Discovery BoxNumbers 19:16 
Context19:16 And whoever touches the body of someone killed with a sword in the open fields, 1 or the body of someone who died of natural causes, 2 or a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean seven days. 3
Numbers 35:30
Context35:30 “Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be put to death by the testimony 4 of witnesses; but one witness cannot 5 testify against any person to cause him to be put to death.
1 tn The expression for “in the open field” is literally “upon the face of the field” (עַל־פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה, ’al pÿne hassadeh). This ruling is in contrast now to what was contacted in the tent.
2 tn Heb “a dead body”; but in contrast to the person killed with a sword, this must refer to someone who died of natural causes.
3 sn See Matt 23:27 and Acts 23:3 for application of this by the time of Jesus.
4 tn Heb “ at the mouth of”; the metonymy stresses it is at their report.
5 tn The verb should be given the nuance of imperfect of potentiality.
