The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 35 -

(Joshua 21:1–45; 1 Chronicles 6:54–81)

And the Lord also spoke these things to Moses in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho:

“Instruct the sons of Israel, so that they may give to the Levites, from their possessions,

cities as dwelling places, with their surrounding suburbs, so that they may lodge in the towns, and so that the suburbs may be for cattle and beasts of burden.

The suburbs shall extend from the outer walls of the cities, all around, for the space of one thousand steps.

Facing the east, there shall be two thousand cubits, and facing the south, similarly, there shall be two thousand cubits. Toward the sea, also, which looks out toward the west, there shall be the same measure, and the northern region shall be bounded by equal limits. And the cities shall be in the center, and the suburbs shall be outside.

Now, from the towns which you shall give to the Levites, six shall be separated for the assistance of fugitives, so that he who has shed blood may flee to them. And, aside from these, there shall be forty-two other towns,

that is, all together forty-eight with their suburbs.

And concerning these cities, which shall be given from the possessions of the sons of Israel: from those who have more, more shall be taken, and from those who have less, less shall be taken. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the measure of their inheritance.”

Six Cities of Refuge

(Deuteronomy 4:41–43; Deuteronomy 19:1–14; Joshua 20:1–9)

The Lord said to Moses:

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you will have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

discern which cities ought to be for the protection of fugitives who have shed blood unwillingly.

And when a fugitive is in these, the kinsman of the deceased shall not be able to kill him, until he stands in the sight of the multitude and his case is judged.

Then, among those cities which are separated for relief to fugitives,

three shall be across the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan,

as much for the sons of Israel as for newcomers and sojourners, so that anyone who has shed blood unwillingly may flee to these places.

If anyone will have struck someone with iron, and he who was struck will have died, then he shall be guilty of homicide, and he himself shall die.

If he will have thrown a stone, and he who has been struck lies dead, then he shall be punished similarly.

If he who has been struck with wood passes away, he shall be avenged by the blood of the one who struck him.

The close relative of the deceased shall put to death the murderer; as soon as he apprehends him, he shall put him to death.

If, out of hatred, anyone assaults a man, or throws anything at him with ill intent,

or, while being his enemy, strikes him with his hand, and so he has died, the attacker shall be guilty of murder. The kinsman of the deceased, as soon as he finds him, shall cut his throat.(a)

But if by chance, and without hatred

or animosity, he will have done any of these things,

and this has been proven in the hearing of the people, and the questions have been aired, between the one who struck and the close relative,

then the innocent one shall be freed from the hand of the revenger, and he shall be returned by this judgment into the city to which he had fled, and he shall stay there until the high priest, who has been anointed with the holy oil, dies.(b)

If the one who has killed has been found beyond the limits of the cities which have been assigned to the exiled,

and he has been struck by him who is avenging blood, he who killed him shall not be harmed.

For the fugitive ought to have resided in the city, until the death of the high priest. Then, after he is dead, the one who has killed shall be returned to his own land.

These things shall be a perpetual ordinance in all your habitations.

The punishment of a murderer shall be based upon testimony; but no one shall be condemned upon the testimony of only one person.

You shall not accept money from him who is guilty of blood, and he shall be put to death promptly.

Exiles and fugitives, prior to the death of the high priest, are by no means able to be returned to their own cities.

Do not pollute the land of your habitation, so as to stain it with the blood of the innocent; neither is it able to be expiated in any way other than by the blood of him who has shed the blood of another.

And so shall your possession be cleansed, while I myself am abiding with you. For I am the Lord, who lives among the sons of Israel.”

Footnotes

(a)35:21 The word ‘jugulabit’ is a harsh word referring to death by having one’s throat cut. It is related to the English word ‘jugular.’(Conte)

(b)35:25 Until the death, etc:This mystically signified that our deliverance was to be effected by the death of Christ, the high priest and the anointed of God.(Challoner)

(Joshua 21:1–45; 1 Chronicles 6:54–81)

The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

“Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites.

They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.

“The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits(a) around it.

You shall measure outside of the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.

“The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities.

All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands.

Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many, and from the few you shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give some of his cities to the Levites.”

Six Cities of Refuge

(Deuteronomy 4:41–43; Deuteronomy 19:1–14; Joshua 20:1–9)

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge.

These six cities shall be refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreigner living among them, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

“‘But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

If he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets him, he shall put him to death.

If he shoved him out of hatred, or hurled something at him while lying in wait, so that he died,

or in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

“‘But if he shoved him suddenly without hostility, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him so that he died, and he was not his enemy and not seeking his harm,

then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

“‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees,

and the avenger of blood finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the man slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,

because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the man slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

“‘These things shall be for a statute and ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

“‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.

“‘Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death. He shall surely be put to death.

“‘You shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

“‘So you shall not pollute the land where you live; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it.

You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, where I dwell; for I, the LORD, dwell among the children of Israel.’”

Footnotes

(a)35:4 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.