Numbers 35:22

22 "But suppose you accidentally kill someone who wasn't your enemy. Maybe you shoved him or threw something at him but didn't mean to kill him.

Numbers 35:22 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 35:22

But if he thrust him suddenly, without enmity
Push him from a precipice, before he is aware, without any malicious design against his life, but merely through accident:

or have cast upon him anything;
from the top of a house, or from a building he is pulling down, or pushes a bowing wall upon him, not knowing that he is passing by it:

and without lying of wait:
or having contrived to do it, just as he goes along, or in any other similar way.

Numbers 35:22 In-Context

20 If any of you kills someone you hate by shoving him or by deliberately throwing something at him,

21 or if you beat your enemy to death with your bare hands, you must be put to death. You are a murderer. The relative who can avenge the death must kill you when he catches up with you, because you are a murderer.

22 "But suppose you accidentally kill someone who wasn't your enemy. Maybe you shoved him or threw something at him but didn't mean to kill him.

23 Or suppose you drop a big stone, and someone is killed. However, you didn't know the person was there, he wasn't your enemy, and you weren't trying to harm him.

24 Then the community must use these rules in order to decide if you [are innocent] or if the dead person's relative can avenge the death.