Joshua 20:3
WEB
that the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
BSB
so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
KJV
That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H5127
v — flit, vanish
Derivation: a primitive root;
to flit, i.e. vanish away (subside, escape; causatively, chase, impel, deliver)
KJV: × abate, away, be displayed, (make to) flee (away, -ing), put to flight, × hide, lift up a standard.
vb — flee
נוּס 160 vb. flee, escape
Qal
1. flee
2. escape
3. take flight, depart, disappear
4. fly (to the attack) on horseback.
Po‛lel the breath of י׳ driveth at it, driveth it on
Hithpo‛l. in order to take flight before the bow
Hiph.
1. put to flight
2. drive hastily to a safe place
3. cause to disappear, hide
H8033
adv — there, then, thither, thence
Derivation: a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834);
there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence
KJV: in it, thence, there (-in, of, out), thither, whither.
adv — there
שָׁם adv. there, thither
H7523
v — dash, kill, murder
Derivation: a primitive root;
properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder
KJV: put to death, kill, (man-) slay(-er), murder(-er).
vb — murder
רָצַח vb. murder, slay
Qal murder, slay, with premeditation
Niph. I shall be slain
Pi. (intens.) murder, assassinate
Pu. ye murder
H5221
v — strike
Derivation: a primitive root;
to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)
KJV: beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), × go forward, × indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, × surely, wound.
vb — smite
[נָכָה] 501 vb. smite (not in Qal)
Niph. and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die
Pu. both be smitten down by the hail
Hiph.
1.
a. lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike
b. smite repeatedly, beat a man
c. and they clapped hands (in applause)
d. give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots
e. rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound
f. smite, of sun
2. Smite fatally
3. Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company
4. Of God
a. smite with a plague, disease, etc.
b. smite = chastise, or send judgment upon
c. of God’s destroying palaces
Hoph. be smitten
H5315
n-f — breathing creature, animal, vitality
Derivation: from 5314;
properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
KJV: any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, × dead(-ly), desire, × (dis-) contented, × fish, ghost, greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, × jeopardy of) life (× in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, slay, soul, tablet, they, thing, (× she) will, × would have it.
n.f — soul
נֶ֫פֶשׁ 756 n.f. soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion
1. = that which breathes, the breathing substance or being
2. The נפשׁ becomes a living being
3. The נפשׁ is specif.
4. The נפשׁ as the essential of man stands for the man himself
5. נפשׁ = seat of the appetites, in all periods (46 t.)
6. נ׳ = seat of emotions and passions
7. נפשׁ is used occasionally for mental acts
8. נפשׁ for acts of the will is dub.
9. נפשׁ = character is still more dub.
10. נ׳ in D
H7684
n-f — mistake, transgression
Derivation: from 7683;
a mistake or inadvertent transgression
KJV: error, ignorance, at unawares; unwittingly.
n.f — sin of error
שְׁגָגָה n.f. sin of error, inadvertence
H1097
np — failure, nothing, destruction, without, not yet, because not, as long as
Derivation: from 1086;
properly, failure, i.e. nothing or destruction; usually (with preposition) without, not yet, because not, as long as, etc.
KJV: corruption, ig(norantly), for lack of, where no...is, so that no, none, not, un(awares), without.
subst — wearing out
בְּלִי subst. wearing out, hence
1. fig. destruction
2. defect, failure, hence adv. of negation
H1847
n — knowledge
Derivation: from 3045;
knowledge
KJV: cunning, (ig-) norantly, know(-ledge), (un-) awares (wittingly).
n.f — knowledge
דַּ֫עַת n.f. knowledge
1.
a. knowledge, perception
b. = skill (in workmanship)
c. of proph. knowledge
d. esp. knowledge with moral quality
e. knowledge possessed by God
2. esp. in Wisd Lt = discernment, understanding, wisdom
H1961
v — exist, be, become, come to pass
Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.
vb — fall out
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
I.
1.
a. Fall out, happen
b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
a.
(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
II. Come into being, become
1.
a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
b. sq. prep.
2. become
a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
b. sq. pred. adj.
c. become like
d. sq. pred. לְ pers.
e. sq. לְ pred.
f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
g. with עַל and לְ
h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
1. exist, be in existence
2. abide, remain, continue
3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.
5. periphrastic conjug.
Niph.
1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass
2. be done, finished, gone
H4733
n-m — asylum, receptacle
Derivation: from 7038 in the sense of taking in;
an asylum (as a receptacle)
KJV: refuge.
n.[m.] — refuge
מִקְלָט n.[m.] refuge, asylum
H1350
v — redeem, be the next of kin, buy back, marry
Derivation: a primitive root,
to redeem (according to the Oriental law of kinship), i.e. to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative's property, marry his widow, etc.)
KJV: × in any wise, × at all, avenger, deliver, (do, perform the part of near, next) kinsfolk(-man), purchase, ransom, redeem(-er), revenger.
vb — redeem
גָּאַל vb. redeem, act as kinsman
Qal
1. act as kinsman, do the part of next of kin
2. redeem, by payment of value assessed
3. redeem, with God as subj. implying personal relationship
Niph
1. refl. redeem oneself
2. pass. be redeemed
H1818
n-m — blood, juice, bloodshed
Derivation: from 1826 (compare 119);
blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)
KJV: blood(-y, -guiltiness, (-thirsty), innocent.
n.m — blood
דָּם 300 n.m. blood
1. blood of man or animal
2. usually blood become visible
3. blood used with religious significance
4. fig. of wine
Bible49 app
Get translation compare, commentary, and interlinear study — offline, on iPhone and Mac.
See Bible49
Verses 1–6
Joshua 20:1–6
Many things were by the law of Moses ordered to be done when they came to Canaan and this among the rest, the appointing of sanctuaries for the protecting of those that were guilty of casual murder, which was a privilege to all Israel, since no man could be sure but some time or other it might be his own case; and it was for the interest of the land that the blood of an innocent person, whose hand only was guilty but not his heart, should not be shed, no, not by the avenger of blood: of this law, which was so much for their advantage, God here reminds them, that they might remind themselves of the other laws he had given them, which concerned his honour. 1. Orders are given for the appointing of these cities (Jos 20:2), and very seasonably at this time when the land was newly surveyed, and so they were the better able to divide the coasts of it into three parts, as God had directed them, in order to the more convenient situation of these cities of refuge, Deu 19:3. Yet it is probable that it was not done till after the Levites had their portion assigned them in the next chapter, because the cities of refuge were all to be Levites' cities. As soon as ever God had given them cities of rest, he bade them appoint cities of refuge, to which none of them knew but they might be glad to escape. Thus God provided, not only for their ease at all times, but for their safety in times of danger, and such times we must expect and prepare for in this world. And it intimates what God's spiritual Israel have and shall have, in Christ and heaven, not only rest to repose themselves in, but refuge to secure themselves in. And we cannot think these cities of refuge would have been so often and so much spoken of in the law of Moses, and have had so much care taken about them (when the intention of them might have been effectually answered, as it is in our law, by authorizing the courts of judgment to protect and acquit the manslayer in all those cases wherein he was to have privilege of sanctuary), if they were not designed to typify the relief which the gospel provides for poor penitent sinners, and their protection from the curse of the law and the wrath of God, in our Lord Jesus, to whom believers flee for refuge (Heb 6:18), and in whom they are found (Phi 3:9) as in a sanctuary, where they are privileged from arrests, and there is now no condemnation to them, Rom 8:1. 2. Instructions are given for the using of these cities. The laws in this matter we had before, Num 35:10, etc., where they were opened at large. (1.) It is supposed that a man might possibly kill a person, it might be his own child or dearest friend, unawares and unwittingly (Jos 20:3), not only whom he hated not, but whom he truly loved beforetime (Jos 20:5); for the way of man is not in himself. What reason have we to thank God who has kept us both from slaying and from being slain by accident! In this case, it is supposed that the relations of the person slain would demand the life of the slayer, as a satisfaction to that ancient law that whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. (2.) It is provided that if upon trial it appeared that the murder was done purely by accident, and not by design, either upon an old grudge or a sudden passion, then the slayer should be sheltered from the avenger of blood in any one of these cities, Jos 20:4-6. By this law he was entitled to a dwelling in that city, was taken into the care of the government of it, but was confined to it, as prisoner at large; only, if he survived the high priest, then, and not till then, he might return to his own city. And the Jews say, "If he died before the high priest in the city of his refuge and exile, and was buried there, yet, at the death of the high priest, his bones should be removed with respect to the place of his fathers' sepulchres."
Cross-references: Josh 20:2 · Deut 19:3 · Heb 6:18 · Phil 3:9 · Rom 8:1 · Num 35:10 · Josh 20:3 · Josh 20:5 · Josh 20:4