Exodus 21:13

Read in context

Exodus 21:11–15 · Berean Standard Bible

11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.

12 Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.

13 If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

14 But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

15 Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.

Hebrew words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Study Exodus 21:13

Read the commentary on Exodus 21

Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Numbers 35:11

designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

Numbers 35:22

But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,

Deuteronomy 19:4

Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:

Deuteronomy 19:5

If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

Deuteronomy 19:6

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.

Deuteronomy 19:11

If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,

Micah 7:2

The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net.

1 Samuel 24:4

So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’” Then David crept up secretly and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

1 Samuel 24:10

Behold, this day you have seen with your own eyes that the LORD delivered you into my hand in the cave. I was told to kill you, but I spared you and said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my lord, since he is the LORD’s anointed.’

1 Samuel 24:18

And you have shown this day how well you have dealt with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.

2 Samuel 16:10

But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’”

Isaiah 10:7

But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.

Deuteronomy 4:41

Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east

Deuteronomy 4:42

to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:

Deuteronomy 4:43

Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

Deuteronomy 19:1

When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

Deuteronomy 19:2

then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

Deuteronomy 19:3

You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.

Deuteronomy 19:9

and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

Joshua 20:2

“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

Joshua 20:3

so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

Joshua 20:4

When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.

Joshua 20:5

Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.

Joshua 20:6

He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”

Joshua 20:7

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Joshua 20:8

And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

Joshua 20:9

These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.