# Numbers 35 📖: Cities of Refuge [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Numbers Overview]] | [[Numbers 34]] | [[Numbers 36]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### Towns for the Levites [[#Verse 01.]] Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the rift valley plains of Moab along the Jordan near Jericho. He said: [[#Verse 02.]] “Instruct the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. You must also give the Levites grazing land around the towns. [[#Verse 03.]] Thus they will have towns in which to live, and their grazing lands will be for their cattle, for their possessions, and for all their animals. [[#Verse 04.]] The grazing lands around the towns that you will give to the Levites must extend to a distance of 500 yards from the town wall. [[#Verse 05.]] “You must measure from outside the wall of the town on the east 1,000 yards, and on the south side 1,000 yards, and on the west side 1,000 yards, and on the north side 1,000 yards, with the town in the middle. This territory must belong to them as grazing land for the towns. [[#Verse 06.]] Now from these towns that you will give to the Levites you must select six towns of refuge to which a person who has killed someone may flee. And you must give them 42 other towns. [[#Verse 07.]] “So the total of the towns you will give the Levites is 48. You must give these together with their grazing lands. [[#Verse 08.]] The towns you will give must be from the possession of the Israelites. From the larger tribes you must give more; and from the smaller tribes fewer. Each must contribute some of its own towns to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance allocated to each.” ### Cities of Refuge [[#Verse 09.]] Then the Lord spoke to Moses: [[#Verse 10.]] “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, [[#Verse 11.]] you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee. [[#Verse 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. [[#Verse 13.]] These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge. [[#Verse 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. [[#Verse 15.]] These six towns will be places of refuge for the Israelites, and for the resident foreigner, and for the settler among them, so that anyone who kills any person accidentally may flee there. [[#Verse 16.]] “‘But if he hits someone with an iron tool so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death. [[#Verse 17.]] If he strikes him by throwing a stone large enough that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death. [[#Verse 18.]] Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon so that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death. [[#Verse 19.]] The avenger of blood himself must kill the murderer; when he meets him, he must kill him. [[#Verse 20.]] “‘But if he strikes him out of hatred or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies, [[#Verse 21.]] or with enmity he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The avenger of blood must kill the murderer when he meets him. [[#Verse 22.]] “‘But if he strikes him suddenly, without enmity, or throws anything at him unintentionally, [[#Verse 23.]] or with any stone large enough that a man could die, without seeing him, and throws it at him, and he dies, even though he was not his enemy nor sought his harm, [[#Verse 24.]] then the community must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these decisions. [[#Verse 25.]] The community must deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the community must restore him to the town of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the consecrated oil. [[#Verse 26.]] But if the slayer at any time goes outside the boundary of the town to which he had fled, [[#Verse 27.]] and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the town of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the slayer, he will not be guilty of blood, [[#Verse 28.]] because the slayer should have stayed in his town of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to the land of his possessions. [[#Verse 29.]] So these things must be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations, in all the places where you live. [[#Verse 30.]] “‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be put to death by the testimony of witnesses, but one witness cannot testify against any person to cause him to be put to death. [[#Verse 31.]] Moreover, you must not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; he must surely be put to death. [[#Verse 32.]] And you must not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a town of refuge, to allow him to return home and live on his own land before the death of the high priest. [[#Verse 33.]] “‘You must not pollute the land where you live, for blood defiles the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed there, except by the blood of the person who shed it. [[#Verse 34.]] Therefore do not defile the land that you will inhabit, in which I live, for I the Lord live among the Israelites.’” ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24. ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. ###### Verse 29. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ###### Verse 32. ###### Verse 33. ###### Verse 34. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. The Levites received forty-eight towns with pasturelands (35:7). 2. Six of those towns were cities of refuge (35:6). 3. Three cities were on each side of the Jordan (35:14). 4. Joshua 20:7-8 names them: Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. 5. The "avenger of blood" (35:19) was a close relative responsible for justice for the family. 6. The cities protected those who killed someone accidentally, not murderers (35:11, 16-21). 7. A murderer could not be put to death on the testimony of only one witness (35:30). 8. No ransom could be accepted for the life of a murderer (35:31). 9. The manslayer could go home after the death of the high priest (35:28). 10. Hebrews 6:18 describes believers as those who have fled for refuge to the hope set before us. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is our city of refuge. The manslayer was safe until the high priest died (35:25), and we who have fled to Jesus find a sure hope through our High Priest whose death sets us free (Hebrews 6:18-20). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. God provided cities of refuge so the accused could receive a fair hearing (35:12). What does that teach about justice and mercy? 2. The person was safe only inside the city (35:26-27). What does it mean to remain in Christ (John 15:4)? 3. God said blood pollutes the land (35:33). Why does God take the taking of human life so seriously? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 6: Six of the Levites' towns will be cities of refuge. - 📖 verse 25: The manslayer stays in the city of refuge until the high priest dies. - 📖 verse 34: Do not defile the land where I live among the Israelites. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Deuteronomy 19#Verse 01.|Deuteronomy 19:1-13]] - Cities of refuge and the avenger. - 🔗 [[Joshua 20#Verse 01.|Joshua 20:1-9]] - The cities of refuge are named. - 🔗 [[Psalm 46#Verse 01.|Psalm 46:1]] - God is our refuge and strength. - 🔗 [[Hebrews 06#Verse 18.|Hebrews 6:18-20]] - We have fled for refuge to grasp hope. - 🔗 [[Genesis 09#Verse 06.|Genesis 9:6]] - Life is precious because people bear God's image. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 📂 Internal Notes