Numbers 35 27

Numbers 35:27 kjv

And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

Numbers 35:27 nkjv

and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,

Numbers 35:27 niv

and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder.

Numbers 35:27 esv

and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.

Numbers 35:27 nlt

and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder.

Numbers 35 verses

Numbers 35 27 Meaning

Numbers 35:27 establishes a specific legal boundary for an unintentional manslayer within the Israelite community. If a person who has unintentionally caused the death of another flees to a designated city of refuge, their protection is conditional upon remaining within its boundaries. Should the kinsman avenger of the slain individual find the manslayer outside this city, the avenger is permitted by divine law to kill the manslayer without incurring any legal guilt for blood, thus bringing closure to the act of blood vengeance within a divinely sanctioned framework.

Numbers 35 27 Context

Numbers chapter 35 details the regulations for the Levitical cities, specifically focusing on the establishment and rules governing the cities of refuge. These cities served as places of asylum for individuals who had accidentally caused another's death, distinguishing between intentional murder and unintentional homicide. The chapter meticulously outlines the legal procedures to determine guilt, the roles of the congregation and judges, and the crucial function of the "avenger of blood." Verse 27, therefore, defines the exact conditions under which the "avenger of blood" is justified in taking the manslayer's life—namely, when the manslayer voluntarily steps outside the divinely ordained protective boundary of the city of refuge before the death of the High Priest. This law provided a crucial balance: it honored the cultural practice of blood vengeance (gaining the cooperation of powerful tribal kinship groups) while simultaneously mitigating its potential for unchecked retaliation, establishing a structured legal process, and safeguarding the life of an unintentional manslayer within the sacred boundaries.

Numbers 35 27 Word analysis

• and the avenger (וּמָצָא אֹתוֹ גֹּאֵל) - "u-matza oto goel":
  • וּמָצָא (u-matza): "And finds" or "and overtakes him." Implies discovery after leaving the safe zone.
  • אֹתוֹ (oto): "him" – referring to the manslayer.
  • גֹּאֵל (goel): "Redeemer," "vindicator," or "avenger." This term has broad theological significance, referring to one who rights a wrong, pays a price, or liberates. In this context, it is "goel haddam" – the "redeemer of blood," acting as a kinsman-vindicator for the murdered person. This individual, usually the nearest male relative, was traditionally responsible for executing vengeance, but God's law here channels and regulates that deep-seated cultural impulse.
• of blood (הַדָּם) - "haddām": "The blood." Signifies the life shed; the goel is one who restores justice for the spilt blood/life. This specifies the type of 'goel' involved – one concerned with avenging life taken.
• finds him (מִחוּץ לַעִיר) - "mi-chutz la-ir": "outside the city." This phrase defines the critical spatial boundary. Protection ceased immediately outside the appointed cities.
• of his refuge (מִקְלָטוֹ) - "miklato": "Of his refuge," "asylum," or "shelter." These were specifically designated sanctuary cities set apart for this purpose, providing a place of safety and due process. The suffix "to" emphasizes it as his designated refuge.
• and the avenger of blood (וְהִכָּה אֹתוֹ גֹּאֵל הַדָּם) - "ve-hikah oto goel haddam": "and strikes/kills him, the avenger of blood." This explicitly states the consequence: the kinsman-avenger then takes the manslayer's life.
• kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty (הָרֹצֵחַ וְאֵין לוֹ דָם) - "harôtsēach ve-ein lo dam":
  • הָרֹצֵחַ (harôtsēach): "The slayer," "the one who caused the death," or "the homicide." While "ratsach" can mean intentional murderer, here the context of accidental killing (vv. 22-23) makes it clear that it refers to the unintentional manslayer who has violated the conditions of his refuge.
  • וְאֵין לוֹ דָם (ve-ein lo dam): "and there is no blood to him" or "no blood-guilt to him." This crucial phrase signifies that the avenger's action is legally justified and sanctioned by God's law; no legal or moral culpability for murder attaches to the avenger under these circumstances.

Words-group analysis:

• "the avenger of blood" (גֹּאֵל הַדָּם): This phrase describes a highly regulated social and legal role unique to Israelite law, acting under divine principles rather than pure personal revenge. The avenger's action is only legitimate under specific, divinely ordained conditions, contrasting with unregulated tribal blood feuds prevalent in the Ancient Near East.
• "outside the city of his refuge" (מִחוּץ לַעִיר מִקְלָטוֹ): This geographical boundary symbolizes adherence to God's set parameters for safety and justice. Crossing it means stepping outside the sphere of divine protection and established legal order, thereby forfeiting the previously granted grace. It highlights that the manslayer’s protection was conditional.
• "he shall not be guilty of blood" (וְאֵין לוֹ דָם): This powerful declaration affirms divine endorsement of the avenger's action in this specific context. It transforms what might appear to be a personal act of vengeance into a lawful execution of justice according to God's decree, provided the stipulated conditions are met.

Numbers 35 27 Bonus section

The strict boundary emphasized in Numbers 35:27 underlines the principle that God's provisions for safety and redemption often come with conditions and require obedience to His appointed ways. Leaving the "city of refuge" in a spiritual sense could imply moving outside the protective parameters of God's covenant, exposing oneself to spiritual vulnerability and the consequences of sin. The temporary nature of the manslayer's protection (until the death of the High Priest) also offers a powerful foreshadowing. The death of the Old Covenant High Priest was required to release the manslayer from the bond of their refuge city, pointing forward to the ultimate and eternal refuge provided through the sacrificial death of the true High Priest, Jesus Christ. Through Christ's death, believers find complete and final absolution from sin and its penalty, an eternal refuge beyond any temporary physical boundary. This reflects God's justice that requires a penalty for shedding life, and also His mercy that provides a way of escape—both pointing ultimately to Christ.

Numbers 35 27 Commentary

Numbers 35:27 delineates the precise conditions under which the avenger of blood's traditional right to retaliate against a killer is permitted and justified under God's law. For the unintentional manslayer, the city of refuge served as a temporary haven, offering due process and protection from immediate, unmediated retribution. However, this divine mercy was conditional. By voluntarily leaving the confines of the city before the death of the High Priest (as specified in Num 35:28), the manslayer essentially abandoned the God-given sphere of protection, thereby nullifying the terms of their asylum. At this point, the law re-empowered the avenger of blood, making the killing of the manslayer outside the city not an act of murder by the avenger, but a divinely permitted act of justice, free from any subsequent "blood-guilt." This system reveals God's sophisticated jurisprudence, balancing the sanctity of life, the natural human drive for justice (via the "goel"), and the mitigation of chaos, by channeling a pre-existing social custom (blood vengeance) into a controlled, legally sanctioned process, preserving order and acknowledging a penalty even for unintentional death.