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Texts -- Numbers 35:1-33 (NET)

Context
The Levitical Cities
35:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Moabite plains by the Jordan near Jericho . He said : 35:2 “Instruct the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess . You must also give the Levites grazing land around the towns . 35:3 Thus they will have towns in which to live , and their grazing lands will be for their cattle , for their possessions , and for all their animals . 35:4 The grazing lands around the towns that you will give to the Levites must extend to a distance of 500 yards from the town wall . 35:5 “You must measure from outside the wall of the town on the east 1,000 yards , and on the south side 1,000 yards , and on the west side 1,000 yards , and on the north side 1,000 yards , with the town in the middle . This territory must belong to them as grazing land for the towns . 35:6 Now from these towns that you will give to the Levites you must select six towns of refuge to which a person who has killed someone may flee . And you must give them forty-two other towns . 35:7 “So the total of the towns you will give the Levites is forty-eight . You must give these together with their grazing lands . 35:8 The towns you will give must be from the possession of the Israelites . From the larger tribes you must give more ; and from the smaller tribes fewer . Each must contribute some of its own towns to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance allocated to each.
The Cities of Refuge
35:9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses : 35:10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan , 35:11 you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee . 35:12 And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community . 35:13 These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge . 35:14 “You must give three towns on this side of the Jordan , and you must give three towns in the land of Canaan ; they must be towns of refuge . 35:15 These six towns will be places of refuge for the Israelites , and for the foreigner , and for the settler among them, so that anyone who kills any person accidentally may flee there . 35:16 “But if he hits someone with an iron tool so that he dies , he is a murderer . The murderer must surely be put to death . 35:17 If he strikes him by throwing a stone large enough that he could die , and he dies , he is a murderer . The murderer must surely be put to death . 35:18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon so that he could die , and he dies , he is a murderer . The murderer must surely be put to death . 35:19 The avenger of blood himself must kill the murderer ; when he meets him, he must kill him. 35:20 “But if he strikes him out of hatred or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies , 35:21 or with enmity he strikes him with his hand and he dies , the one who struck him must surely be put to death , for he is a murderer . The avenger of blood must kill the murderer when he meets him. 35:22 “But if he strikes him suddenly , without enmity , or throws anything at him unintentionally , 35:23 or with any stone large enough that a man could die , without seeing him, and throws it at him , and he dies , even though he was not his enemy nor sought his harm , 35:24 then the community must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these decisions . 35:25 The community must deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood , and the community must restore him to the town of refuge to which he fled , and he must live there until the death of the high priest , who was anointed with the consecrated oil . 35:26 But if the slayer at any time goes outside the boundary of the town to which he had fled , 35:27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the town of refuge , and the avenger of blood kills the slayer , he will not be guilty of blood , 35:28 because the slayer should have stayed in his town of refuge until the death of the high priest . But after the death of the high priest , the slayer may return to the land of his possessions . 35:29 So these things must be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations , in all the places where you live . 35:30 “Whoever kills any person , the murderer must be put to death by the testimony of witnesses ; but one witness cannot testify against any person to cause him to be put to death . 35:31 Moreover, you must not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death ; he must surely be put to death . 35:32 And you must not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a town of refuge , to allow him to return home and live on his own land before the death of the high priest . 35:33 “You must not pollute the land where you live, for blood defiles the land , and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed there, except by the blood of the person who shed it.

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • REFUGE, CITIES OF

    [ebd] were six in number (Num. 35). 1. On the west of Jordan were (1) Kadesh, in Naphtali; (2) Shechem, in Mount Ephraim; (3) Hebron, in Judah. 2. On the east of Jordan were, (1) Golan, in Bashan; (2) Ramoth-Gilead, in Gad; and (3...
    [isbe] REFUGE, CITIES OF - `are ha-miqlaT; poleis ton phugadeuterion (compare 1 Macc 10:28), and other forms): 1. Location: Six cities, three on each side of the Jordan, were set apart and placed in the hands of the Levites, to ser...

  • Homicide

    [isbe] HOMICIDE - hom'-i-sid (rotseach): Hebrew has no word for killing or murder; rotseach is the word for manslayer. The Greek for murder is phonos. Homicide was every conscious violent action against a human being with the immed...
    [nave] HOMICIDE. Accidental Ex. 21:13, 28-32; Num. 35:11-15, 22-28, 32 Deut. 4:41-43; 19:1-10. Josh. 20:1-9 Felonious or Murder: Gen. 4:9-11 v. 12.; Gen. 9:5, 6; Gen. 49:7; Ex. 20:13 Deut. 5:17; Rom. 13:9. Ex. 21:29-32; Num. 35...

  • EZEKIEL, 2

    [isbe] EZEKIEL, 2 - II. Significance of Ezekiel in Israel's Religious History. Under the first head we will consider the formal characteristics and significance of the book; and the examination of its contents will form the subject...

  • PENTATEUCH, 2B

    [isbe] PENTATEUCH, 2B - 3. Answer to the Critical Analysis: (1) The Veto of Textual Criticism. The first great objection that may be made to the higher criticism is that it starts from the Massoretic text (MT) without investigation...

  • Moab

    [nave] MOAB 1. Son of Lot, Gen. 19:37. 2. Plains of. Israelites come in, Deut. 2:17, 18. Military forces numbered in, Num. 26:3, 63. The law rehearsed in, by Moses, Num. 35, 36; Deut. 29-33. The Israelites renew their covenant ...

  • PUNISHMENTS

    [isbe] PUNISHMENTS - pun'-ish-ments ('awon, "fault," "iniquity," "punishment for iniquity," "sin" (Gen 4:13; Lev 26:41; Job 19:29; Ps 149:7; Lam 4:22; Ezek 14:10 margin; Am 1:3,6,9,11,13; 2:1,4,6), `onesh, "tribute," "fine," "punis...

  • JOSHUA (2)

    [isbe] JOSHUA (2) - || I. FORM AND SIGNIFICANCE OF NAME II. HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF JOSHUA 1. First Appearance 2. The Minister of Moses 3. One of the Spies 4. The Head of the People (1) His First Act--Sending of the Spies (2) Crossi...

  • CITY

    [ebd] The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain (Gen. 4:17). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12). Next, we have a record of the cities o...
    [isbe] CITY - sit'-i (`ir, qiryah; polis): I. THE CANAANITE CITY 1. Origin 2. Extent 3. Villages 4. Sites 5. External Appearance 6. General II. THE CITY OF THE JEWISH OCCUPATION 1. Tower or Stronghold 2. High Place 3. Broad Place 4...

  • MURDER

    [ebd] Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of man's having been made in...
    [isbe] MURDER - 1. Terms: mur'-der (haragh, "to smite," "destroy," "kill," "slay" (Ps 10:8; Hos 9:13 AV]), ratsach, "to dash to pieces," "kill," especially with premeditation (Nu 35:16 and frequently; Job 24:14; Ps 94:6; Jer 7:9; H...

  • COURTS, JUDICIAL

    [isbe] COURTS, JUDICIAL - joo-dish'-al, ju-dish'-al. 1. Their Organization: At the advice of Jethro, Moses appointed judges (shopheTim, Ex 18). In Egypt it appears that the Hebrews did not have their own judges, which, of course, w...

  • Refuge

    [nave] REFUGE. Cities of From the avenger of blood, Ex. 21:13, 14; Num. 35:11-32; Deut. 4:41-43; 19:2-13; Josh. 20:1-6. List of, Josh. 20:7-9. Roads made to, Deut. 19:3. Figurative Of Christ, Heb. 6:18.

  • LAW OF MOSES

    [smith] It will be the object of this article to give a brief analysis of the substance of this law, to point out its main principles, and to explain the position which it occupies in the progress of divine revelation. In order to do...

  • LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [isbe] LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - || I. TERMS USED 1. Torah ("Law") 2. Synonyms of Torah (1) Mitswah ("Command") (2) `Edhah ("Witness," "Testimony") (3) MishpaTim ("Judgments") (4) Chuqqim ("Statutes") (5) Piqqudhim ("Precepts") II...

  • ASSASSINATION

    [isbe] ASSASSINATION - a-sas-i-na'-shun. 1. Meaning of the Term: The language of Scripture distinguishes less clearly than the modern juridical between assassination and murder. "Murderer" = rotseach (Nu 35:16-19,21,30,31; 2 Ki 6:3...

  • Avenger of Blood

    [ebd] (Heb. goel, from verb gaal, "to be near of kin," "to redeem"), the nearest relative of a murdered person. It was his right and duty to slay the murderer (2 Sam. 14:7, 11) if he found him outside of a city of refuge. In order...
    [nave] AVENGER OF BLOOD Pre-mosaic, Gen. 9:5, 6. Cain fears, Gen. 4:14, 15. Lamech fears, Gen. 4:24. Law concerning, set aside by David, 2 Sam. 14:4-11. See: Homicide. Figurative Psa. 8:2; 44:16; Rom. 13:4; 1 Thess. 4:6. Scr...

  • MURRAIN

    [isbe] MURRAIN - mur'-in, mur'-en, mur'-an] (debher): This name is given to a fatal cattle-disease, which was the fifth of the plagues of Egypt (Ex 9:3), and which affected not only the flocks and herds, but also the camels, horses...

  • MANSLAYER

    [ebd] one who was guilty of accidental homicide, and was entitled to flee to a city of refuge (Num. 35:6, 12, 22, 23), his compulsory residence in which terminated with the death of the high priest. (See CITY OF REFUGE.)
    [isbe] MANSLAYER - man'-sla-er (meratstseach, from ratsach (Nu 35:6,12); androphonos (1 Tim 1:9)): A term employed with reference to both premeditated and accidental or justifiable killing. In the latter case, an asylum was granted...
    [smith] one who kills another unintentionally, and is thus distinguished from a murderer, who kills with malice aforethought. The cases of manslaughter mentioned in Scripture appear to be a sufficient indication of the intention of t...

  • Punishment

    [nave] PUNISHMENT. Death Penalty Shall not be remitted, Num. 35:31. In the Mosaic law the death penalty was inflicted for murder, Gen. 9:5, 6; Num. 35:16-21, 30-33; Deut. 17:6; adultery, Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:24; incest, Lev. 20:...

  • CRITICISM

    [isbe] CRITICISM - (The Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) I. PRELIMINARY 1. Thesis 2. Historical Perspective 3. Inspiration and Criticism II. THE LEGISLATION 1. Groups 2. Covenant Code 3. The Sanctuary 4. Kinds of Sacrifice 5. Sacrifice ...

  • Canaan

    [nave] CANAAN 1. Son of Ham, Gen. 9:18, 22, 25-27. Descendants of, Gen. 10:6, 15; 1 Chr. 1:8, 13. 2. Land of (The history of this region is involved in that of the Israelites. The student is therefore referred to Israel, History ...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Moses cited five cases in this section, as was true in the preceding one (vv. 12-17).21:18-19 The Torah made no distinction in the penalty an aggressor paid because of his intent (vv. 18-28). The inferior Hammurabi Code did b...
  • The people were to buy and sell property in view of the upcoming year of jubilee since in that year all property would revert to its original tribal leasees. This special year reminded the Israelites that they did not really ...
  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • God gave the final laws governing Israel's entrance into the Promised Land (33:50-36:13). However first Moses recorded at God's command this list of places from which the Israelites had set out on their journey from Egypt to ...
  • "The section breaks down into two groups of three laws each, carefully introduced by the clause and Yahweh spoke to Moses' (. . ., 33:50; 34:1, 16; 35:1, 9; cf. 36:6) and surrounded by the phrase on the plains of Moab by the ...
  • This brief section of instructions introduces specific directions concerning the division of the land and its towns that follow in chapters 34-36.The repetition of "all"(v. 52) stresses the importance of completely clearing t...
  • Six of these Levitical towns were also cities of refuge.The appointment of cities of refuge was a divine provision for the safety of a killer who was not guilty of premeditated murder (cf. Deut. 19:1-13; Josh. 20:1-9). God ha...
  • God revealed the law concerning how the Israelites were to deal with manslayers earlier (cf. Num. 35:9-34). In Israel this kind of crime was a domestic rather than a civil matter. Families were to deal with it rather than the...
  • "The preceding law had proceeded from parental to official judicial authority and had prescribed the death penalty. The present case takes the judicial process a step beyond the execution, to the exposure of the corpse as a m...
  • At this time the tribal leaders formally designated the six cities of refuge about which Moses had received instructions (Num. 35). Three stood west of the Jordan: Kadesh in Naphtali, Shechem in Manasseh, and Hebron in Judah ...
  • The tribes also had to set aside 42 additional cities for the priests and Levites to inhabit (cf. Num. 35:1-8).
  • There were 12 towns in which the Merarites resided: four in Zebulun (vv. 34-35), four in Reuben (vv. 36-37), and four in Gad (vv. 38-39).In all, the Levites received 48 cities with their surrounding pasture lands including th...
  • Ruth carried out Naomi's instructions exactly, further demonstrating her loyal love to her mother-in-law, and encouraged Boaz to pursue the possibility of marriage (vv. 6-9)."Note that the threshingfloor was a public place an...
  • Saul again confessed that he had sinned, as he had done when he had sacrificed at Gilgal (v. 21; cf. 15:24, 30) and when David had spared his life in the cave (24:17). Nevertheless he seems to have failed again to follow thro...
  • Abner was the strong man in Israel. Ish-bosheth was simply a figurehead (v. 11). Abner's loyalty to the house of Saul is clear from his actions so far. However there was conflict between Ish-bosheth and Abner. In the ancient ...
  • Internal references in 2 Samuel enable us to date this incident early in David's reign between Mephibosheth's arrival in Jerusalem and the beginning of the Ammonite wars. Probably God sent judgment on Israel for Saul's action...
  • Adonijah was David's fourth son (2 Sam. 3:4) and the eldest one living at this time. Evidently he believed it was more important that the eldest son succeed David, as was customary in the Near East, than that the king of Yahw...
  • "But it is just here, when everything is blackest, that his faith . . . like the rainbow in the cloud . . . shines with a marvelous splendor."89This short section contains probably the best known verses in the book (vv. 23-27...
  • Jeremiah wrote almost as much about Babylon's future as he did about the futures of all the other nations in his other oracles combined. The length of this oracle reflects the great importance of Babylon in his ministry as we...
  • 14:53 The high priest in view here was Caiaphas. Interestingly Mark never mentioned him by name. He was the high priest that the Romans had appointed in 18 A.D., and he served in this capacity until 36 A.D.This was an unoffic...
  • 1:12-13 The disciples returned to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. The short trip from where Jesus ascended on Mt. Olivet to the upper room was only a Sabbath day's journey away (about 2,000 cubits, two-third...
  • Again the change in genre, this time from exhortation to exposition, signals a new literary unit within the epistle. Here the writer proceeded to expound the reliability of God's promise to Christians through Jesus Christ's h...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • The elaborately careful specification of cases which gave the fugitive a right to shelter in the city is set forth at length in Numbers 35:15-24, and Deuteronomy 19:4-13. The broad principle is there laid down that the cities...
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