Numbers 35

The Number of the Cities, which the children of Israel were to give to the Levites, together with their Suburbs, v.1. etc among which there should be six cities of refuge for such as had unawares or unwittingly killed any person, 16. A Command of taking no redemption money for to save a guilty or wilful murther, or, for the return of any that legally had betaken himself to one of the cities of refuge unto their own laws, before the appointed time, 31.

1. And the LORD spake to Moseh, in the plain fields of the Moabites, by the Jordan of Jericho, saying:

2. Command the children of Israel, that of the inheritance of their possession, they shall give Cities unto the Levites, for to inhabit: [Though God had appointed no peculiar inheritance for the Levites in the land Canaan, as he had done to the rest of the Tribes , yet his pleasure was, that they should have their proper places of abode all the land over, for the more convenient dispensing of the word of God among the people, and better looking to the preservation of the pure worship of God throughout the land] besides yee shall give the Levites suburbs to the cities, round about the same. [by the suburbs are understood the next bordering lands and fields about those cities, serving the Levites, not onely for Barnes, stablings and such like out-housings, to keep their corn and cattle there, but likewise, as some conceive, for arable land and pasture-ground. See Jerem. 32. 7.]

3. And those Cities they shall have for to inhabit: but their suburbs shall be for their beasts, and for their substance, and for all their living Creatures.

4. And the suburbs of the Cities, which yee shall give to the Levites, shall be from the City-wall off, and outwards of a thousand ells round about.

5. And ye shall measure from without the City, on the corner toward the East, two thousand ells, [i.e. over and above the thousand ells mentioned in the former verse, an other thousand, or, as some Conjecture; two thousand others yet: Some understand it, as if in this verse there is onely declaration made of the manner of measuring those foresaid ells from one quarter to another, as well straight outward as in the circumference: or, that in this verse now there are understood the civil ells, whereof two thousand make but one thousand holy ones; according as the shekel of the Sanctuary, was double to the civil or common, whereof we remit the Judgement to the Judicious reader] and on the corner of the South, two thousand ells, and on the corner of the West, [Heb. Sea] two thousand ells; and on the corner of the North two thousand ells; that the City be in the middle. This they shall have for suburbs of the Cities.

6. The Cities now, which ye shall give to the Levites, shall be, six free-Cities, [Or, cities of refuge, recourse. See Jos. 20. On v. 2.] which ye shall give, that the man-slayer [understand him, that comes to kill a man unwittingly, and unwillingly, as below verse 11, 15. 22. 23.] may flee thither : and above the same, yee shall give (them) two and forty cities.

7. All the Cities, which yee shall give unto the Levites shall be eight and forty cities they with suburbs.

8. The Cities, which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, yee shall take many, [Heb. Multiply, i.e. yee shall take many Cities, or, give many to the Levites] from him that hath manie, [comp. Above chapter 33. 54. And see Jos. chapter 21. Verse 9. 16.] and from him, that hath few, take few: every one shall give of his cities to the Levites, according to his inheritance, which they shall inherit.

9. Moreover spake the LORD to Moseh, saying:

10. Speak unto the children of Israel , and say to them: when ye go over [Or shall be come, or, got over] the Jordan, to the land of Canaan;

11. Then ye shall cause your cities to Lie meeting [Heb. Ye shall make (or) cause your cities to meet, i.e. ye shall so dispose your cities of refuge, that they may be near hand and not far remote, to the end that the guiltless manslayer, may with all possible speed escape thither, and not fall into the hands of the avenger of blood, comp. Deuteronomy 19:3. & c. And the annot. There] (which) shall be for free-cities to you : that the man slayer may flee thither, that smote a soul [i.e. a man or person] unwittingly. [Heb. Through error, or, straying , i.e. ignorantly, as Deut. 19. Verse. 4. 5. And so below here, verse 15. 22, 23.]

12. And these cities shall be for a Refuge unto you, before the avenger (of blood) [See v. 19, 21, 24, 27. Where he is called avenger of blood] that the man-slayer die not, [viz. By the hand of the avenger of blood, see Deuteronomy 19:6.] till he have stood before the assembly in Judgement.

13. And these Cities, which ye shall give, shall be fix free cities unto you.

14. Three of these Cities yee shall give on this side Jordan, and three of these cities yee shall give in the land of Canaan, [viz. Beyond Jordan. Comp. Deut. 19. Verse 8. 9. 10] they shall be free-cities.

15. These same six cities shall be for a refuge to the children of Israel, and to the stranger, and to the co-habitant in the midst of them that thither there may flee who so smites a soul unawares.

16. But if he struck him with an iron instrument [Understand, not unawares, or ignorantly, but willingly and wilfully] that he be dead, he is a murderer: this murderer shall surely be put to death. [hebr. Dying, or, with death shall be put to death, so below verse 17. 18. 20. Understand, although he were fled into one of these free cities see Deuteronomy 10:11. 12.]

17. Or if he struck him with a hand –stone, [Heb. Stone of the hand i.e. with a stone cast or thrown by the hand] whereof a man may come to die, that he be dead, he is a murderer, this murderer shall surely be put to death.

18. Or if he struck him with a wooden hand instrument, whereof a man may die, that he be dead, he is a murderer, this murderer shall surely be put to death.

19. The avenger of blood, he shall put the murderer to death: [Comp. Deuteronomy 19:12. And above here v. 13. And below verse 30.] when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20. If also he shall have thrust him, through hate, or have cast himself upon him design, that he be dead:

21. Or have struck him with his hand through enmity, that he be dead; the slayer shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer: the avenger shall put this murderer to death, [Oth. (may) put to death & c] when he meets him.

22. But if he have thrust him in haste without Enemity: or have cast an instrument without design upon him:

23. Or unawares [Heb. Without seeing, others; without seeing (him)] with any stone, whereof a man may die , and he have caused the same to fall upon him, that he be dead, when as yet he was no Enemy to him, nor speaking his evil: [i.e. his hurt, damage, wounding, much less his life to destroy it]

24. Then the assembly shall judge betwixt the slayer, and betwixt the avenger of blood; according to these very rights, shall they judge.

25. And the assembly shall rescue the man-slayer, [Understand him that slew his neighbour unwillingly, as verse 23.] out of the hand of the avenger of blood; and the assembly shall cause him to return to his free-city, whither he was fled; and he shall stay therein, until the death [Or. The dying, and so in the sequel] of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. [being therein also a Type of the Messiahs, our High priest and Saviour Jesus Christ, who by his death hath blotted out the hand-writing of our sins, and reconciled us with God, see Likewise Leviticus 21:10. And comp. Psalms 45:8. Hebrews 1:9. Ephesians 2:16., 17. Colossians 2:14.]

26. Nevertheless if the man-slayer shall at all go forth [Heb. Shall going forth go forth] out of the borders of his free-city, whither he was fled;

27. And the avenger of blood shall find him without the borders of his free-city: then the avenger of blood shall put the man-slayer to death, it shall be no blood-guiltiness unto him. [Heb. No blood, i.e. no blood-guiltless, or murther; the sense is, it shall not be imputed murther to him by the Judges, they shall not find him guilty, see Gen. 32. On verse 26.]

28. For the should have remained in his free City, until the death of the high Priest, but after the death of the high Priest the man-slayer shall return, to the land of his possession. [i.e. he shall have liberty and freedom, to remove and return to his open former dwelling place.]

29. And these things shall be unto you an Institution of right by your Generations; in all your habitations.

30. Whosoever smiteth a soul, [i.e. taketh away the life of any man or person; which some do understand here of the punishing of the man-slayer] the murderer shall be put to death according to the mouth of the witnesses: [this hath regard to the Judge, or avenger of precedent lawful conviction] but a single witness shall not witness against a soul, to die, [or, that she die; i.e. no man shall be put to death upon the single Testimony, of one man or person alone]

31. And he shall take no Expiation [Or Reconciliation, i.e. no redemption –money, nor any bribe or present, to spare the murderers life, or to grant him a pardon, as they call it] for the soul of the murderer, which is guilty to die: [i.e. which is found guilty of death. The Hebrew word signifieth one that is unrighteous; or one that is in the wrong and guilt , and consequently also, a male factor: and is opposed to the righteous just or guiltless in matters of judgement. Compare Deut. 25. On v. I. Otherwise, the word is taken generally for wicked, ungodly, evil, dishonest, such a one as is continually restless and stirring evil, as Isaiah 57:20. Compared with Job 39:20.] for he shall surely be put to death.

32. Also ye shall take no expiation for him that is fled [Others, for the fleeing] to his free City, that he should return [viz. By granting him a dispensation that he shall not need to flee to a City of refuge, or being fled thither, should have liberty to return to the place of his habitation, before the death of the high Priest] into the land. [viz. Of his possession , as above, v. 28. i.e. into his own former place of abode and habitation] until the death of the (high) Priest.

33. Thus shall ye not prophane the land wherein ye are; for the blood that prophaneth the land; and for the land there shall be no expiation made over the blood, that is shed therein, but by the blood of him, that is shed therein, but by the blood of him, that shed it.

34. Therefore do not defile the land, which ye go to inhabit, in the midst whereof i am to dwell: for i am the LORD, dwelling [Or, i the LORD am dwelling] in the midst of the children of Israel.