4 Bible Verses about Cities of refuge

Most Relevant Verses

Numbers 35:6-34

And of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, there shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee to. And besides them ye shall give forty-two cities. All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, them with their suburbs. And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many ye shall take many, and from the few ye shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give of hisread more.
And LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then ye shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there. And the cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge. Ye shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities ye shall give in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge. For the sons of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, these six cities shall be for refuge, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there. But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets him, he shall put him to death. And if he thrust him from hatred, or hurled at him, laying in wait, so that he died, or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died, he who smote 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. But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him anything without laying in wait, or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, nor sought his harm, then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge where he fled. And he shall dwell in it until the death of the high priest, who But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees, and the avenger of blood find him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, 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 shall return into the land of his possession. And these things shall be for a statute [and] ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person so that he dies. Moreover ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And ye shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. So ye shall not pollute the land in which ye are, for blood, it pollutes the land. And no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it. And thou shall not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell, for I, LORD, dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel.

Deuteronomy 4:41-43

Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him in time past, and that fleeing to one of these cities he might live: [namely], Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

Deuteronomy 19:1-13

When LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land LORD thy God gives thee, and thou succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses, thou shall set apart three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which LORD thy God gives thee to possess it. Thou shall prepare for thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which LORD thy God causes thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.read more.
And this is the case of the manslayer, who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him in time past, as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the helve, and lands upon his neighbor, so that he dies, he shall flee to on Lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally, whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he did not hate him in time past. Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shall set apart three cities for thee. And if LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as he has sworn to thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give to thy fathers, if thou shall keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways, then shall thou add three more cities for thee, besides these three, that innocent blood not be shed in the midst of thy land, which LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and smites him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him from there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Joshua 20:2-9

Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, Assign for you the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses, that the manslayer who kills any soul unwittingly [and] unawares may flee there. And they shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood. And he shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. And they shall take him into the city to them, and give him a place, thread more.
And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand, because he smote his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him formerly. And he shall dwell in that city, until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest who shall be in those days. Then the manslayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any soul unwittingly might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood befo

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Cities of refuge » Design of

Exodus 21:13

And if a man does not lay in wait, but God delivers [him] into his hand, then I will appoint for thee a place where he shall flee.

Numbers 35:11

then ye shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

Joshua 20:3

that the manslayer who kills any soul unwittingly [and] unawares may flee there. And they shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.

Cities of refuge » Names &c of

Deuteronomy 4:41-43

Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him in time past, and that fleeing to one of these cities he might live: [namely], Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

Joshua 20:7-8

And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

Cities of refuge » Required to be » Easy of access

Deuteronomy 19:3

Thou shall prepare for thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which LORD thy God causes thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.

Isaiah 62:10

Go through, go through the gates. Prepare ye the way of the people. Cast up, cast up the highway. Gather out the stones. Lift up an ensign for the peoples.

Cities of refuge » Afforded no asylum to murderers

Exodus 21:14

And if a man comes presumptuously upon his neighbor, to kill him with guile, thou shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

Numbers 35:16-21

But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. read more.
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets him, he shall put him to death. And if he thrust him from hatred, or hurled at him, laying in wait, so that he died, or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died, he who smote 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.

Cities of refuge » Those admitted to » Obliged to remain in, until the high priest's death

Numbers 35:25

And the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge where he fled. And he shall dwell in it until the death of the high priest, who

Numbers 35:28

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 shall return into the land of his possession.

Cities of refuge » Those admitted to » Were put on their trial

Numbers 35:12

And the cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

Numbers 35:24

then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.

Cities of refuge » Illustrative » Of Christ

Isaiah 25:4

For thou have been a stronghold to a poor man, a stronghold to a needy man in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the oppressors is as a storm against the wall.

Cities of refuge » Illustrative » (the way to,) of Christ

Isaiah 35:8

And a highway shall be there, and a way. And it shall be called The way of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but is shall be for [the redeemed], the wayfaring men. Yea fools shall not err [in it].

Cities of refuge » Those admitted to » Not protected outside of

Numbers 35:26-27

But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees, and the avenger of blood find him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,

Cities of refuge » Strangers might take advantage of

Numbers 35:15

For the sons of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, these six cities shall be for refuge, that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

Cities of refuge » Illustrative » Of the hope of the gospel

Hebrews 6:18

So that by two immutable events, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, having fled for refuge to seize the hope being openly displayed.

Cities of refuge » Required to be » Open to all manslayers

Joshua 20:4

And he shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. And they shall take him into the city to them, and give him a place, th

Types of Christ » Cities of refuge

Numbers 35:6

And of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, there shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee to. And besides them ye shall give forty-two cities.

Hebrews 6:18

So that by two immutable events, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, having fled for refuge to seize the hope being openly displayed.

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