Deuteronomy 19:5
New International Version
For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.

New Living Translation
For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety.

English Standard Version
as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live,

Berean Standard Bible
If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

King James Bible
As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

New King James Version
as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live;

New American Standard Bible
as when a person goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live.

NASB 1995
as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies— he may flee to one of these cities and live;

NASB 1977
as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live;

Legacy Standard Bible
as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live;

Amplified Bible
as [for example] when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, but the iron head slips off the wooden handle and hits his companion and he dies—the offender may escape to one of these cities and live;

Christian Standard Bible
If, for example, he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, that person may flee to one of these cities and live.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, that person may flee to one of these cities and live.

American Standard Version
as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, so that he dieth; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he who will enter the woods with his companion to cut trees and will raise his hand with an axe to cut wood and the iron will slip off from the wood and it will strike his companion and he will die, this one shall escape into one of these towns and he will live:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And whosoever shall enter with his neighbour into the thicket, to gather wood, if the hand of him that cuts wood with the axe should be violently shaken, and the axe head falling off from the handle should light on his neighbour, and he should die, he shall flee to one of these cities, and live.

Contemporary English Version
For example, suppose you and a friend go into the forest to cut wood. You are chopping down a tree with an ax, when the ax head slips off the handle, hits your friend, and kills him. You can run to one of the Safe Towns and save your life.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But to have gone with him to the wood to hew wood, and in cutting down the tree the axe slipped out of his hand, and the iron slipping from the handle struck his friend, and killed him: he shall flee to one of the cities aforesaid, and live:

English Revised Version
as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Suppose two people go into the woods to cut wood. As one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head flies off the handle, hits, and kills the other person. The one who accidentally killed the other person may run to one of these cities and save his life.

Good News Translation
For example, if two of you go into the forest together to cut wood and if, as one of you is chopping down a tree, the ax head comes off the handle and kills the other, you can run to one of those three cities and be safe.

International Standard Version
For instance, he may have accompanied his friend to go to a forest to cut trees. Then he swung his axe to cut some wood, but the ax head flew off the handle and hit his friend, so that he died. The killer may flee to one of these cities to live.

JPS Tanakh 1917
as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live;

Literal Standard Version
even he who comes into a forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand has driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron has slipped from the wood, and has met his neighbor, and he has died—he flees to one of these cities, and has lived,

Majority Standard Bible
If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

New American Bible
For example, if someone goes with a neighbor to a forest to cut wood, wielding an ax to cut down a tree, and its head flies off the handle and hits the neighbor a mortal blow, such a person may take refuge in one of these cities and live.

NET Bible
Suppose he goes with someone else to the forest to cut wood and when he raises the ax to cut the tree, the ax head flies loose from the handle and strikes his fellow worker so hard that he dies. The person responsible may then flee to one of these cities to save himself.

New Revised Standard Version
Suppose someone goes into the forest with another to cut wood, and when one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head slips from the handle and strikes the other person who then dies; the killer may flee to one of these cities and live.

New Heart English Bible
as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities and live:

Webster's Bible Translation
As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand maketh a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and falleth upon his neighbor, that he dieth: he shall flee to one of these cities, and live:

World English Bible
as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood and his hand swings the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and hits his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live.

Young's Literal Translation
even he who cometh in with his neighbour into a forest to hew wood, and his hand hath driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron hath slipped from the wood, and hath met his neighbour, and he hath died -- he doth flee unto one of these cities, and hath lived,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Cities of Refuge
4Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: 5If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life. 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 intend any harm.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 19:4
Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:

Deuteronomy 19:6
Otherwise, 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 intend any harm.


Treasury of Scripture

As when a man goes into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the helve, and lights on his neighbor, that he die; he shall flee to one of those cities, and live:

head [heb] iron

2 Kings 6:5-7
But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed…

helve [heb] wood

Numbers 35:25
And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.

Proverbs 27:12
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Isaiah 32:2
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Jump to Previous
Ax Axe Chop Cities Cut Die Dies Dieth Hand Handle Head Hew Lights Maketh Neighbor Slippeth Slips Stroke Tree Wood
Jump to Next
Ax Axe Chop Cities Cut Die Dies Dieth Hand Handle Head Hew Lights Maketh Neighbor Slippeth Slips Stroke Tree Wood
Deuteronomy 19
1. The cities of refuge
4. The privilege thereof for the manslayer
14. The landmark is not to be removed
15. At least two witnesses are required
16. the punishment of a false witness
















Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
וַאֲשֶׁר֩ (wa·’ă·šer)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

he goes
יָבֹ֨א (yā·ḇō)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

into the forest
בַיַּעַר֮ (ḇay·ya·‘ar)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3293: A copse of bushes, a forest, honey in the comb

with
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

his neighbor
רֵעֵ֥הוּ (rê·‘ê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

to cut
לַחְטֹ֣ב (laḥ·ṭōḇ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2404: To cut or gather wood

timber
עֵצִים֒ (‘ê·ṣîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

and swings
וְנִדְּחָ֨ה (wə·nid·də·ḥāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5080: To impel, thrust, banish

his ax
בַגַּרְזֶן֙ (ḇag·gar·zen)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1631: An axe

to chop down
לִכְרֹ֣ת (liḵ·rōṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

a tree,
הָעֵ֔ץ (hā·‘êṣ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

but the blade flies off
וְנָשַׁ֤ל (wə·nā·šal)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5394: To slip or drop off, draw off, clear away

the handle
הָעֵ֔ץ (hā·‘êṣ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

and strikes
וּמָצָ֥א (ū·mā·ṣā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

and kills
וָמֵ֑ת (wā·mêṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

his neighbor,
רֵעֵ֖הוּ (rê·‘ê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

he
ה֗וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

may flee
יָנ֛וּס (yā·nūs)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5127: To flit, vanish away

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

one
אַחַ֥ת (’a·ḥaṯ)
Number - feminine singular construct
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of these
הָאֵ֖לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

cities
הֶעָרִים־ (he·‘ā·rîm-)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5892: Excitement

to save his life.
וָחָֽי׃ (wā·ḥāy)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2425: To live, to revive


Links
Deuteronomy 19:5 NIV
Deuteronomy 19:5 NLT
Deuteronomy 19:5 ESV
Deuteronomy 19:5 NASB
Deuteronomy 19:5 KJV

Deuteronomy 19:5 BibleApps.com
Deuteronomy 19:5 Biblia Paralela
Deuteronomy 19:5 Chinese Bible
Deuteronomy 19:5 French Bible
Deuteronomy 19:5 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Deuteronomy 19:5 As when a man goes into (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 19:4
Top of Page
Top of Page