Deuteronomy 19:4 Komentář

The laws which Moses had hitherto been repeating and urging mostly concerned the acts of religion and devotion towards God; but here he comes more fully to press the duties of righteousness between man and man. This chapter relates, I. To the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" (Deu 19:1-13). II. To the eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal" (Deu 19:14). III. To the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," (Deu 19:15, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 19 This chapter contains an order to separate three cities of refuge in the land of Canaan, for such that killed a man unawares to flee to, of which those who were guilty of murder purposely were to have no benefit, Deu 19:1, a law is given against removing landmarks, Deu 19:14, and others concerning witnesses, that they should be more than one; be two, or three, Deu 19:15, and that a false witness, on conviction, should be punished, Deu 19:16.

And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live,.... It was not any slayer that might have protection in these cities, but such who were thus and thus circumstanced, or whose case was as follows: whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly; without intention, as the Targum of Jonathan, did not design it, but was done by him unawares: whom he hated not in time past; had never shown by words or deeds that he had any hatred of him or enmity to him three days ago; so that if there were no marks of hatred, or proofs of it three days before this happened, it was reckoned an accidental thing, and not done on purpose, as this phrase is usually interpreted; see Exo 21:29.

OF THE CITIES OF REFUGE. (Deu 19:1-13) Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land--Goelism, or the duty of the nearest kinsmen to avenge the death of a slaughtered relative, being the customary law of that age (as it still is among the Arabs and other people of the East), Moses incorporated it in an improved form with his legislative code. For the protection of the unintentional homicide, he provided certain cities of refuge--three had been destined for this purpose on the east of Jordan (Deu 4:41; Num 35:11); three were to be invested with the same privilege on the west of that river when Canaan should be conquered. in the midst of thy land--in such a position that they would be conspicuous and accessible, and equidistant from the extremities of the land and from each other.