Deuteronomy 19:5

God's Word

Suppose two people go into the woods to cut wood. As one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head flies off the handle, hits, and kills the other person. The one who accidentally killed the other person may run to one of these cities and save his life.

Cross References

2 Kings 6:4

So he went with them. They came to the Jordan River and began to cut down trees.

Proverbs 27:12

Sensible people foresee trouble and hide. Gullible people go ahead ⌞and⌟ suffer.

Isaiah 32:2

Then each ruler will be like a shelter from the wind and a hiding place from the rain. They will be like streams on parched ground and the shade of a large rock in a weary land.

Numbers 35:25

⌞If you are innocent,⌟ the community must protect you from that relative. They must take you back to the city of refuge you fled to. You must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

Deuteronomy 19:4

A person who unintentionally kills someone he never hated in the past may run to one of these cities to save his life.

Deuteronomy 19:6

Otherwise, in a rage the relative who has the authority to avenge the death will pursue him. If the place is too far away, the relative may catch up with him and take his life even though he didn’t deserve the death penalty, because in the past he never hated the person he killed.