Numbers 35:19

God's Word

The relative who can avenge the death must make sure a murderer is put to death. When he catches up with the murderer, he must kill him.

Cross References

Genesis 4:14

You have forced me off this land today. I have to hide from you and become a fugitive, a wanderer on the earth. Now anyone who finds me will kill me!”

2 Samuel 14:11

She said, “Your Majesty, please pray to the Lord your God in order to keep an avenger from doing more harm by destroying my son.” “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives,” he said, “not a hair on your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

2 Samuel 14:7

Then the entire family turned against me. They said, ‘Give us the man who killed his brother so that we can kill him because he took his brother’s life. We’re going to destroy the one who ⌞now⌟ would be the heir.’ In this way they wish to extinguish the ⌞one⌟ burning coal that is left for me. They will not let my husband’s name or descendants remain on the face of the earth.”

2 Samuel 3:27

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway as if to talk to him privately. There he stabbed Abner in the belly. Abner died because he spilled the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

2 Samuel 3:30

(Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

Numbers 35:12

These cities will be places of refuge from any relative who can avenge the death. So anyone accused of murder will not have to die until he has had a trial in front of the community.

Numbers 35:18

Or if any of you picks up a piece of wood as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death.

Numbers 35:20

If any of you kills someone you hate by shoving him or by deliberately throwing something at him,

Numbers 35:21

or if you beat your enemy to death with your bare hands, you must be put to death. You are a murderer. The relative who can avenge the death must kill you when he catches up with you, because you are a murderer.

Numbers 35:24

Then the community must use these rules in order to decide if you ⌞are innocent⌟ or if the dead person’s relative can avenge the death.

Numbers 35:27

If the relative who can avenge the death finds you outside the city of refuge and kills you, the relative is not guilty of murder.

Deuteronomy 19:12

If someone does this, the leaders of your city must send for that person. They must take him from that city and hand him over to the relative who has the authority to avenge the death. He must die.

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.

Joshua 20:3

Choose them so that anyone who unintentionally kills someone may run to them. They will be a place of refuge from any relative who can avenge the death.

Joshua 20:5

“ ‘If the relative who can avenge the death pursues him, the leaders must not hand him over to the relative because he didn’t intend to kill the other person. He didn’t even hate the person he killed.

Judges 8:19

Gideon replied, “They were my brothers, my mother’s sons. I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not have to kill you now.”