Numbers 35 Study Notes

35:16-21 Those deaths involving deliberate use of lethal weapons or deliberate personal assaults were considered murder and therefore were not covered under the guidelines of the cities of refuge. Murderers were to be executed by the avenger of blood, a designated kinsman to the deceased. The Hebrew word go’el here is the same term used of the family redeemer in Ru 2:20; 4:4,6. He was one who redeemed property or persons from another. The avenger of blood was a kinsman who redeemed the life of an individual by taking the life of the murderer.

35:22-29 The promised land was to be a holy land, free from the impurity of shed blood. The six cities of refuge provided a sanctuary to protect the lives of those convicted of manslaughter. It also served as the place of banishment for offenders. If a person was placed under the protection of a city of refuge but then decided to leave the city, he could be subject to execution by the blood avenger. City elders were responsible for assessing each case to determine the nature and cause of a person’s death. Atonement was offered to the person who had committed manslaughter only through the time of the high priest’s death. Thus that person was required to remain inside the city until that time. Murderers who sought refuge in these cities were not protected under the law. Capital punishment for willful death cases was to be carried out by the city after the elders had determined that the death penalty was justified.

35:30-34 The final section addresses the issues of the number of witnesses necessary to bring a murder conviction, the prohibition of monetary compensation in lieu of paying the proper penalty for the crime, and the theological basis for maintaining justice in the land in capital cases.