Exodus 21:12-14

Exodus 21:12-14

[12] He that smiteth  a man,  so that he die,  [13] And if a man lie not in wait,  but God  deliver  him into his hand;  then I will appoint  thee a place  whither he shall flee.  [14] But if a man  come presumptuously  upon his neighbour,  to slay  him with guile;  thou shalt take  him from mine altar,  that he may die. 

What does Exodus 21:12-14 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Torah upheld capital punishment for murder ( Exodus 21:12), which God commanded of Noah ( Genesis 9:6) and people in the Near East practiced from then on. It did not permit capital punishment in the case of manslaughter (unpremeditated murder, Exodus 21:13), which the Code of Hammurabi allowed. [1]
In the ancient East whoever sought sanctuary in a sacred place was safe from punishment even if he or she had deliberately murdered someone. The Torah removed that protection in the case of murder. God regarded the sanctity of human life greater than the sanctity of a place ( Exodus 21:4).