Numbers 35:20

The Message

“And if out of sheer hatred a man pushes another or from ambush throws something at him and he dies, or angrily hits him with his fist and kills him, that’s murder—he must be put to death. The avenger has a right to kill him when he gets him.

Cross References

Genesis 4:8

Cain had words with his brother. They were out in the field; Cain came at Abel his brother and killed him.

Proverbs 26:24

Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while plotting against you. When he speaks warmly to you, don’t believe him for a minute; he’s just waiting for the chance to rip you off. No matter how shrewdly he conceals his malice, eventually his evil will be exposed in public.

Proverbs 28:17

A murderer haunted by guilt is doomed—there’s no helping him.

Numbers 35:19

“In such cases the avenger has a right to kill the murderer when he meets him—he can kill him on the spot.

Deuteronomy 19:11

On the other hand, if a man with a history of hatred toward his neighbor waits in ambush, then jumps him, mauls and kills him, and then runs to one of these cities, that’s a different story. The elders of his own city are to send for him and have him brought back. They are to hand him over to the avenger of blood for execution. Don’t feel sorry for him. Clean out the pollution of wrongful murder from Israel so that you’ll be able to live well and breathe clean air. * * *

1 Samuel 20:1

David got out of Naioth in Ramah alive and went to Jonathan. “What do I do now? What wrong have I inflicted on your father that makes him so determined to kill me?”