Numbers 35:27
in Numbers 35and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; he shall not be guilty of blood,
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:
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This verse in Numbers 35
Commentary
5 notes on this verseIf the offender was ever caught struggling out of the borders of his city of refuge, or stealing home to his house again, he lost the benefit of his protection, and lay exposed to the avenger of blood; so those that are in Christ must abide in Christ, for it is at their peril if they forsake him and wander from him.
This site's exposition
come without the border of the city
on Numbers 35:26-28
Protection has a boundary and the manslayer keeps inside it or loses it, and John Gill reports the Jewish writers counting the measured suburbs as part of the refuge. Verse 28 states the term a second time within four verses, which is where the weight of the passage sits. What the death of the high priest gives back is named as well, the land of his possession, so the release restores property and not only liberty.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
How can we expect to be saved if we neglect the salvation, which is indeed a great salvation! Here is a great deal of good gospel couched under the type and figure of the cities of refuge; and to them the apostle seems to allude when he speaks of our fleeing for refuge to the hope set before is ( Heb. vi.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge,.... Without the suburbs, fields, and vineyards belonging to it: and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; being exasperated against him, and to avenge the blood of his relation on him: he shall not be guilty of blood; or be reckoned murderer, or die for it.
Our law allows an appeal to be brought against a murderer by the widow, or next heir, of the person murdered, yea, though the murderer have been acquitted upon an indictment; and, if the murderer be found guilty upon that appeal, execution shall be awarded at the suit of the appellant, who may properly be called the avenger of blood.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּמָצָ֤א | umatza' | and he will find | H4672 → | 455 times |
| אֹתוֹ֙ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| גֹּאֵ֣ל | goel | [the] avenger of | H1350 → | 104 times |
| הַדָּ֔ם | hadam | <the> blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
| מִח֕וּץ | michutz | from [the] outside | H2351 → | 164 times |
| לִגְב֖וּל | ligvul | of [the] border of | H1366 → | 240 times |
| עִ֣יר | ʾir | [the] city of | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| מִקְלָט֑וֹ | miklato | refuge his | H4733 → | 20 times |
| וְרָצַ֞ח | veratzach | and he will kill | H7523 → | 47 times |
| גֹּאֵ֤ל | goel | [the] avenger of | H1350 → | 104 times |
| הַדָּם֙ | hadam | <the> blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָ֣רֹצֵ֔חַ | harotzeach | the killer | H7523 → | 47 times |
| אֵ֥ין | ʾein | not | H369 → | 789 times |
| ל֖וֹ | lo | [will belong] to <the> him | ||
| דָּֽם׃ | dam | blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
וּמָצָ֤אand he will find
umatza'H4672 →455 times
אֹתוֹ֙<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
גֹּאֵ֣ל[the] avenger of
goelH1350 →104 times
הַדָּ֔ם<the> blood
hadamH1818 →360 times
מִח֕וּץfrom [the] outside
michutzH2351 →164 times
לִגְב֖וּלof [the] border of
ligvulH1366 →240 times
עִ֣יר[the] city of
ʾirH5892 →1090 times
מִקְלָט֑וֹrefuge his
miklatoH4733 →20 times
וְרָצַ֞חand he will kill
veratzachH7523 →47 times
גֹּאֵ֤ל[the] avenger of
goelH1350 →104 times
הַדָּם֙<the> blood
hadamH1818 →360 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָ֣רֹצֵ֔חַthe killer
harotzeachH7523 →47 times
אֵ֥יןnot
ʾeinH369 →789 times
ל֖וֹ[will belong] to <the> him
lo
דָּֽם׃blood
damH1818 →360 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 22:2If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:43
But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
- Matthew 6:19–20
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
- Matthew 24:43
Through
Deuteronomy 19:10Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
it leads to
- Isaiah 59:7
Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
- Proverbs 6:17
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
- Matthew 27:4–5
“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
- 2 Kings 24:4
and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.
- Deuteronomy 19:13
You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.
- Isaiah 59:7
Through
Deuteronomy 19:6Otherwise, 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…
it leads to
- Numbers 35:12
You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
- Numbers 35:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Numbers
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.