Numbers35

Numbers chapter 35 details the allocation of cities to the Levites, including the establishment of cities of refuge. These cities provided sanctuary for individuals who unintentionally caused another's death, protecting them from the revenger of blood. The chapter clearly distinguishes between intentional murder, which warranted the death penalty, and accidental manslaughter, which allowed for refuge until the high priest's death. It also emphasizes the necessity of capital punishment for murderers to prevent the defilement of the land.
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The Levites' Cities and Pasturelands

1
Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho: ​
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“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities. ​
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The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.
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The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the wall on every side. ​
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You are also to measure two thousand cubits outside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.
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Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities. ​
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The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands.
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The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.” ​

Establishing the Cities of Refuge

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Then the LORD said to Moses,
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“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
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designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there. ​
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You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly. ​
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The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.
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Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.
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These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there. ​

Defining Murder and Manslaughter

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If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death. ​
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Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
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If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
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The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him. ​
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Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him,
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or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.
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But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally,
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or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,
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then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
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The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. ​
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But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled
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and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed
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because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns. ​
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This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.

Judicial Procedures and Land Purity

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If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness. ​
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You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death. ​
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Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.
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Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. ​
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Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.” ​

Study Notes for Numbers 35

Verse 1

This command is given just before Israel enters Canaan, ensuring the Levites—who received no territorial inheritance—are provided for by the community.

Verse 2

The Levites, dedicated to priestly and sanctuary service, needed cities for residence and pastureland ('suburbs') for their necessary livestock.

Verse 4

The measurements are detailed: 1,000 cubits (approx. 1,500 feet) outward from the city wall for pasture, ensuring sufficient grazing area.

Verse 6

Out of the 48 total cities given to the Levites, six were designated as special sanctuaries for those who committed accidental homicide.

Verse 8

The burden of providing these cities was distributed fairly among the tribes based on the size of their inheritance and population, ensuring equitable contribution.

Verse 11

The primary purpose of the Cities of Refuge was to protect individuals who killed 'at unawares' (unintentionally or accidentally) from immediate revenge.

Verse 12

The refuge protected the slayer from the *go’el haddam* (avenger of blood) until a legal judgment could be rendered by the congregation.

Verse 15

This law demonstrates remarkable equity, extending the protection of the Cities of Refuge to resident aliens and sojourners as well as native Israelites.

Verse 16

This section begins to distinguish intentional murder (premeditated violence using a deadly weapon) from accidental killing, requiring capital punishment for the former.

Verse 19

The 'revenger of blood' (*go’el haddam*) was the closest male relative legally obligated to execute the identified murderer, upholding the principle of justice.

Verse 25

The congregation (local elders/judges) was responsible for determining the facts and returning the slayer to the city of refuge if the killing was accidental.

Verse 28

The death of the High Priest served as a symbolic atonement, marking the end of the slayer's exile and allowing him to return to his family land without fear of the avenger.

Verse 30

This verse establishes the fundamental rule that capital punishment requires the testimony of at least two witnesses, a standard repeated throughout the Law (Deut. 19:15).

Verse 31

This prohibition against accepting monetary ransom for a murderer underscores the sanctity of life; intentional murder could only be satisfied by the murderer's death.

Verse 33

Blood defiles the land because God dwells there. Justice (the execution of the murderer) is required to cleanse the land and maintain its ritual purity.

Verse 34

The presence of Yahweh among Israel necessitates strict adherence to these laws, as judicial failure would effectively pollute the land where God resides.

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