Deuteronomy 19:6

Deuteronomy 19:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
• New International Version (NIV)Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.
• English Standard Version (ESV)lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past.
• New King James Version (NKJV)lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past.

Context of Deuteronomy 19:6

4This is the rule when anyone has killed another person: If it was a mistake, he can run to a safe city. He can do that if he has killed someone that he did not already hate. 5For example, two men may go to the forest to cut wood. As one man cuts wood with his axe, the metal part of the axe flies off. It hits the other man and it kills him. Then the killer can run to the nearest of the three cities. He will be safe there. If there was no safe city near enough, the killer might not escape safely. The dead person's relative might chase him, catch him and kill him. But the killer did not deserve to die. He had made a mistake. He had killed someone that he did not already hate. 7So I command you to choose three cities to be safe cities for yourselves. 8The Lord your God promised your ancestors to give you more land to live in. When all that land belongs to you,

Deuteronomy 19:6 word by word

פֶּן־יִרְדֹּף֩ גֹּאֵ֨ל הַדָּ֜ם אַחֲרֵ֣י הָרֹצֵ֗חַ כִּי־יֵחַם֮ לְבָבוֹ֒ וְהִשִּׂיג֛וֹ כִּֽי־יִרְבֶּ֥ה הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ וְהִכָּ֣הוּ נָ֑פֶשׁ וְלוֹ֙ אֵ֣ין מִשְׁפַּט־מָ֔וֶת כִּ֠י לֹ֣א שֹׂנֵ֥א ה֛וּא ל֖וֹ מִתְּמ֥וֹל שִׁלְשֽׁוֹם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Lest the avengerגָּאַלgâ'al · to redeem: avengeH1350
• of the bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• pursueרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
• the slayerרָצַחrâtsach · to murderH7523
• the slayerאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• whileכִּיkîy · forH3588
• his heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
• is hotיָחַםyâcham · to conceiveH3179
• and overtakeנָשַׂגnâώag · to overtakeH5381
• him, because the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
• is longרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• and slayנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• himנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: myselfH5315
• not worthyמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• of deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• he hatedשָׂנֵאώânê' · to hateH8130
• him not in timeתְּמוֹלtemôl temôl · yesterdayH8543
• pastשִׁלְשֹׁםshilshôm shilshôm · three days agoH8032

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 19:6

• Numbers 35:12Those towns will be places where the killer can be safe from the dead person's relative. The killer will not die before the people in the town have judged him.
• Joshua 20:5The dead person's relative may chase after the killer. The leaders of the city must not let him hurt the killer. This is because the killer did not mean to kill.
• 2 Samuel 14:7Now all my relatives have turned against me. They want to take my son from me, because he killed his brother. They say that he must die. That is the punishment that he deserves. But if they do that, I will have no son. My husband will have no descendants, so the name of our family will not continue.’
• Deuteronomy 21:22A person may do an evil thing so that you punish him with death. If you have hung his dead body on a tree,
• Jeremiah 26:15But you should know this: If you punish me with death, you will bring great trouble on yourselves, this city, and everyone who lives here. You will be guilty of murder, because I have not done anything wrong. The Lord has sent me to speak all these words for you to hear. That is the truth!’
• Deuteronomy 19:4This is the rule when anyone has killed another person: If it was a mistake, he can run to a safe city. He can do that if he has killed someone that he did not already hate.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 19:6

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-13Verses 1-13 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6avenger of blood (literally the redeemer of blood): The law allowed a victim's family to avenge murder. They could execute the killer when they found him (Numbers 35:16–21). The idea was that blood shed by the victim must be paid for by the blood of the person responsible for the act (see Genesis 4:15; 9:6). In this way, the land made unclean by the shed blood could be purified (Numbers 35:33–34).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-76-7. Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot--This verse is a continuation of De 19:3 (for De 19:4, 5, which are explanatory, are in a parenthetical form), and the meaning is that if the kinsman of a person inadvertently killed should, under the impulse of sudden excitement and without inquiring into the circumstances, inflict summary vengeance on the homicide, however guiltless, the law tolerated such an act; it was to…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 19:6

• Avenger of Blood
• Homicide
• Refuge

In the dictionaries

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• Assassination
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• Deuteronomy

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings