Numbers 35:9-34

Cities of Refuge

9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10 "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ¹When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 ²then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.

12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

13 And the cities that you give shall be your ³six cities of refuge.

14 ⁴You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.

15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and ⁵for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.

16 ⁶"But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.

17 And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.

18 Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.

19 ⁷The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20 And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, ⁸lying in wait, so that he died,

21 or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. ⁹The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 "But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him ¹⁰without lying in wait

23 or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm,

24 then ¹¹the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and ¹²the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.

25 And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it ¹³until the death of the high priest ¹⁴who was anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled,

27 and ¹⁵the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.

28 For he must remain in his city of refuge ¹⁶until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.

29 And these things shall be for ¹⁷a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

30 "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the ¹⁸evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.

31 Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.

32 And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.

33 You shall not ¹⁹pollute the land in which you live, for blood ²⁰pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except ²¹by the blood of the one who shed it.

34 ²²You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, ²³for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel."

Numbers 35:9-34 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 35

Though the tribe of Levi had no part in the division of the land, yet cities out of the several tribes are here ordered to be given them to dwell in, to the number of forty eight, Nu 35:1-8, six of which were to be cities of refuge, Nu 35:9-15, but not for wilful murderers, in whatsoever way they might kill a man, Nu 35:16-21, but for such who had killed a man unawares, Nu 35:22-24, and several rules are given relating to such persons, Nu 35:25-29, but no satisfaction was to be taken in case of murder, nor to excuse a person's return to his own house before the death of the high priest, who had fled to a city of refuge, that so the land might not be defiled, Nu 35:30-34.

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 10-12, see Deuteronomy 19:2-4; Joshua 20:2-6
• 2. Exodus 21:13
• 3. See ver. 6
• 4. Deuteronomy 4:41; Joshua 20:8
• 5. Numbers 15:16
• 6. Exodus 21:12, 14; Leviticus 24:17; Deuteronomy 19:11, 12
• 7. Deuteronomy 19:6, 12; Joshua 20:3, 5
• 8. Exodus 21:14; Deuteronomy 19:11
• 9. [See ver. 19 above]
• 10. Exodus 21:13
• 11. ver. 12; Joshua 20:6
• 12. [See ver. 19 above]
• 13. Joshua 20:6
• 14. Exodus 29:7; Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 21:10
• 15. [See ver. 19 above]
• 16. [See ver. 25 above]
• 17. Numbers 27:11
• 18. Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15; Hebrews 10:28; [Matthew 18:16; John 8:17; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19]
• 19. Psalms 106:38; Jer. 3:1, 2, 9; [Micah 4:11]
• 20. Psalms 106:38; Jer. 3:1, 2, 9; [Micah 4:11]
• 21. See Genesis 9:6
• 22. Leviticus 18:25; Deuteronomy 21:23
• 23. See Exodus 29:45