon a man, it kills him;

and was not his enemy, neither sought him harm; it was never known that they were at variance, or that the slayer had ever by any overt act discovered any malice and enmity against the deceased, by word or deed, or ever sought to do him any injury, either to his person or property.

s Misn. Maccot, c. 2. sect. 3.

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.