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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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New Life Version

Numbers 35:19

The man who wants to punish him for the killing will put the killer to death. He will put him to death when he meets him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Avenger of Blood;   Homicide;   Punishment;   Refuge;   Thompson Chain Reference - Avenger;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities of Refuge;   Homicide;   Murder;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Murder;   Punishments;   Redeemer;   Refuge, Cities of;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Blood;   Sacrifice;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Kinsman-Redeemer;   Motives;   Murder;   Punishment;   Vengeance;   Easton Bible Dictionary - City;   Murder;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abner;   Murder;   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;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Avenger of blood;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Blood, Revenger of;   Law of Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Assassination;   Cruel;   Homicide;   Murder;   Relationships, Family;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Asylum;   Avenger of Blood;   Priestly Code;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
King James Version
The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
Lexham English Bible
The blood avenger himself will put the killer to death; he must put him to death when meeting him.
English Standard Version
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
New Century Version
A relative of the dead person must put the murderer to death; when they meet, the relative must kill the murderer.
New English Translation
The avenger of blood himself must kill the murderer; when he meets him, he must kill him.
Amplified Bible
'The blood avenger shall himself put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.
New American Standard Bible
'The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he himself shall put him to death when he meets him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The reuenger of the blood himselfe shall slay the murtherer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
Legacy Standard Bible
The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.
Contemporary English Version
by one of the victim's relatives. He will take revenge for his relative's death as soon as he finds you.
Complete Jewish Bible
The next-of-kin avenger is to put the murderer to death himself — upon meeting him, he is to put him to death.
Darby Translation
the avenger of blood, he shall put the murderer to death; when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.
Easy-to-Read Version
A member of the dead person's family can chase you and kill you.
George Lamsa Translation
The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer when he meets him.
Good News Translation
The dead person's nearest relative has the responsibility for putting the murderer to death. When he finds you, he is to kill you.
Christian Standard Bible®
The avenger of blood himself is to kill the murderer; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
Literal Translation
The avenger of blood shall cause the murderer to die; when he meets with him, he shall cause him to die.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The auenger of bloude shal bringe ye murthurer to death. Whan he fyndeth him, he shal slaye him.
American Standard Version
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.
Bible in Basic English
He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The reuenger of blood him selfe shal slay the murtherer: when he meeteth hym, he shall slay hym.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.
King James Version (1611)
The reuenger of blood himselfe shall slay the murtherer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: whensoever he shall meet him he shall slay him.
English Revised Version
The avenger of blood shall himself put the manslayer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.
Berean Standard Bible
The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The niy kynesman of hym that is slayn schal sle the mansleere; anoon as he takith hym, `that is, the manquellere, he schal sle hym.
Young's Literal Translation
`The redeemer of blood himself doth put the murderer to death; in his coming against him he doth put him to death.
Update Bible Version
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
Webster's Bible Translation
The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
World English Bible
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
New King James Version
The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
New Living Translation
The victim's nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death.
New Revised Standard
The avenger of blood is the one who shall put the murderer to death; when they meet, the avenger of blood shall execute the sentence.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The blood-redeemer, he, shall put to death the man-slayer, - when he lighteth upon him, he, shall put him to death.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The kinsman of him that was slain, shall kill the murderer: as soon as he apprehendeth him, he shall kill him.
Revised Standard Version
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
THE MESSAGE
"In such cases the avenger has a right to kill the murderer when he meets him—he can kill him on the spot.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.

Contextual Overview

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, 10 "Say to the people of Israel, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 choose which cities are to be the ones where you can run to be safe. The man who has killed a person without meaning to may run there. 12 The cities will be a safe place for you from the one who wants to punish you. So the one who has killed a person may not die until the people decide if he is guilty or not. 13 The cities you give will be your six cities where you can go to be safe. 14 Give three cities on the east side of the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan. They will be the cities where you can go to be safe. 15 These six cities will be safe places for the people of Israel and for the stranger and for the one who visits them. Anyone who kills a person without meaning to may run there. 16 ‘But if he killed him with an iron object, then he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death. 17 If he knocked him down with a stone so that he died, he is guilty. For sure the killer will be put to death. 18 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Numbers 35:12, Numbers 35:21, Numbers 35:24, Numbers 35:27, Deuteronomy 19:6, Deuteronomy 19:12, Joshua 20:3, Joshua 20:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:14 - that Exodus 21:20 - punished 2 Samuel 14:7 - the whole 2 Samuel 14:11 - the revengers Romans 13:4 - revenger

Cross-References

Genesis 35:16
Then they traveled from Bethel. When there was still a long way to go before coming to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth. She suffered much pain.
Genesis 35:18
As Rachel's soul was leaving, for she died, she gave him the name Benoni. But his father gave him the name Benjamin.
Genesis 48:7
For when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by my side in the land of Canaan before we came to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."
Joshua 19:15
In their land were Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. In all there were twelve cities with the towns around them.
Ruth 1:2
The name of the man was Elimelech. His wife's name was Naomi. And the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the land of Moab and stayed there.
Ruth 4:11
All the people in the gate and the leaders said, "We have heard it. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you become rich in Ephrathah and be known by all in Bethlehem.
Micah 6:2
Listen to the Lord's cause, you mountains and bases of the earth that last forever. The Lord has something against His people, and will speak against Israel.
Matthew 2:1
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in the country of Judea. It was the time when Herod was king of that part of the country. Soon after Jesus was born, some wise men who learned things from stars came to Jerusalem from the East.
Matthew 2:6
‘You, Bethlehem of Judah, are not the least of the leaders of Judah. Out of you will come a King Who will lead My people the Jews.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer,.... Not only shall have power to do it, but, as it seems, should be obliged to do it; be the executioner of the murderer; but not before his case has been heard, examined, tried, and judged; wherefore the Targum of Jonathan adds,

"in judgment,''

that is, as Onkelos explains it,

"when he is condemned by judgment,''

the court of judicature:

when he meeteth him he shall slay him; the first opportunity he has, even though, as Jarchi says, if he meets him in the midst of one of the cities of refuge, and no judgment is passed on 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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 35:19. The revenger of blood — גאל הדם goel haddam, the redeemer of blood; the next in blood to him who was slain. See on the preceding verse.


 
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