Numbers 35:6-16

6 And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint so that the manslayer may flee there; and in addition to them ye shall give them forty-two cities.
7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, the cities with their suburbs.
8 And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the sons of Israel; from those that have much ye shall give many; but from those that have few ye shall give few, each one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his possession which he inherited.
9 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them, When ye have passed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
11 then ye shall appoint yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you that the manslayer who kills any person unawares may flee there.
12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger {Heb. redeemer} that the manslayer not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.
13 And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge.
14 Ye shall give three cities on this side of the Jordan and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
15 These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the sons of Israel and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them that anyone that kills another person unawares may flee there.
16 And if he smites him with an instrument of iron so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

Numbers 35:6-16 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.

The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010