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Deuteronomy 19:12

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 19:12 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Deuteronomy 19:12 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 19

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three:
10that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
11But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally so that he dieth, and he flee into one of these cities;
12then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
14Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor`s landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it.
15One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
← Deuteronomy 19:11Deuteronomy 19:13 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, etc.] 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,…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“This and the next two chapters contain enactments designed to protect human life, and to impress its sanctity on Israel. In Deuteronomy 19:1-13 the directions respecting the preparation of the roads to the cities of refuge, the provision of additional cities in case of an extension of territory, and the intervention of the elders as representing the congregation, are unique to Deuteronomy and supplementary to the laws on the same subject given in the earlier books (compare the marginal reference). Deuteronomy 19:1, Deuteronomy 19:2 The three cities of refuge for the district east of Jordan had been already named. Moses now directs that when the territory on the west of Jordan had been…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Kg1 2:5, Kg1 2:6, Kg1 2:28-34 Deuteronomy 19:13”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 19 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification