Numbers 35:22

Easy-to-Read Version

"You might accidentally kill someone, maybe by pushing or by accidentally hitting them with a tool or weapon.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

King James Version
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,

Lexham English Bible
"‘Or if in an instant he shoved him, not in hostility, or threw something at him without intention,

English Standard Version
"But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait

New Century Version
"‘But a person might suddenly shove someone, and not from hatred. Or a person might accidentally throw something and hit someone.

New English Translation
"But if he strikes him suddenly, without enmity, or throws anything at him unintentionally,

Amplified Bible
'But if he pushed the victim suddenly, not in enmity, or threw anything at him without malicious intent,

New American Standard Bible
'But if he pushed him suddenly, without hostility, or threw any object at him without malicious intent,

Geneva Bible (1587)
But if he pusshed him vnaduisedly, and not of hatred, or cast vpon him any thing, without laying of waite,

Legacy Standard Bible
‘But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity or threw something at him without lying in wait,

Contemporary English Version
But if you are not angry and accidentally kill someone in any of these ways, the townspeople must hold a trial and decide if you are guilty.

Complete Jewish Bible
"‘But suppose he shoves him suddenly, but without hostility; or he throws something at him unintentionally;

Darby Translation
But if he have thrust at him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything unintentionally,

George Lamsa Translation
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything without lying in wait,

Good News Translation
"But suppose you accidentally kill someone you do not hate, whether by pushing him down or by throwing something at him.

Christian Standard Bible®
“But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent

Literal Translation
And if in an instant he pushed him without enmity, or has thrown at him anything without lying in wait;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf he thrust him by chaunce, & not of envye, or hurle ought at him without eny layenge of wayte,

American Standard Version
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without lying in wait,

Bible in Basic English
But if a man has given a wound to another suddenly and not in hate, or without design has sent something against him,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But if he pusshed hym vnaduisedly, and not of hate, or cast vpon hym any thing, and not in laying of wayte,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait,

King James Version (1611)
But if hee thrust him suddenly without enmitie, or haue cast vpon him any thing without laying of wait,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if he should thrust him suddenly, not through enmity, or cast any thing upon him, not from an ambuscade,

English Revised Version
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait,

Berean Standard Bible
But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or unintentionally hits him with an object,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if bi sudeyn caas, and without hatrede and enemytees,

Young's Literal Translation
`And if, in an instant, without enmity, he hath thrust him through, or hath cast at him any instrument, without lying in wait;

Update Bible Version
But if he thrusts him suddenly without enmity, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

Webster's Bible Translation
But if he shall thrust him suddenly without enmity, or shall have cast upon him any thing without laying in wait,

World English Bible
But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

New King James Version
"However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait,

New Living Translation
"But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,

New Life Bible
‘But if he pushed him without planning to and without hating him, or threw something at him without having waited for him,

New Revised Standard
But if someone pushes another suddenly without enmity, or hurls any object without lying in wait,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But if suddenly, without enmity, he shall thrust him, or hurl upon him any missile, without design;

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if by chance medley, and without hatred,

Revised Standard Version
"But if he stabbed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait,

THE MESSAGE
"If, however, he impulsively pushes someone and there is no history of hard feelings, or he impetuously picks up something and throws it, or he accidentally drops a stone tool—a maul or hammer, say—and it hits and kills someone he didn't even know was there, and there's no suspicion that there was bad blood between them, the community is to judge between the killer and the avenger following these guidelines. It's the task of the community to save the killer from the hand of the avenger—the community is to return him to his asylum-city to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the High Priest who was anointed with the holy oil. But if the murderer leaves the asylum-city to which he has fled, and the avenger finds him outside the borders of his asylum-city, the avenger has a right to kill the murderer. And he's not considered guilty of murder.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or threw something at him without lying in wait,

Contextual Overview

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ "Tell the people this: You will cross the Jordan River and go into the land of Canaan. ¹¹ You must choose towns to be cities of safety. If someone accidentally kills another person, that person can run to one of those towns for safety. ¹² That person will be safe from anyone from the dead man's family who wants to punish the killer until that person is judged in court. ¹³ There will be six cities of safety. ¹⁴ Three of them will be east of the Jordan River and three of them will be in the land of Canaan, west of the Jordan River. ¹⁵ These cities will be places of safety for citizens of Israel and for foreigners and travelers. Any of these people will be able to run to one of these cities if they accidentally kill someone. ¹⁶ "If you use an iron weapon to kill someone, you are a murderer, and you must die. ¹⁷ If you use a rock large enough to kill someone and you kill another person, you are a murderer, and you must die. ¹⁸ 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Numbers 35:11, Exodus 21:13, Deuteronomy 19:5, Joshua 20:3, Joshua 20:5

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:16 - if he smite

Cross-References

Genesis 35:1
God said to Jacob, "Go to the town of Bethel. That is where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau. Live there and make an altar to honor me as El, the God who appeared to you."

Genesis 35:2
So Jacob told his family and all the other people with him, "Destroy all these foreign gods that you have. Make yourselves pure. Put on clean clothes.

Genesis 35:3
We will leave here and go to Bethel. There I will build an altar to the God who has always helped me during times of trouble. He has been with me wherever I have gone."

Genesis 35:4
So the people gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and they gave him all the rings they were wearing in their ears. He buried everything under an oak tree near the town called Shechem.

Genesis 35:5
Then Jacob and his sons left that place. The people in the surrounding cities wanted to follow and kill them, but God filled them with such great fear that they did not go after them.

Genesis 35:8
Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died there. They buried her under the oak tree at Bethel. They named that place Allon Bacuth.

Genesis 35:12
I gave Abraham and Isaac some special land. Now I give the land to you and to all your people who will live after you."

Genesis 35:14
Jacob set up a memorial stone there. He made the rock holy by pouring wine and oil on it. This was a special place because God spoke to Jacob there, and Jacob named the place Bethel.

Genesis 35:16
Jacob and his group left Bethel. Before they came to Ephrath, Rachel began giving birth to her baby.

Genesis 35:18
Rachel died while giving birth to the son. Before dying, she named the boy Benoni. But Jacob called him Benjamin.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if he thrust him suddenly, without enmity,.... Push him from a precipice, before he is aware, without any malicious design against his life, but merely through accident:

or have cast upon him anything; from the top of a house, or from a building he is pulling down, or pushes a bowing wall upon him, not knowing that he is passing by it:

and without lying of wait: or having contrived to do it, just as he goes along, or in any other similar way.

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.