Deuteronomy 19:11

Deu 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:

Ver. 11. But if any man hate his neighbour.] As Cain did Abel, as Esau Jacob, as Absalom Amnon; as Dr Story did Queen Elizabeth, whom he cursed daily in his grace at board; {a} as Tyrone did the English, strangling some of his own men for no other reason but because they fed on English bread; howbeit he never spake of the queen but with honour; yea, the profane wretch styled himself cousin to God, enemy to all the world, and friend to the Queen of England. {b}

{a} A.D. 1567. - Ibid.

{b} Speed.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19:11 The Hebrew term rendered is hostile (literally is a hater) indicates a constant and long-standing hateful attitude, which constituted evidence that the killer was predisposed to commit a crime and therefore probably did it.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 11. If any man hate his neighbour] See Clarke on Ex 21:13.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11. But if any man hate his neighbour, etc.] The wilful murderer must not escape through the provision of protection for the innocent slayer.

and lie in wait] Cp. E, Exo_21:14. For mortally see Deu_19:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence,.... The Targum of Jonathan is,"the wise men of his city,''the sanhedrim, or court of judicature, or at least the civil magistrates of that city, to which such a murderer belonged, had a power to send to the city of refuge whither he was fled, and demand the delivering of him up to them, that his case might be tried before them, and it might appear whether he was a proper person to receive the benefit of the city of refuge or not, and if not, to pass sentence of death upon him, and see it executed as follows:

and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die; that is, after the examination and trial of him, and when he is found guilty, and sentence is passed upon him, then he was to be delivered into the hands of the avenger of blood, to be the executioner of that sentence.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

11-13. But if any man hate — The appointment of cities of refuge was a merciful provision for the security of those who unintentionally should shed blood. The usage in the time of Moses evidently was the carrying out rigorously the law of retaliation. But if life had been taken without malice this provision for cities of refuge afforded a place of escape from the avenger of blood. But they were not to be places of refuge for murderers. They were not to protect those who had slain their fellow-men through hatred or for gain. Such guilty ones were to be taken from the cities by the magistrates and given up to the avenger of blood. Human life was sacred among the Hebrews. We see how carefully it was protected, how stringent was the legislation. Moses made provision for the protection of property also.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 11-13. These cities, however, were not to be places of refuge for murderers, for those who from hatred and with wicked intent had slain others; if such fled to one of these cities, they were not to be suffered to remain there; the elders of their own city were to require them to be delivered up, that the avenger might put them to death. (Num_35:16-33, etc.) In the earlier legislation, it is enacted that the congregation shall judge in such matters, and that by their decision it should be determined in any case whether the person who had slain another was to be allowed to remain in a city of refuge or be delivered over to the avenger of blood. With this the ordinance here is not inconsistent; the elders were not to act as judges, but merely as magistrates, to apprehend the man and bring him to trial.

Vers. 11-13. Lex talionis.

The refuge provided by mercy is open to abuse. The perversity of man will poison the streams from the heavenly fountain. But in this city of peace none shall abide except those who have clean hands. False hopes are doomed to crushing disappointment. Even from the gate of heaven there is a back way to the prison-house of hell. The man of blood eventually destroys himself.

I HATRED IS INGENIOUS IN ACCOMPLISHING ITS NEFARIOUS ENDS. Hatred has an insatiable appetite. It drives a man in whom it dwells, as with a slave-master"s whip, to do its base behests. It robs him of his sleep at night, that he may lie in ambush for some innocent victim. All day long he is driven to most odious tasks by this spirit of mischief. Without interruption, hatred holds its busy conclave in the dark caverns of the soul, and presses into service every faculty of the man, until it has clutched its prey.

II THE MURDEROUS MAN FLATTERS HIMSELF THAT HE SHALL BE SAFE. He is conscious that vengeance is in store for him. No sooner is the deed done than cowardly fear seizes him. The righteousness of God has fleet-footed detectives in its service. Nevertheless, cunning falsehood comes to him as the devil"s comforter. Though his hands be stained through and through with blood, he will wear gloves of innocence, a mask of pretence. It were a nobler thing to brave the matter out, and defy all opposition. But this the sinner cannot do. He quails before the omniscient eye; and, however insecure the hiding-place, he cheats himself with the hope of escape. Guilty as his conscience affirms him to be, he seeks a place among the innocent. For the sinner no refuge can be found. The earth shall cast him out.

III THE POWER OF DEATH IS A SOVEREIGN FUNCTION OF THE STATE. "The elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence." Human life is too precious to be placed at the disposal of private revenge; therefore the chief province of the state politic is to protect life against violence. Unbiased natures are the only proper judges of right and wrong. Justice will speak only in the calm atmosphere of sincerity and truth. The representative power of the whole community is the only power which fully suffices to vindicate the claims of righteousness. This is God"s vicegerent upon the earth. Hence magistrates are described as "gods.

IV RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOBLER THAN PITY. There are circumstances in which Pity must not speak a time for her to be silent. "Thine eye shall not pity." There are some situations in which her presence would be out of place, her action injurious. But Righteousness must never be absent. The very atmosphere in God"s kingdom is penetrated with her vital breath. Her scepter is the scepter of God, and exerts a potent influence over every department of human life. Righteousness is the soul"s proper robe, and without it she can nowhere fitly appear. All true prosperity is the fruit of righteousness. It cannot go well with any nation, nor with any man, until guilt is put away. Even compassion for others must be a righteous compassion. D.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

his neighbor

Here "neighbor" means any person in general.

lies in wait for him

The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "hides and waits in order to kill him" or "plans to kill him" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

rises up against him

This is an idiom. AT: "attacks him" (See: Idiom)

mortally wounds him so that he dies

"hurts him so that he dies" or "and kills him"

must send and bring him back from there

"must send someone to get him and bring him back from the city that he escaped to"

turn him over

This is an idiom. AT: "give him over" (See: Idiom)

into the hand of the responsible relative

Here "the hand" represents the authority of someone. AT: "to the authority of the responsible relative" or "to the responsible relative" (See: Metonymy)

the responsible relative

This is the relative of the person who was killed. This relative is responsible for punishing the murderer.

he may die

"the murderer may die" or "the responsible relative may execute the murderer"

Your eye must not pity him

Here "your eye" represents the whole person. AT: "Do not show him mercy" or "Do not feel sorry for him" (See: Synecdoche)

you must eradicate the bloodguilt from Israel

Here "bloodguilt" represents the guilt for murdering an innocent person. AT: "you must execute the murderer so that the people of Israel will not be guilty for the death of an innocent person" (See: Metonymy)

from Israel

Here "Israel" refers to the people of Israel. (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

neighbor

die

elder

send

hand

Israel

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

וכי יהיה איש שנא לרעהו BUT IF A MAN HATE HIS FELLOW [AND LIE IN WAIT FOR HIM] — It is through his hatred that he comes to such a point as to “lie in wait for him”. From here they (the Rabbis) derived their statement: If a man transgresses a light command he will in the end transgress a weighty command; — because he transgressed the command (Leviticus 19:17) “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart”, he will in the end come to such a point as to shed blood. It is for this reason that it is stated here, apparently redundantly, “but if a man hate his fellow [and lie in wait for him]”, for it ought to have written only: “But if a man rise up and lie in wait for his fellow and smite him mortally” (Sifrei Devarim 186:2).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.