Commentary for Sanhedrin 9:1

וְאֵלּוּ הֵן הַנִּשְׂרָפִין, הַבָּא עַל אִשָּׁה וּבִתָּהּ, וּבַת כֹּהֵן שֶׁזִּנְּתָה. יֵשׁ בִּכְלָל אִשָּׁה וּבִתָּהּ, בִּתּוֹ, וּבַת בִּתּוֹ, וּבַת בְּנוֹ, וּבַת אִשְׁתּוֹ, וּבַת בִּתָּהּ, וּבַת בְּנָהּ, חֲמוֹתוֹ, וְאֵם חֲמוֹתוֹ, וְאֵם חָמִיו. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן הַנֶּהֱרָגִים, הָרוֹצֵחַ וְאַנְשֵׁי עִיר הַנִּדָּחַת. רוֹצֵחַ שֶׁהִכָּה אֶת רֵעֵהוּ בְאֶבֶן אוֹ בְבַרְזֶל, וְכָבַשׁ עָלָיו לְתוֹךְ הַמַּיִם אוֹ לְתוֹךְ הָאוּר וְאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲלוֹת מִשָּׁם, וָמֵת, חַיָּב. דְּחָפוֹ לְתוֹךְ הַמַּיִם אוֹ לְתוֹךְ הָאוּר וְיָכוֹל לַעֲלוֹת מִשָּׁם, וָמֵת, פָּטוּר. שִׁסָּה בוֹ אֶת הַכֶּלֶב, שִׁסָּה בוֹ אֶת הַנָּחָשׁ, פָּטוּר. הִשִּׁיךְ בּוֹ אֶת הַנָּחָשׁ, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מְחַיֵּב, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין. הַמַּכֶּה אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ בֵּין בְּאֶבֶן בֵּין בְּאֶגְרוֹף וַאֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה, וְהֵקֵל מִמַּה שֶּׁהָיָה וּלְאַחַר מִכָּאן הִכְבִּיד וָמֵת, חַיָּב. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר, פָּטוּר, שֶׁרַגְלַיִם לַדָּבָר:

And these are the ones who are put to death by burning: one who lives with a woman and her daughter [i.e., with a woman whose daughter he has already married — his mother-in-law] and the daughter of a Cohein, who committed adultery. [She is also put to death by burning.] Included in "a woman and her daughter" [(i.e., burning is explicitly indicated for "a woman and her daughter," viz. (Leviticus 20:14): "and if a man takes a woman and her mother … in fire shall they be burned," and all the others are derived from this)] (are) his daughter [from his "ravished one," who is not the daughter of his wife, for whom he is liable by reason of "his wife's daughter"], the daughter of his daughter or the daughter of his son [from his ravished one], his wife's daughter, [whether she be his daughter or his stepdaughter], her daughter's daughter or her son's daughter, and his mother-in-law. [Even though this is taught explicitly above and is not derived from a derashah, since there are taught in this context "the mother of his mother-in-law" and "the mother of his father-in-law," which are derived from a derashah, "his mother-in-law" is taught in passing, along with them.] And these are the ones who are put to death by the sword: a murderer, and the men of an idolatrous city. A murderer: If one struck his neighbor with stone or iron, or pressed him down in water or fire, so that he could not rise [e.g., if he held his head underwater so that he could not raise it], and he died, he is liable. If he pressed him into water or fire, but he could have escaped, he is not liable. If he incited a dog or a snake against him, he is not liable. If he caused a snake to bite him, [i.e., if he held a snake in his hand and placed its teeth against another's body], R. Yehudah rules him liable [He holds that a snake's venom is in its teeth, so that when he places its teeth against one's body, it is as if he kills him, and he is liable], and the sages rule him not liable. [They hold that the snake brings up its venom of itself, so that it is not as if the man killed him directly but only indirectly, and he is not liable. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.] If one struck his neighbor, whether with a stone or with his fist, and they predicted that he would die, [(but if they predicted that he would live, even the rabbis hold that he is not liable)], and his condition improved, [whereupon they predicted that he would live], and then it worsened and he died, he is liable. R. Nechemiah says that he is not liable, for there are indications [that he did not die because of this blow.]

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