King James Version

Numbers 35:11

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.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

וְהִקְרִיתֶ֤םvehiqritemand floorקָרָהconjunction, verb, hiphil, sequential perfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “and floor”, a completed action in a sequenceH7136to light upon (chiefly by accident); causatively, to bring about; specifically, to impose timbers (for roof or floor)appoint, lay (make) beams, befall, bring, come (to pass unto), floor, (hap) was, happen (unto), meet, send good speed.לָכֶם֙lakhemtoלָכֶם֙preposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “to”toעָרִ֔יםarimcityעִירnoun, common, feminine, plural, absolute — “city”, the ordinary formH5892a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.עָרֵ֥יarecityעִירnoun, common, feminine, plural, construct — “city”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5892a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.מִקְלָ֖טmiqlatrefugeמִקְלָטnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “refuge”, the ordinary formH4733an asylum (as a receptacle)refuge.תִּהְיֶ֣ינָהtihyeynahbeהָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, plural — “be”, an unfinished actionH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.לָכֶ֑םlakhemtoלָכֶ֑םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “to”toוְנָ֥סvenasand awayנוּסconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and away”, a completed action in a sequenceH5127to flit, i.e. vanish away (subside, escape; causatively, chase, impel, deliver)[idiom] abate, away, be displayed, (make to) flee (away, -ing), put to flight, [idiom] hide, lift up a standard.שָׁ֨מָּה֙shamahthereשָׁםadverb, directional ending — “there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.רֹצֵ֔חַrotsechamurderרָצַחverb, qal, participle, absolute — “murder”, a verb used as a describing wordH7523properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murderput to death, kill, (man-) slay(-er), murder(-er).מַכֵּהmakehstrikeנָכָהverb, hiphil, participle, construct — “strike”, a verb used as a describing wordH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.נֶ֖פֶשׁnefeshcreatureנֶפֶשׁnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “creature”, the ordinary formH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…בִּשְׁגָגָֽהbishgagahin errorשְׁגָגָהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “in error”, the ordinary formH7684a mistake or inadvertent transgressionerror, ignorance, at unawares; unwittingly.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.

Young’s Literal Translation

and have prepared to yourselves cities — cities of refuge they are to you — then fled thither hath a man-slayer, smiting a person unawares,

World English Bible

then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

Darby Translation

then ye shall appoint for yourselves cities: cities of refuge shall they be for you; that a manslayer may flee thither, who without intent smiteth a person mortally.

Douay-Rheims

Determine what cities shall be for the refuge of fugitives, who have shed blood against their will.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And ye shall appoint to yourselves cities: they shall be to you cities of refuge for the slayer to flee to, every one who has killed another unintentionally.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ διαστελεῖτε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς πόλεις· φυγαδευτήρια ἔσται ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἐκεῖ τὸν φονευτὴν, πᾶς ὁ πατάξας ψυχὴν ἀκουσίως.