Exodus 21:14

_HE THAT SMITETH A MAN, SO THAT HE DIE, SHALL BE SURELY PUT TO DEATH._ He that smiteth a man so that he die, shall be surely put to death. The preceding acts for protecting the rights and privileges of the poor and dependent are here succeeded by an enumeration of laws respecting the punishment of personal injuries, which in various forms and degrees of atrocity seem at this early stage of social life in Israel to have been painfully frequent. These regulations were founded on the lex Talionis, the principle of retributive justice; and cases are specified, marked by circumstances which, when properly investigated, might tend to modify or entirely restrain the application of that principle. A violent assault, which issued in the immediate or ultimate death of the injured party, involved the criminality of homicide, the penalty of which was death (see the note at Genesis 9:6

14._But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor_. He expresses the same thing in different ways; for although there is a wide difference between slaying a man presumptuously (32) and with guile, yet Moses applies them both to a willful murder; for by _guile _he means a wicked disposition to injure, and by the word _presumptuous _he designates a violent assault, when a man in hate wantonly falls upon another. And surely truculence, and violence, and all cruelty is presumptuous, (_superba_;) for unless a man despised his brother, he would not assail him as an enemy. Lest by overlooking murders they should defile the land, God commands that murderers should be torn away even from His altar, whereby He signifies that they are as unworthy of divine as of human aid. For, although the sanctity of the altar might afford an asylum for the protection of those who had transgressed through im...

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 the ungrateful and disobedient; and remember that God will certainly requite it, if they have ever cursed their parents, even in their hearts, or have lifted up their hands against them, except they repent, and flee for refuge to the Saviour. And let parents hence learn to be very careful in training up their children, setting them a good example, especially in the government of their passions, and in praying for them; taking heed not to provoke them to wrath. Through...

Verse Exodus 21:14. _THOU SHALT TAKE HIM FROM MINE ALTAR_] Before the cities of refuge were assigned, the altar of God was the common _asylum_....

There was no place of safety for the guilty murderer, not even the altar of Yahweh. Thus all superstitious notions connected with the right of sanctuary were excluded. Adonijah and Joab 1 Kings 1:50; 1 Kings 2:28 appear to have vainly trusted that the common feeling would protect them, if they took hold of the horns of the altar on which atonement with blood was made Leviticus 4:7. But for one who killed a man “at unawares,” that is, without intending to do it, the law afterward appointed places of refuge, Numbers 35:6; Deuteron

EXPOSITION THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT.—_Continued_. I. _Laws connected with the rights of persons_ (Exodus 21:1). The regulations of this section concern— 1. Slavery (Exodus 21:2); 2. Murder and other kinds of homicide (Exodus 21:12-2 and Exodus 21:20, Exodus 21:21); 3. Man-stealing ...

BUT IF A MAN COME PRESUMPTUOUSLY UPON HIS NEIGHBOUR, TO SLAY HIM WITH GUILE,.... That comes with malice in his heart, with wrath in his countenance, in a bold, daring, hostile manner, using all the art, cunning, and contrivance he can, to take away the life of his neighbour; no asylum, no refuge, not anything to screen him from justice is to be allowed him: hence, a messenger of the sanhedrim, or an executioner, one that inflicts the forty stripes, save one, or a physician, or one that chastises his son or scholar, under whose hands persons may die, do not come under this law; for though what they do they may do wilfully, yet not with guile, as Jarchi and others observe, not with an ill design, but for good: THOU SHALT TAKE HIM FROM MINE ALTAR, that he may die: that being the place which in early times criminals had recourse unto, Joab and others, as well as in later times, to secure th...

CHAPTER 21 DIFFERENT JUDGMENTS _ 1. Master and servant (Exodus 21:1)_ 2. Concerning injury to the person (Exodus 21:12) 3. Concerning property (Exodus 21:33) The Three Chapter s which follow the giving of the Ten Commandments give the practical application of the Decalogue in the daily life. The duties towards the fellowman are demonstrated in part. There are seven sections to these three Chapter s; each section contains ten precepts. The servant occupies the first place. He was to obtain his freedom for nothing after serving six years. In Deuteronomy we read that the master is commanded not to let him go empty-handed, but give him of his flock, his threshing floor and his winepress.

EXODUS 21:12 E. CAPITAL OFFENCES. This group, varying in form from the main body of the Judgments, is here regarded as a part of the smaller Book of the Covenant (p. 184). The punishment of murder was death (Exodus 21:12), inflicted in Israel, as elsewhere, according to the widespread custom of blood-revenge, by the next-of-kin as avenger of blood (2 Samuel 14:11). For accidental homicide, not distinguished in Homer from murder, a place of asylum, a sanctuary of special rank, was provided (Exodus 21:13, _cf._ Numbers 35:9 * P,...

GUILE... THOU. Figure of speech _Ellipsis_ (App-6); between these two words, supply: "and then seek refuge. Mine altar"....