Avenger of Blood

Biblical Texts and Content

The term appears chiefly in passages dealing with the regulations for the cities of refuge, principally Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19, and Joshua 20.

• Numbers 35: The law distinguishes between one who kills a person intentionally and one who kills unintentionally. The avenger of blood himself puts the intentional murderer to death (Numbers 35:19, 21). One who kills unintentionally may flee to a city of refuge. The congregation judges between the two (Numbers 35:24), and no verdict is to rest on the testimony of a single witness (Numbers 35:30). The unintentional killer must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest then in office. If he leaves the city before that time, the avenger may kill him without incurring bloodguilt (Numbers 35:25-28).
• Deuteronomy 19: Israel is commanded to prepare the roads to the cities of refuge so that the avenger, in the heat of his anger, does not kill an innocent person. If an intentional murderer flees to a city of refuge, the elders of his city are to deliver him to the avenger (Deuteronomy 19:3-12).
• Joshua 20: After the entry into Canaan, six cities of refuge are designated: Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron (Kirjath-arba) west of the Jordan, and Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan east of the Jordan.
• 2 Samuel 14:11: The same Hebrew expression is used in the scene in which the woman of Tekoa pleads with David.

Background and Original Language

In the Hebrew phrase go'el haddam, the word go'el derives from the verb ga'al, meaning "to reclaim" or "to redeem." The same word is used of the kinsman-redeemer, who buys back a relative's land or person. The avenger is therefore understood as the closest blood relative, who acts on a kinsman's behalf to recover rights that have been lost.

In ancient Near Eastern societies, where state judicial systems were not yet established, it was customary for kinsmen to exact accountability for shed blood. Old Testament law did not abolish this custom. Instead, it restricted vengeance by distinguishing between intentional and unintentional killing, setting rules for trials and witnesses, and providing places of refuge. Two grounds are given together for these regulations: the accountability of anyone who sheds human blood (Genesis 9:6) and the conviction that blood defiles the land (Numbers 35:33).

Significance Across Scripture

The expression "avenger of blood" does not appear directly in the New Testament. The New Testament forbids personal revenge and teaches believers to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19). In the Christian interpretive tradition, the system of cities of refuge as a whole is often read as a type of Christ (a picture that foreshadows what is to come). In this connection the words of Hebrews 6:18, "who have fled for refuge," are frequently cited. Some interpreters also connect the provision that releases the fugitive only after the high priest's death with the death of Christ.

Interpretations and Points of Discussion

• Symbolism of the avenger: Typological preaching sometimes likens the avenger to the law or to the justice of God pursuing the sinner. This is not stated directly in the text but is an application made by interpreters, and some hold that such analogies should be handled with caution.
• Nature of the avenger: Scholars differ on whether the avenger was a private avenger or an executor recognized by the community.
• The signpost story: Sermons often relate that signposts reading "Refuge" stood along the roads to the cities of refuge. The biblical text says only that the roads were to be prepared. The signpost story is said to derive from later rabbinic Jewish tradition.