Exodus 21 · Verse 13

Exodus 21:13

And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
Exodus 21:13, King James Version

Exodus 21:13 in other translations

BSBIf, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
WEBbut not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.
ASVAnd if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
YLTas to him who hath not laid wait, and God hath brought to his hand, I have even set for thee a place whither he doth flee.
DARBYBut if he have not lain in wait, and God have delivered him into his hand, I will appoint thee a place to which he shall flee.
BBEBut if he had no evil purpose against him, and God gave him into his hand, I will give you a place to which he may go in flight.
WebsterAnd if a man shall not lie in wait, but God shall deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.

What does Exodus 21:13 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 13 I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee - From the earliest times the nearest akin had a right to revenge the murder of his relation, and as this right was universally acknowledged, no law was ever made on the subject; but as this might be abused, and a person who had killed another accidentally, having had no previous malice against him, might be put to death by the avenger of blood, as the nearest kinsman was termed, therefore God provided the cities of refuge to which the accidental manslayer might flee till the affair was inquired into, and settled by the civil magistrate.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 21:12-21

God, who by his providence gives and maintains life, by his law protects it. A wilful murderer shall be taken even from God's altar. But God provided cities of refuge to protect those whose unhappiness it was, and not their fault, to cause the death of another; for such as by accident, when a man is doing a lawful act, without intent of hurt, happens to kill another. Let children hear the sentence of God's word upon…

Read the full comment on Exodus 21:12-21 →

Exodus 21:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַאֲשֶׁר֙va.'a.Sherand thatH834
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
צָדָ֔הtza.Dahhe was lying in waitH6658
וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖יםve.ha.'E.lo.Himand <the> GodH430
אִנָּ֣ה'i.Nahhe allowed to happenH579
לְיָד֑וֹle.ya.Doto hand hisH3027
וְשַׂמְתִּ֤יve.sam.Tiand I will designateH7760
לְךָ֙le.Khafor <the> you
מָק֔וֹםma.Koma placeH4725
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhereH834
יָנ֖וּסya.Nushe will fleeH5127
שָֽׁמָּה\׃\ \סSha.mahthere <towards>H8033

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 21:13

  • Joshua 20:2-9

    Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. …

  • 1 Samuel 24:18

    And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.

  • Deuteronomy 19:1-13

    When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; …

  • Deuteronomy 4:41-43

    Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.

  • 1 Samuel 24:10

    Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.

  • 1 Samuel 24:4

    And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.

  • Numbers 35:10-34

    Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge. …

  • 2 Samuel 16:10

    And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?

  • Micah 7:2

    The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

  • Isaiah 10:7

    Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
lie not.
Nu 35:11,22; De 19:4-6,11; Mic 7:2
God.
1Sa 24:4,10,18; 2Sa 16:10; Isa 10:7
I will appoint.
Nu 35:11; De 4:41-43; 19:1-3,9; Jos 20:2-9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 21:12

    He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

  • Exodus 21:13

    And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.

  • Exodus 21:14

    But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

Read all of Exodus 21

Exodus 21:13 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas el que no armó asechanzas, sino que Dios lo puso en sus manos, entonces yo te señalaré lugar al cual ha de huir.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mais s’il ne lui a pas dressé d’embûche, et que Dieu l’ait fait tomber sous ses mains, je t’établirai un lieu où il s’enfuira.
German
Elberfelder 1871		hat er ihm aber nicht nachgestellt, und Gott hat es seiner Hand begegnen lassen, so werde ich dir einen Ort bestimmen, wohin er fliehen soll.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Qui autem non est insidiatus, sed Deus illum tradidit in manus ejus, constituam tibi locum in quem fugere debeat.