Numbers 35:12

35:12 And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community.

Numbers 35:21

35:21 or with enmity he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The avenger of blood must kill the murderer when he meets him.

Numbers 35:24

35:24 then the community must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these decisions.

Numbers 35:27

35:27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the town of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the slayer, he will not be guilty of blood,

Deuteronomy 19:6

19:6 Otherwise the blood avenger will chase after the killer in the heat of his anger, eventually overtake him, ¹  and kill him, ²  though this is not a capital case ³  since he did not hate him at the time of the accident.

Deuteronomy 19:12

19:12 The elders of his own city must send for him and remove him from there to deliver him over to the blood avenger ⁴  to die.

Joshua 20:3

20:3 Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; ⁵  these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood.

Joshua 20:5

20:5 When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the one who committed manslaughter, for he accidentally killed his fellow man without premeditation. ⁶ 

¹ tn Heb “and overtake him, for the road is long.”

² tn Heb “smite with respect to life,” that is, fatally.

³ tn Heb “no judgment of death.”

⁴ tn The גֹאֵל הַדָּם (go’el haddam, “avenger of blood”) would ordinarily be a member of the victim’s family who, after due process of law, was invited to initiate the process of execution (cf. Num 35:16-28). See R. Hubbard, NIDOTTE 1:789-94.

⁵ tn Heb “so that the one who kills, taking life accidentally without knowledge, may flee there.”

⁶ tn Heb “for without knowledge he killed his neighbor, and he was not hating him prior to that.”