Bible Strands
Numbers 35:21
or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelite assembly to establish legal boundaries for homicide. He clarifies the distinction between the preceding verse by specifying that a fatal strike delivered with active hostility carries the same penalty as premeditated murder.
The words — אֵיבָה ('ei.Vah) translates to enmity or hostility, marking the deliberate intent behind the blow. יוּמַת (yu.Mat) means he will be put to death, establishing the mandatory capital consequence for the act.
The thread — This legal principle echoes in Exodus 21:12 and Deuteronomy 19:11-12, which similarly mandate capital punishment for intentional killing and authorize the avenger of blood to execute the murderer. The concept of blood guilt also appears in Genesis 9:6 and Psalm 106:38.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that criminal liability hinges on the presence of hostility, not merely the outcome. It demands a clear legal distinction between murder and manslaughter, ensuring that intentional violence is met with proportional state-sanctioned justice.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.