4 Bible Verses about Cities of refuge

Most Relevant Verses

Numbers 35:6-34

And the cities which ye give to the Levites are the six cities of refuge, which ye give for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, and besides them ye give forty and two cities; all the cities which ye give to the Levites are forty and eight cities, them and their suburbs. And the cities which ye give are of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many ye multiply, and from the few ye diminish; each, according to his inheritance which they inherit, doth give of his cities to the Levites.'read more.
And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye are passing over the Jordan to the land of Canaan, and have prepared to yourselves cities -- cities of refuge they are to you -- then fled thither hath a man-slayer, smiting a person unawares, and the cities have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer, and the man-slayer doth not die till his standing before the company for judgment. As to the cities which ye give -- six are cities of refuge to you; the three of the cities ye give beyond the Jordan, and the three of the cities ye give in the land of Canaan; cities of refuge they are. To sons of Israel, and to a sojourner, and to a settler in their midst, are these six cities for a refuge, for the fleeing thither of any one smiting a person unawares. And if with an instrument of iron he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he is a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. And if with a stone in the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he is a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. Or with a wooden instrument in the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he is a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. 'The redeemer of blood himself doth put the murderer to death; in his coming against him he doth put him to death. And if in hatred he thrust him through, or hath cast anything at him by lying in wait, and he dieth; or in enmity he hath smitten him with his hand, and he dieth; the smiter is certainly put to death; he is a murderer; the redeemer of blood doth put the murderer to death in his coming against him. 'And if, in an instant, without enmity, he hath thrust him through, or hath cast at him any instrument, without lying in wait; or with any stone wherewith he dieth, without seeing, and causeth it to fall upon him, and he dieth, and he is not his enemy, nor seeking his evil; then have the company judged between the smiter and the redeemer of blood, by these judgments. 'And the company have delivered the man-slayer out of the hand of the redeemer of blood, and the company have caused him to turn back unto the city of his refuge, whither he hath fled, and he hath dwelt in it till the death of the chief priest, who hath been anointed with the holy oil. And if the man-slayer at all go out from the border of the city of his refuge whither he fleeth, and the redeemer of blood hath found him at the outside of the border of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood hath slain the man-slayer, blood is not for him; for in the city of his refuge he doth dwell till the death of the chief priest; and after the death of the chief priest doth the man-slayer turn back unto the city of his possession. 'And these things have been to you for a statute of judgment to your generations, in all your dwellings: whoso smiteth a person, by the mouth of witnesses doth one slay the murderer; and one witness doth not testify against a person -- to die. And ye take no atonement for the life of a murderer who is condemned -- to die, for he is certainly put to death; and ye take no atonement for him to flee unto the city of his refuge, to turn back to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. And ye profane not the land which ye are in, for blood profaneth the land; as to the land, it is not pardoned for blood which is shed in it except by the blood of him who sheddeth it; and ye defile not the land in which ye are dwelling, in the midst of which I do tabernacle, for I Jehovah do tabernacle in the midst of the sons of Israel.'

Deuteronomy 4:41-43

Then Moses separateth three cities beyond the Jordan, towards the sun-rising, for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, who slayeth his neighbour unknowingly, and he is not hating him heretofore, and he hath fled unto one of these cities, and he hath lived: Bezer, in the wilderness, in the land of the plain, of the Reubenite; and Ramoth, in Gilead, of the Gadite; and Golan, in Bashan, of the Manassahite.

Deuteronomy 19:1-13

'When Jehovah thy God doth cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and thou hast succeeded them, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses, three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it. Thou dost prepare for thee the way, and hast divided into three parts the border of thy land which Jehovah thy God doth cause thee to inherit, and it hath been for the fleeing thither of every man-slayer.read more.
And this is the matter of the man-slayer who fleeth thither, and hath lived: He who smiteth his neighbour unknowingly, and is not hating him heretofore, even he who cometh in with his neighbour into a forest to hew wood, and his hand hath driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron hath slipped from the wood, and hath met his neighbour, and he hath died -- he doth flee unto one of these cities, and hath lived, lest the redeemer of blood pursue after the man-slayer when his heart is hot, and hath overtaken him (because the way is great), and hath smitten him -- the life, and he hath no sentence of death, for he is not hating him heretofore; therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee. And if Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which He hath spoken to give to thy fathers -- when thou keepest all this command to do it, which I am commanding thee to-day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in His ways all the days -- then thou hast added to thee yet three cities to these three; and innocent blood is not shed in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee -- an inheritance, and there hath been upon thee blood. And when a man is hating his neighbour, and hath lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and smitten him -- the life, and he hath died, and he hath fled unto one of these cities, then the elders of his city have sent and taken him from thence, and given him into the hand of the redeemer of blood, and he hath died; thine eye hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with thee.

Joshua 20:2-9

'Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, Give for you cities of refuge, as I have spoken unto you by the hand of Moses, for the fleeing thither of a man-slayer smiting life inadvertently, without knowledge; and they have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer of blood. When one hath fled unto one of these cities, and hath stood at the opening of the gate of the city, and hath spoken in the ears of the elders of that city his matter, then they have gathered him into the city unto them, and have given to him a place, and he hath dwelt with them.read more.
'And when the redeemer of blood doth pursue after him, then they do not shut up the man-slayer into his hand, for without knowledge he hath smitten his neighbour, and is not hating him hitherto; and he hath dwelt in that city till his standing before the company for judgment, till the death of the chief priest who is in those days -- then doth the man-slayer turn back and hath come unto his city, and unto his house, unto the city whence he fled.' And they sanctify Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kirjath-Arba (it is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah; and beyond the Jordan, at Jericho eastward, they have given 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 have been cities of meeting for all the sons of Israel, and for a sojourner who is sojourning in their midst, for the fleeing thither of any one smiting life inadvertently, and he doth not die by the hand of the redeemer of blood till his standing before the company.

Bible Theasaurus

From Thematic Bible


Cities of refuge » Design of

Exodus 21:13

as to him who hath not laid wait, and God hath brought to his hand, I have even set for thee a place whither he doth flee.

Numbers 35:11

and have prepared to yourselves cities -- cities of refuge they are to you -- then fled thither hath a man-slayer, smiting a person unawares,

Joshua 20:3

for the fleeing thither of a man-slayer smiting life inadvertently, without knowledge; and they have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer of blood.

Cities of refuge » Names &c of

Deuteronomy 4:41-43

Then Moses separateth three cities beyond the Jordan, towards the sun-rising, for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, who slayeth his neighbour unknowingly, and he is not hating him heretofore, and he hath fled unto one of these cities, and he hath lived: Bezer, in the wilderness, in the land of the plain, of the Reubenite; and Ramoth, in Gilead, of the Gadite; and Golan, in Bashan, of the Manassahite.

Joshua 20:7-8

And they sanctify Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kirjath-Arba (it is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah; and beyond the Jordan, at Jericho eastward, they have given 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 dost prepare for thee the way, and hast divided into three parts the border of thy land which Jehovah thy God doth cause thee to inherit, and it hath been for the fleeing thither of every man-slayer.

Isaiah 62:10

Pass ye on, pass on through the gates, Prepare ye the way of the people, Raise up, raise up the highway, clear it from stones, Lift up an ensign over the peoples.

Cities of refuge » Afforded no asylum to murderers

Exodus 21:14

'And when a man doth presume against his neighbour to slay him with subtilty, from Mine altar thou dost take him to die.

Numbers 35:16-21

And if with an instrument of iron he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he is a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. And if with a stone in the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he is a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. Or with a wooden instrument in the hand, wherewith he dieth, he hath smitten him, and he dieth, he is a murderer: the murderer is certainly put to death. read more.
'The redeemer of blood himself doth put the murderer to death; in his coming against him he doth put him to death. And if in hatred he thrust him through, or hath cast anything at him by lying in wait, and he dieth; or in enmity he hath smitten him with his hand, and he dieth; the smiter is certainly put to death; he is a murderer; the redeemer of blood doth put the murderer to death in his coming against him.

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

Numbers 35:25

'And the company have delivered the man-slayer out of the hand of the redeemer of blood, and the company have caused him to turn back unto the city of his refuge, whither he hath fled, and he hath dwelt in it till the death of the chief priest, who hath been anointed with the holy oil.

Numbers 35:28

for in the city of his refuge he doth dwell till the death of the chief priest; and after the death of the chief priest doth the man-slayer turn back unto the city of his possession.

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

Numbers 35:12

and the cities have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer, and the man-slayer doth not die till his standing before the company for judgment.

Numbers 35:24

then have the company judged between the smiter and the redeemer of blood, by these judgments.

Cities of refuge » Illustrative » Of Christ

Isaiah 25:4

For Thou hast been a stronghold for the poor, A stronghold for the needy in his distress, A refuge from storm, a shadow from heat, When the spirit of the terrible is as a storm -- a wall.

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

Isaiah 35:8

And a highway hath been there, and a way, And the 'way of holiness' is called to it, Not pass over it doth the unclean, And He Himself is by them, Whoso is going in the way -- even fools err not.

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

Numbers 35:26-27

And if the man-slayer at all go out from the border of the city of his refuge whither he fleeth, and the redeemer of blood hath found him at the outside of the border of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood hath slain the man-slayer, blood is not for him;

Cities of refuge » Strangers might take advantage of

Numbers 35:15

To sons of Israel, and to a sojourner, and to a settler in their midst, are these six cities for a refuge, for the fleeing thither of any one smiting a person unawares.

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

Hebrews 6:18

that through two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, a strong comfort we may have who did flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us,

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

Joshua 20:4

When one hath fled unto one of these cities, and hath stood at the opening of the gate of the city, and hath spoken in the ears of the elders of that city his matter, then they have gathered him into the city unto them, and have given to him a place, and he hath dwelt with them.

Types of Christ » Cities of refuge

Numbers 35:6

And the cities which ye give to the Levites are the six cities of refuge, which ye give for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, and besides them ye give forty and two cities;

Hebrews 6:18

that through two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, a strong comfort we may have who did flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us,

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