Numbers 35:31 kjv
Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
Numbers 35:31 nkjv
Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.
Numbers 35:31 niv
"?'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death.
Numbers 35:31 esv
Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.
Numbers 35:31 nlt
Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death.
Numbers 35 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 9:6 | "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed..." | Foundation for capital punishment. |
| Exod 21:12 | "Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death." | Legal mandate for murderers' execution. |
| Exod 21:14 | "...if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die." | Intentional killing demands death. |
| Lev 24:17 | "Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death." | Reinforces death penalty for murder. |
| Num 35:33-34 | "You shall not pollute the land in which you live... no atonement can be made... except by the blood of the one who shed it." | Murder defiles land; only murderer's blood atones. |
| Deut 19:11-13 | Details the pursuit and execution of a willful murderer, emphasizing removal of guilt. | No pity for the intentional murderer. |
| Deut 21:8-9 | Priests atoning for unpunished murder to cleanse the land from bloodguilt. | Unpunished murder defiles, needing cleansing. |
| Exod 23:8 | "You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the righteous." | Prohibits financial corruption in justice. |
| Deut 16:19 | "You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe..." | Justice must be unbiased, not swayed by money. |
| Prov 17:23 | "The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice." | Bribery leads to perversion of justice. |
| Isa 1:23 | "Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts..." | Societal corruption through bribes condemned. |
| Amos 5:12 | "for you afflict the righteous, take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate." | Bribery against the righteous condemned. |
| Rom 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Sin's consequence is death; Christ paid for sin. |
| Rom 5:8 | "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." | Christ's death as the divine 'payment' for sin. |
| Mark 10:45 | "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." | Christ as the ultimate divine "ransom." |
| 1 Tim 2:5-6 | "...and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all..." | Christ's perfect sacrifice is the only true ransom for sin. |
| Heb 9:22 | "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." | Principle of blood atonement (divinely provided). |
| 1 Pet 1:18-19 | "...you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ..." | Ransomed spiritually, not with money but Christ's blood. |
| Rom 12:19 | "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God..." | Vengeance belongs to God, fulfilled through justice. |
| Heb 10:30 | "For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay.'" | Divine prerogative of justice and repayment. |
| 2 Thess 1:6 | "since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you," | God's just repayment of wrongs. |
| Rev 13:10 | "...If anyone is to be captured, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain by the sword, by the sword must he be slain." | Poetic statement on consequences for actions. |
Numbers 35 verses
Numbers 35 31 Meaning
Numbers 35:31 unequivocally states that no compensation, payment, or atonement price shall be accepted for the life of an intentional murderer who has been proven guilty and is condemned to death. This divine decree mandates that a murderer must suffer the capital punishment without any possibility of substitution or financial buy-out. It underscores the sanctity of human life and the absolute nature of justice in cases of deliberate bloodshed, prohibiting any compromise that would allow a guilty murderer to evade the deserved penalty.
Numbers 35 31 Context
Numbers chapter 35 details the specific instructions regarding the allocation of cities for the Levites, including six designated cities of refuge. These cities served a crucial purpose in ancient Israelite law, providing asylum for those who had unintentionally killed another person, protecting them from the "avenger of blood" until their case could be judged. The chapter meticulously distinguishes between accidental homicide and intentional murder. Verse 30 stipulates that a murderer can only be condemned to death based on the testimony of multiple witnesses. Building upon this, verse 31 specifically addresses intentional murder, asserting that under no circumstances can a financial payment or "ransom" be accepted to spare the life of a proven murderer. This law emphasizes that justice for intentional murder is not negotiable and prevents any social or economic privilege from undermining the principle that human life, created in God's image, is supremely valuable and demands full accountability when unjustly taken. The broader context is the Israelites' impending entry into the Promised Land, necessitating clear laws to govern their new society and maintain its ritual and moral purity, as intentional bloodshed would defile the land (Num 35:33-34).
Numbers 35 31 Word analysis
- Moreover: (Hebrew: וְלֹא, ve·lo) An introductory conjunction that connects this prohibition to the preceding legal discussion, particularly the previous verses dealing with cities of refuge and capital punishment. It signifies a continuation and a strong, non-negotiable addition to the legal framework concerning homicide.
- you shall take: (Hebrew: תִקְחוּ, tikḥū) Imperfect verb, second person plural, implying a command given to the collective Israelites, particularly their legal authorities and judges. It mandates active non-acceptance of ransom.
- no: (Hebrew: לֹא, loʾ) A strong negation. This indicates an absolute prohibition.
- ransom: (Hebrew: כֹּפֶר, kōp̄er) This term refers to a "price of atonement," "ransom," "propitiation," or "bribe." Derived from the root kaphar (to cover, atone), it signifies a payment or substitution made to avert a penalty or wrath. In this specific context, the prohibition on kōp̄er means that no monetary or any other form of substitution is permissible to save a murderer's life from the decreed penalty. This is critically different from atonement for sin (Leviticus, for example), or the price paid for damages or unintentional offenses in other contexts; here, for murder, no human-initiated payment can circumvent justice.
- for the life of a murderer: (Hebrew: נֶפֶשׁ רוֹצֵחַ, nepeš rōṣeaḥ)
- life: (Hebrew: נֶפֶשׁ, nepeš) Often translated as "soul," "person," or "life itself." It signifies the vital principle of a being. The ransom is for the very existence or life of the guilty person.
- murderer: (Hebrew: רוֹצֵחַ, rōṣeaḥ) This specific term is used throughout Numbers 35 and distinguishes a pre-meditated, intentional killer from one who committed accidental manslaughter. The law targets only the deliberate killer.
- who is guilty of death: (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר הוּא רָשָׁע לָמוּת, ʾašer hû rāšāʿ lāmûṯ) Literally, "who he is wicked unto death." This phrase signifies someone who is legally condemned or liable for the death penalty due to their wickedness. It underscores that the individual's guilt has been legally established.
- but he shall be surely put to death: (Hebrew: כִּי מוֹת יוּמָת, kî mōṯ yūmāṯ)
- but he shall be surely: (Hebrew: כִּי, kî) "Indeed," "for," emphasizing certainty.
- put to death: (Hebrew: מוֹת יוּמָת, mōṯ yūmāṯ) This is a powerful Hebrew idiomatic expression using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect verb. It translates to "dying, he shall die" or "he shall surely, truly, certainly be put to death." This strong construction conveys absolute certainty, inevitability, and divine imperative, removing any ambiguity regarding the finality of the sentence.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer": This phrase directly forbids any attempt to financially or otherwise mitigate the death sentence for intentional homicide. It prevents a two-tiered system of justice where the wealthy could buy their way out of punishment for the gravest crime. It emphasizes that human life's value is non-negotiable and not subject to market price. This stood in stark contrast to some ancient Near Eastern legal codes where compensation for homicide was sometimes permitted.
- "who is guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death": This section clarifies the murderer's status and reaffirms the mandatory capital punishment. The legal process must establish clear guilt. Once established, the penalty is absolute, leaving no room for leniency or alternative punishments. The dual emphasis (guilty of death + surely put to death) reinforces the divine command for impartial justice and highlights the unique gravity of shedding innocent blood, which demands a reciprocal forfeiture of the murderer's own life to cleanse the defilement from the land.
Numbers 35 31 Bonus section
This prohibition serves several crucial purposes beyond mere punishment. Firstly, it ensured equity and fairness in the Israelite justice system, preventing a situation where the wealthy could commit murder with relative impunity while the poor faced strict judgment. This upheld the principle of "justice for all," regardless of socio-economic status. Secondly, it emphasized the sacredness of human life. By mandating that no man-made substitute could pay for murder, it declared that life, once intentionally taken, required the highest form of recompense possible under human law – the murderer's own life. This wasn't merely about retribution, but about cleansing the land from bloodguilt, which could bring divine wrath upon the entire community. It illustrates that certain offenses against God's order, particularly the deliberate destruction of life created in His image, demand a severe and direct consequence that cannot be negotiated away.
Numbers 35 31 Commentary
Numbers 35:31 stands as a profound declaration of divine justice, safeguarding the sanctity of human life. It asserts that for the most grievous of crimes – intentional murder – there can be no substitute for the penalty of death. The prohibition against accepting "ransom" (kōp̄er) ensures that wealth or status cannot protect a guilty murderer from facing the full consequences of their action. This absolute command reveals God's unyielding standard for justice; the taking of innocent human life, made in His image (Gen 9:6), is so heinous that it defiles the land (Num 35:33). Such defilement can only be expunged by the shedding of the murderer's own blood. This law highlights a key theological truth: while atonement through sacrifice (e.g., in the tabernacle rituals) could address many sins, for deliberate bloodshed, the justice system demanded a non-transferable payment: the murderer's own life. This prevents arbitrary justice and upholds the equal value of all lives before God.