Numbers 35:9

7 So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be ^aforty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land.

8 And the cities which you will give shall be ^afrom the possession of the children of Israel; ^bfrom the larger tribe you shall give many, from the smaller you shall give few. Each shall give some of its cities to the Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that each receives.”

Cities of Refuge

9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ^a‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

11 then ^ayou shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there.

12 ^aThey shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

13 And of the cities which you give, you shall have ^asix cities of refuge.

14 ^aYou shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge.

15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, ^afor the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.

16 ^a‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 ^aThe avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20 ^aIf he pushes him out of hatred or, ^bwhile lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies,

21 or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly ^awithout enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait,

23 or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm,

24 then ^athe congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.

25 So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and ^ahe shall remain there until the death of the high priest ^bwho was anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled,

27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of¹ blood,

28 because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.

29 ‘And these things shall be ^aa statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the ^atestimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty.

31 Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.

32 And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

33 So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood ^adefiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except ^bby the blood of him who shed it.

34 Therefore ^ado not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for ^bI the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Numbers 35:9 Mean?

Numbers 35:9-28

God instructed Israel about what to do when a man was killed. These verses show that God recognizes only two classifications of killing: accidental and intentional. "Self-defense" is not even listed as a possibility! God illustrates "accidental death" as occurring when there is no intent to kill or to harm. It is accidental when there is no awareness that an action will result in the death of another. Deuteronomy 19:5 provides a clear example of such an accident: ". . . as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies."

However, when there is intent to kill or injure, God's law defines it as murder regardless of what the other person was threatening to do, about to do, or in the process of doing. If a man fires a gun with the foreknowledge that it has the potential to kill another man, it is murder. The "self-defense" category is something afforded by the law of the land, not by the law of God.

David C. Grabbe
Does Scripture Allow for Killing in Self-Defense?

Numbers 35:9-34

The cities of refuge were sanctuaries to which those who accidentally killed another could flee. There were six of them located throughout Israel, three on each side of the Jordan River. Even if the killer made it to a city of refuge, he still had to undergo a trial. If he was found guilty of committing an accidental death, he had to remain in the city until the death of the current high priest. Thus, the city served as his jail. However, he was otherwise free to move about, find employment, and live with and support his family.

If he left the city for any reason, the avenger of blood could lawfully take the killer's life. The avenger of blood (verses 12, 19) was usually a blood-relative of the manslaughter victim. His assignment from the family was to protect the family's rights and to avenge the family's loss of the killed person. The vengeance taken was not always to take the killer's life. If the avenger actually took the killer's life before he managed to reach a city of refuge, then he truly was an "avenger of blood." However, the Hebrew term translated "avenger" is go'el, which has fascinating ramifications when appearing in other contexts, as it can also be translated "redeem" or "redeemer."

In the book of Ruth, it is translated as "redeem" seven times. Boaz was Ruth's redeemer. The redeemer was the one who stood for his family in order to protect its rights. Boaz protected the rights of his family in behalf of Ruth and Naomi due to Naomi's husband's death. He was the family's "avenger."

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sixth Commandment

Numbers 35:9-32

Under the original letter of the law, it was intentional killing (murder) that was forbidden. Accidental killing was not regarded as murder. Nevertheless, manslaughter is a horrible crime, and the culprit had to remain in a city of refuge until the high priest died.

Martin G. Collins
The Sixth Commandment

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Numbers 35:9:

Exodus 21:22-23
Numbers 35:33-34

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Numbers 35:10 >>

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Cities of Refuge

What Does Numbers 35:9 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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