Cities of Sanctuary

Reading:   Deuteronomy 19

So what happens when someone dies at the hand of another but no malice was involved and it was, in fact, quite accidental.  Cities of sanctuary were created for individuals caught up in this type of scenario.  The slayer could flee to a sanctuary and remain there without fear of retribution.  I love how this is explained in scripture because I could not help but immediately start thinking of other scenarios of accidental homicide that would also sound great in biblical verse; first the real scenario...

DEUTERONOMY 19:4-6

4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; 

5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: 

6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 

Isn't verse five a fantastic literary gold nugget.  Here are a few more that could also fit within the category of accidental homicide thereby allowing the slayer to seek asylum in a sanctuary city...

As when a man walketh toward his neighbor who beareth mutniks and in haste finds foot fault in the earth and falleth forward toward his neighbor.  Unable to halteth his descend the man impaleth himself through the neck upon the staves of bread and weiner.  The neighbor shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

As when a woman shalt mistaken hemlock for parsley and poison the luncheon of her husband in err that he dieth.  The woman shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

As when a child might cause a hole to be digged and a snare to be rigged that he might capture a brace of conies and at even a stranger passeth through the region and steppeth in the hole and becometh ensnared and unable to find freedom that a wild packeth of hounds seeketh him out in the darkness of the even and consumeth his very being.  The child shall flee unto one of the cities, and live:

Man, this is fun but alas, I must away...It's nice to have a light-hearted blog now and again isn't it?

~Kipling