Deuteronomy 4:41-43

The Narrative Concerning Cities of Refuge

4:41 Then Moses selected three cities in the Transjordan, toward the east. 4:42 Anyone who accidentally killed someone ¹  without hating him at the time of the accident ²  could flee to one of those cities and be safe. 4:43 These cities are Bezer, in the desert plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan for the Manassehites.

Exodus 21:13

21:13 But if he does not do it with premeditation, ³  but it happens by accident, ⁴  then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

Numbers 35:10-15

35:10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan River ⁵  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.

Joshua 20:2-7

20:2 “Have the Israelites select ⁶  the cities of refuge ⁷  that I told you about through Moses. 20:3 Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; ⁸  these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood. 20:4 The one who committed manslaughter ⁹  should escape to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the city gate, and present his case to the leaders of that city. ¹⁰  They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there. ¹¹  20:5 When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the one who committed manslaughter, for he accidentally killed his fellow man without premeditation. ¹²  20:6 He must remain ¹³  in that city until his case is decided by the assembly ¹⁴  and the high priest dies. ¹⁵  Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to the city from which he escaped.” ¹⁶ 

20:7 So they selected ¹⁷  Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Hebrews 6:18

6:18 so that we who have found refuge in him ¹⁸  may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

¹ tn Heb “the slayer who slew his neighbor without knowledge.”

² tn Heb “yesterday and a third (day).” The point is that there was no animosity between the two parties at the time of the accident and therefore no motive for the killing.

³ tn Heb “if he does not lie in wait” (NASB similar).

⁴ tn Heb “and God brought into his hand.” The death is unintended, its circumstances outside human control.

⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘Set aside for yourselves.’”

⁷ tn Or “asylum.”

⁸ tn Heb “so that the one who kills, taking life accidentally without knowledge, may flee there.”

⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the one who accidentally kills another, cf. v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “and speak into the ears of the elders of that city his words.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and they should gather him into the city to themselves, give to him a place, and he will live with them.”

¹² tn Heb “for without knowledge he killed his neighbor, and he was not hating him prior to that.”

¹³ tn Or “live.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “until he stands before the assembly for judgment.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “until the death of the high priest who is in those days.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “may return and enter his city and his house, the city from which he escaped.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “set apart.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.