Text: Deuteronomy 19:1
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 21:12
Subject: motivation for law of asylum
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Exodus 21:12 establishes the basic homicide law—"Anyone who strikes a person and kills him must surely be put to death" (מוֹת יוּמָת, mot yumat)—and Deuteronomy 19:1 introduces the cities of refuge legislation that operationalizes the Exodus distinction between intentional murder and accidental killing. Exodus 21:13 briefly mentions that God will "appoint a place" (שָׂמְתִּי לְךָ מָקוֹם, samti lekha maqom) for the unintentional killer to flee, and Deuteronomy 19 develops this into a fully articulated system of three designated cities, with specific procedures for determining intent. The progression from Exodus's compact case law to Deuteronomy's institutional framework demonstrates how Israel's legal system matured to address the complexities of adjudicating homicide.