Jehovah further warned his people as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land: “And you must not pollute the land in which you are; because it is blood that pollutes the land, and for the land there may be no atonement respecting the blood that has been spilled upon it except by the blood of the one spilling it.” (Num. 35:33) So far-reaching was Jehovah’s provision for keeping the land free of pollution because of bloodguilt of its inhabitants that he even provided for instances where the murderer was not known. The loss of an innocent life should not be allowed to cause the ground to continue polluted.​—Deut. 21:1-9.

MERCY FOR THE UNINTENTIONAL SLAYER

8. (a) Why would there be no bloodguilt on the avenger of blood for taking the life of a manslayer? (b) Would there be bloodguilt on the avenger of blood if he took the life of an unintentional manslayer? How might the land have become polluted in such a circumstance?

⁸ If the avenger of blood were to overtake such a killer, then no bloodguilt would result from his execution of the murderer because, in fact, he would be making atonement for the innocent blood that would otherwise cause the land to be polluted. (Num. 35:33)