Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 19:12
Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
12. the elders of his city, etc.] It is not said who are to judge if wilful murder has been committed (for this see Jos 20:4-9), but the elders of the murderer’s town are responsible for his delivery into the hands of the avenger; it is assumed that they are satisfied as to his guilt. The control of the old custom in which the punishment of a murderer was a family duty is in the hands of the public authorities. This is not without analogies among the Semitic nomads (Musil, Ethn. Ber. 361 ff.). Elders also appear in Deu 21:2 ff, Deu 21:6; Deu 21:19 f., Deu 22:15-18, Deu 25:7-9, with judicial or executive functions. On their relations to the judges see on Deu 16:18. Doughty (II. 368) mentions a case of murder at Aneyza, where the father was commanded by the Emir and elders to slay the murderess and declined, whereupon she was executed by the public authorities.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The elders of his city; either of the slain person, who were most likely to prosecute the murderer; or of the murderer, because God would oblige even his own fellow citizens to prosecute him to death, that it might appear how hateful murder and the murderer is to God, and ought to be to all men.
Fetch him thence; demand him of the elders of the city of refuge, who upon the hearing of the cause and the evidence of the murder were obliged to deliver the offender to justice.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence,…. The Targum of Jonathan is,
“the wise men of his city,”
the sanhedrim, or court of judicature, or at least the civil magistrates of that city, to which such a murderer belonged, had a power to send to the city of refuge whither he was fled, and demand the delivering of him up to them, that his case might be tried before them, and it might appear whether he was a proper person to receive the benefit of the city of refuge or not, and if not, to pass sentence of death upon him, and see it executed as follows:
and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die; that is, after the examination and trial of him, and when he is found guilty, and sentence is passed upon him, then he was to be delivered into the hands of the avenger of blood, to be the executioner of that sentence.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Deu 19:12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Ver. 12. And fetch him thence. ] From the altar to the halter, from the palace to the gallows. Pro 28:17
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
blood = murder. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6. Compare Deu 19:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
1Ki 2:5, 1Ki 2:6, 1Ki 2:28-34
Reciprocal: Lev 24:17 – And he Num 35:12 – until he stand Num 35:19 – General Deu 21:9 – shalt thou Deu 27:24 – General 2Sa 14:7 – the whole 1Ki 2:31 – that thou
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Deu 19:12. The elders of his city The city of the manslayer. The sense is, that upon any information or suspicion of murder, laid against any one that had taken refuge in any of these cities, the magistrates of the town or district where the fact was committed, should send for the person out of the refuge-city, bring him to a fair trial, and, upon clear evidence of wilful murder, condemn him to death, and cause execution to be done without fear, partiality, or affection; as they valued the divine blessing, and desired to be free of the guilt of innocent blood, which otherwise would be required at their hands.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:12 Then the {f} elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
(f) The magistrates.