Deuteronomy 19:11-13
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The phrase "lies in wait" is crucial here, highlighting that this isn't a sudden, accidental act. It points to premeditation and a deep-seated hatred, setting this deliberate killer apart from someone who caused death unintentionally. This distinction is vital for understanding why such a person is not granted refuge in the cities.
“But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage sharpens the distinction between accidental killings and premeditated murder, contrasting with the previous verses about unintentional manslaughter. It describes a deliberate act of hatred, where someone plots to kill their neighbor and then flees to a city of refuge, but this refuge is not for those who kill with malice. The text makes it clear that the elders of that city are to deliver such a person to the avenger of blood, ensuring that no innocent blood is shed in the land due to malicious intent.
The cities of refuge were meant for those who caused death unintentionally. But what happens when someone intends to kill?
This verse draws a clear line between accidental manslaughter and willful murder. The key isn't just the death itself, but the heart behind the act.
The Steps of Intent
These actions paint a picture of a deliberate killer, someone whose heart was 'hot' with malice, not just with grief or shock. The cities of refuge offered no sanctuary for such cold-blooded violence.
The cities of refuge were a divine provision for safety. But were they a free pass for any killer?
Ask a follow-up
The cities of refuge were a remarkable act of mercy, designed to protect the innocent from the immediate wrath of blood vengeance. However, this protection was conditional and specific.
The Limits of Mercy
Understand the original words
sane' · Hebrew Verb
Refers to strong hostility, malice, or intentional enmity towards another person, often linked to the internal state of the heart that leads to sinful outward actions.
rea' · Hebrew Noun
Refers to an individual's fellow member of the covenant community, implying a responsibility to act with love, integrity, and justice towards them.
dam naqi · Hebrew Noun phrase
A state of blood-guilt incurred by the unlawful taking of a life, which pollutes the land and requires divine justice to rectify.
go'el haddam · Hebrew Noun phrase
The relative of a murder victim who has the social and legal duty to execute justice upon the killer, serving as a representative of divine retribution.
ba'ar · Hebrew Verb
The action of removing or clearing away impurity, sin, or moral evil from the community to maintain holiness and prevent divine judgment.
This passage immediately precedes the laws about cities of refuge, highlighting the distinction between accidental killing and premeditated murder, which is crucial for understanding Deuteronomy 19:11.
Numbers 35:16-18These verses explicitly define the types of murder that are not covered by the cities of refuge, reinforcing the idea that intentional malice, as described in Deuteronomy 19:11, disqualifies someone from seeking shelter.
Proverbs 6:16-19This passage lists 'hands that shed innocent blood' as something God hates, providing a broader theological context for the seriousness of taking a life with malice, as detailed in Deuteronomy 19:11.
1 John 3:15This New Testament passage echoes the Old Testament prohibition against murder by stating that anyone who hates a brother does not have eternal life, connecting the concept of hatred leading to death with spiritual consequences.
gillDeuteronomy 19:11: "But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:"
But if any man hate his neighbour,.... Has conceived enmity in his heart against him, bears him a mortal hatred, and has formed a scheme in his mind to take away his life: and lie in wait for him knowing and expecting he will come by in such a way at such a time: and rise up against him; out of the place where he lay i…
calvinDeuteronomy 19:1-13: "When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;"
As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
Quicunque abierit cum proximo suo in si…
The phrase "lies in wait" is crucial here, highlighting that this isn't a sudden, accidental act. It points to premeditation and a deep-seated hatred, setting this deliberate killer apart from someone who caused death unintentionally. This distinction is vital for understanding why such a person is not granted refuge in the cities.
This passage sharpens the distinction between accidental killings and premeditated murder, contrasting with the previous verses about unintentional manslaughter. It describes a deliberate act of hatred, where someone plots to kill their neighbor and then flees to a city of refuge, but this refuge is not for those who kill with malice. The text makes it clear that the elders of that city are to deliver such a person to the avenger of blood, ensuring that no innocent blood is shed in the land due to malicious intent.
This passage sharpens the distinction between accidental killings and premeditated murder, contrasting with the previous verses about unintentional manslaughter. It describes a deliberate act of hatred, where someone plots to kill their neighbor and then flees to a city of refuge, but this refuge is not for those who kill with malice. The text makes it clear that the elders of that city are to deliver such a person to the avenger of blood, ensuring that no innocent blood is shed in the land due to malicious intent.
"“But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to…" — The phrase "lies in wait" is crucial here, highlighting that this isn't a sudden, accidental act. It points to premeditation and a deep-seated hatred, setting this deliberate killer apart from someon…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
