Numbers 35

AND the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan, near Jericho, saying,

Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession, cities to dwell in: and ye shall give also unto the Levites, suburbs for the cities round about them.

And the cities shall they have to dwell in, and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattel For pasturage for their cattel: where they might not build houses, nor plant gardens, orchards or vineyards, no nor sow corn, for which they were abundantly provided out of the firstfruits and tithes. And these suburbs did not belong to the Levites in common, but were distributed to them in convenient proportions, as may appear from Ios. 21. 18. 1 Chron. 6. 60., and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

And the suburbs of the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward, a thousand cubits round about Obj. In the next verse it is two thousand. How do these agree? Ans. 1. The LXX Interpreters read both here and ver. 5. two thousand cubits, whence some suppose this to be an errour in the Hebrew Text which, being in a matter neither concerning faith nor good manners, is not prejudicial to the authority of the holy Scriptures. Ans. 2. The one thousand cubits may be in length from the city, and the two thousand cubits in breadth on each side of the city, and so they well agree; for a line of a thousand cubits being drawn in length eastward and another westward and another northward and another southward, a line, drawn at a thousand cubits distance from the city, from east to west must needs contain two thousand cubits, and so must the other line from north to south, and so on every side of the city there must be two thousand cubits. Ans. 3. This verse and the next do not speak to the same thing: this speaks of the space or place from whence the suburbs shall be measured, the next verse speaks of the space unto which that measure shall be extended; and the words may very well be read thus, And the suburbs—shall be (so it is only an ellipsis of the verb substantive, which is most frequent, and the meaning is shall be taken or accounted) from the wall of the city and from (that particle being supplied o... understood from the foregoing words, which is very usual) without it, or, from the outward parts of it, (which being a general and indefinite expression is limited and explained by the following word.) even from a thousand cubits round about. Which are mentioned not as the thing measured, for as yet there is not a word of measuring, but as the term or space from which the measuring line should begin. And then it follows ver. 5. And ye shall measure from without the city, (not from the wall of the city, as was said before ver. 4. but from without it, i. e. from the said outward part or space of a thousand cubits without the wall of the city round about) on the east-side two thousand cubits, &c. So in truth there were three thousand cubits from the wall of the city, whereof one thousand probably were for out-houses, stalls for cattel, gardens, vineyards and olive-yards, and the like, and the other two thousand for pasture, which are therefore called the field of the suburbs, Lev. 25. 34. by way of distinction from the suburbs themselves, which consist of the first thousand cubits from the wall of the city..

And ye shall measure from without the city on the east-side two thousand cubits, and on the south-side two thousand cubits, and on the west-side two thousand cubits, and on the north-side two thousand cubits: and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, there shall be six cities for refuge Or, or receit, or escape, or resort, to wit, for man-slayers. And these cities are assigned among the Levites, partly because they might be presumed to be the most proper and impartial Judges between man-slayers and wilful murderers; partly because their presence and counsel and authority would more effectually bridle the passions of the avenger of blood who might pursue him thither; and partly to signifie, that it is only in Christ (whom the Levitical Priests did represent) that sinners find refuge and safety from the destroyer. The names of these Cities we have Deut. 4. 41, 43. Ios. 2.... 8., which ye shall appoint for the man-slayer Such as is here described, ver. 11, 15, 22, 23., that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.

And the cities which ye shall give, shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many, ye shall give many Compare Numb. 33. 54. Ios. 20. 2.; but from them that have few, ye shall give few. Every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye be come over Jordan, into the land of Canaan:

Then ye shall appoint you cities, to be cities of refuge for you, that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares (i. e.) Not wilfully, designedly or maliciously, but inconsiderately, through mistake or indiscretion or carelessness. See Levit. 4. 2..

And they shall be unto you cities for refuge, from the avenger To wit, of the party s... ain, or, of blood, as it is fully expressed below ver. 19, 25. Heb. from the redeemer, or, from the next, to whom by the law belonged the right of redemption of the lands of and vindication of the injury done to, the person acceased., that the man-slayer die not (i. e.) Be not killed by the avenger meeting him in some other place., until he stand before the congregation (i. e.) Before the society or convention of Judges or Elders who were appointed in every City for the decision of criminal causes, who were 23 who were to examine the matter, and that publickly before the people, whether the murder was wilful or casual. Quest. In what City was this cause to be tried? Answ. Some say, in the City of refuge, others say, in the City in or near which the fact was committed. It seems to me it was done in both, at first in the City of refuge, as is manifest from Ios. 20. 4. but if that trial and sentence did not satisfie the avenger of blood, it was fully and finally determined in the other City, as is sufficiently evident both by comparing this place with ver. 25. and Ios. 20. 6. and from the usual and most reasonable course of Justice, which is that facts should be examined, as far as may be, in or near the places where they were committed, and where the witnesses and evidences were at hand. in judgment Or, for judgment, i. e. to receive sentence there according to the nature of the fact..

And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge.

Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan Because that Land was as long as Canaan, though not so broad, and besides these might be convenient for many of them that lived in Canaan., and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge:

These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger Not the proselyte only, but all strangers, this being no matter of religious priviledge, but of common right and agreeable to the Law of nature and practise of wise heathens., and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares, may flee thither.

And if he smite him with an instrument of iron Wittingly and wilfully, though not with premeditated ma lice or design, as appears by comparing this with ver. 20, 21, 22, 23. (so that he die To wit, suddenly, not so, if he walked abroad afterward, Exod. 21. 19, 20.) he is a murderer the murderer shall surely be put to death Yea though he were fled into the City of refuge..

And if he smite him with throwing a stone Heb. with the stone of hand, i. e. cast by the hand, and that knowingly, as appears by ver. 23., (wherewith he may die) and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

Or if he smite him with an hand-weapon of wood (wherewith he may die) and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer Either 1. By himself, as the following words show: so it is only a permission, that he may do it without offence to God or danger to himself: Or 2. By the Magistrate, from whom shall demand justice: so it is a command, as may appear by comparing this with ver. 31. and Deut. 19. 12, 13.: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die: t Through sudden passion or provocation. Or, by or unawares.

Or in enmity smite him with his hand that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death, for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him.

But if he thrust him suddenly s, without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait:

Or with any stone wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

Then If the man slayer flee to the city of refuge. the congregation shall judge between the slayer, and the revenger of blood, according to these judgments.

And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it Be confined to it, partly to show the hatefulness of wilful murder in Gods account by so severe a punishment, as this in many cases might prove, inflicted upon the very appearance of it, and partly for the security of the manslayer, least the presence of such a person and his conversation among the kindred of the deceased, might occasion reproach and blood-shed., unto the death of the high priest Partly because the publick grief for the loss of so publick a person was likely to asswage the private griefs and passions of men, the rather, because by this example they were minded of their own mortality, and thereby withheld from taking vengeance; and principally to show that the death of Christ (the true High-Priest, whom the others did evidently and eminently represent and typifie) is the only mean whereby sins are pardoned and sinners are set at liberty., which was anointed with holy oyl.

But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of his city of refuge, whither he was fled:

And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer: he shall not be guilty of blood i. e. Not liable to punishment from men, though no... free from guilt before God, because he ki... s an innocent person, as appears from Deut. 19. 10. This God ordained to oblige the man-slayer to abide in his city of refuge. See ver. 22.:

Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge, until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest, the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

So these things shall be for a statute of judgment, unto you, throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.

Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death, by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testifie against any person to cause him to die No Judge shall condemn any man to death upon a single testimony..

Moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer No intercession, nor ransome shall be accepted to save his life or procure him a pardon., which is guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death.

And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, untill the death of the priest. Whereby God would signifie the absolute and indispensable necessity of Christs death to expiate sin and to redeem the sinner..

So ye shall not pollute the land, wherein ye are: for blood, it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that sheddeth it These words are added as a reason not of the last Law ver. 32. for in that case the land was cleansed without the blood of the man-slayer, but of the Law next foregoing that verse 31. in which case it holds, and the sense is, if you shall spare the murderer or take any satisfaction for him, you do together with your selves involve your Land and People in guilt, and will certainly bring down Gods vengeance upon your selves and them..

Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inherit Be not cruel to your own Land by making it a den of murderers., wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.