Numbers 35:9-28

The cities of refuge were sanctuaries to which those who had accidentally killed another could flee. There were six cities of refuge throughout Israel—three on each side of the Jordan River. Now, even if the killer made it to the city of refuge, he still had to undergo a trial. If found guilty, he had to remain in the city until the death of the high priest; thus the city served as his jail. However, he was otherwise free to move about the city, find employment, have his family move with him there and support them. But if he for any reason left the city under any circumstance whatsoever, the avenger of blood could lawfully take his life.

The avenger of blood (verses 12 and 19) was usually a blood-relative of the person accidentally killed. His assignment from the family was to protect the family right, to avenge the family's loss. Now the vengeance was not always to take the killer's life. Sometimes that occurred, but there is an interesting tie here to something else. If the avenger actually did take the killer's life before the killer managed to reach the city of refuge, then he truly was an avenger of blood. However, the Hebrew term translated "avenger" is goel (gawel).This word has an interesting ramification when appearing in a different context. It is often also translated "redeemed" or "redeemer." In the book of Ruth it is translated seven times as "redeemed." Boaz was Ruth's redeemer. Boaz was Ruth's goel. Boaz was Ruth's avenger. The redeemer—Boaz—was the one who stood for one's family in order to protect his right. This is why there was this by-play between Boaz and the other man who actually had a higher right to be avenger. Boaz defended Ruth's husband Elimelech.

Numbers 35:9-34

So if Israel failed to keep the land from being polluted, the implication of Numbers 35:34 is that God would no longer be with His people in the land and that Israel would no longer be successful in the land, meaning it would not produce the bumper crops that God blesses it with. We have seen bumper crops for decades, if not centuries, in this nation and now they are starting to have more and more problems with fires and drought and so on. God warned of this many, many times in Scripture, but they do not read Scripture, so they do not know, so history repeats itself.

The cities of refuge were therefore a provision to enable Israel to keep the land. Without such a place the avenger of blood would hunt the person down and kill the accused without any determination of guilt or innocence, which would pollute the land. Though if the accused was innocent and killed by the avenger of blood, this would pollute the land and lead to the loss of the land. And this system was thus part of the Lord's gracious provision that enabled a sinful people to live with a holy God.

Numbers 35:9-28

In Numbers 35:26-28 God specified that enough cities of refuge be established to make the distance for reaching them a practical possibility, and that a person fleeing from vengeance would be safe only within a city of refuge and subject to vengeance if he strayed outside it.

So what did the image of the city of refuge mean to the ordinary Israelite? It was an image of safety, protection from pursuit, a renewal of life that would otherwise be doomed, and a kind of salvation. The picture of the harassed fugitive finding safety is central to the Old Covenant ideas of justice and salvation, and it may partly account for God inspiring the composers of the Psalms to repeatedly refer to refuge in the Psalms.

Numbers 35:15-25

The intent makes a difference.

So most of that information there was in regard to murder, and you can see clearly that if it was done with intent then the person was guilty of murder and they were put to death. On the other hand, if the death was accidental, it becomes manslaughter and the person is still penalized. He has to spend a long period of time in the city of refuge. It is like being locked up there until the high priest dies, and then because the death he caused was not fully intended, he is then free to go back to his family.