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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge -
NUMBERS 35
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1 Eight and forty cities for the Levites, with their suburbs,
and measure thereof.
6 Six of them are to be cities of refuge.
9 The laws of murder and manslaughter.
31 No satisfaction for murder.
VERSE 1
* Nu 22:1; 26:63; 31:12; 33:50; 36:13
VERSE 2
* Le 25:32,33 Jos 14:3,4; 21:2-42 Eze 45:1-8; 48:8,22 1Co 9:10-14
VERSE 3
* Jos 21:11 2Ch 11:14 Eze 45:2
VERSE 4
- thousand cubits.
The Septuagint reads [ ]
"two thousand cubits," as in the following verse; but this
reading is not acknowledged by any other ancient version,
except the Coptic, nor by any of the MSS. collated by
Kennicott and De Rossi. Various modes have been proposed for
reconciling the accounts in these two verses, which appear in
general to require full as much explanation as the text
itself. The explanation of Maimonides is the only one that is
intelligible, and appears perfectly satisfactory. "The
suburbs," says he, "of the cities are expressed in the law to
be 3,000 cubits on every side, from the wall of the city and
outwards. The first 1,000 cubits are the suburbs; and the
2,000, which they measured without the suburbs, were for
fields and vineyards." The whole therefore, of the city,
suburbs, fields, and vineyards, may be represented by the
following diagram:--
旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴�
� Fields and vineyards. �
� �
� 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴커 �
� � � �
� � Suburbs. � �
� � � �
� � 旼컴컴컴컴� � �
� � � City. � � �
� � 읕컴컴컴컴� � �
� � � �
� � 1,000 Cubits � �
� � � �
� 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴켸 �
� �
� 2,000 Cubits �
읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴�
VERSE 5
* :4
VERSE 6
- six cities for refuge.
* :13,14 De 4:41-43 Jos 20:2-9; 21:3,13,21,27,32,36,38 Ps 9:9
* Ps 62:7,8; 142:4,5 Isa 4:6 Mt 11:28 Heb 6:18
- to them ye shall add. Heb. above them ye shall give.
VERSE 7
* Jos 21:3-42 1Ch 6:54-81
VERSE 8
- possession.
* Ge 49:7 Ex 32:28,29 De 33:8-11 Jos 21:3
- from them.
* Nu 26:54; 33:54 Ex 16:18 2Co 8:13,14
- he inheriteth. Heb. they inherit.
VERSE 9
* :9
VERSE 10
* Nu 34:2 Le 14:34; 25:2 De 12:9; 19:1,2
VERSE 11
- ye shall appoint.
As the {goel,} or kinsman, had a right to avenge the death of
his relation, by slaying the murderer wherever he found him,
the appointment of these cities was a humane institution for
the protection of the involuntary homicide; for they were
designed only for the protection of such.
- See on ver.
* :6 Jos 20:2
- unawares. Heb. by error.
* :22,23 Ex 21:13 De 4:42; 19:4,5
VERSE 12
- from the avenger.
* :19,25-27 De 19:6 Jos 20:3-6,9 2Sa 14:7
- until he stand.
* :24 De 19:11,12 Jos 20:4-6
VERSE 13
- six cities.
* :6
VERSE 14
- three cities.
* De 4:41-43; 19:8-10 Jos 20:7-9
VERSE 15
* Nu 15:16 Ex 12:49 Le 24:22 Ro 3:29 Ga 3:28
VERSE 16
- if he smite.
* :22-24 De 19:11-13
- the.
* :30-33 Ge 9:5,6 Ex 21:12-14 Le 24:17
VERSE 17
- throwing a stone. Heb. a stone of the hand.
* Ex 21:18
VERSE 18
* :18
VERSE 19
* :12,21,24,27 De 19:6,12 Jos 20:3,5
VERSE 20
- if he thrust.
* Ge 4:5,8 2Sa 3:27; 13:22,28,29; 20:10 1Ki 2:5,6,31-33 Pr 26:24
* Pr 28:17 Lu 4:29
- by laying.
* Ex 21:14 De 19:11 1Sa 18:10,11,25; 19:9-12; 20:1; 23:7-9; 24:11
* Ps 10:7-10; 11:2; 35:7,8; 57:4-6 Pr 1:18,19 Mr 6:19,24-26
* Ac 20:3; 23:21
VERSE 21
* :21
VERSE 22
* :11 Ex 21:13 De 19:5 Jos 20:3,5
VERSE 23
VERSE 24
- See on ver.
* :12 Jos 20:6
VERSE 25
- abide in it.
* :28 Jos 20:6 Ro 3:24-26 Eph 2:16-18 Heb 4:14-16; 7:25-28
* Heb 9:12-15; 10:19-22
- anointed.
* Ex 29:7 Le 4:3; 8:12; 21:10
VERSE 26
After the manslayer had been received into the city of refuge,
the avenger of blood could only act as prosecutor; and the
civil officers, in the presence of the people, were appointed to
decide the cause according to the rules here laid down.
Probably the accused person was tried at or near the place
where the deceased had been slain, and where evidence could
most easily be brought: and in case he was acquitted by the
decision of the judges, and with the approval of the
people, he was conveyed back to the city of refuge, where he
was protected as a kind of prisoner at large, till the death
of the high priest; when the public loss, and the grief
occasioned by it, might be supposed to swallow up all personal
regrets and resentments: and then he was permitted to return
to his house and estate. But if, in the mean while, he
ventured to leave the city, and the avenger met him and slew
him, he was supposed to merit his doom by thus neglecting the
appointment of God for his preservation, and the avenger must
not be punished. This shews that in other cases, if the
avenger slew an innocent man on surmise, he was liable to the
punishment of a murderer; but if, by the testimony of two
credible witnesses, the man who had fled to the city of refuge
was adjudged guilty, he must without fail be put to death.
* :26
VERSE 27
- he shall not be guilty of blood. Heb. no blood shall be to
him
* Ex 22:2 De 19:6,10
VERSE 28
- he should.
* Joh 15:4-6 Ac 11:23; 27:31 Heb 3:14; 6:4-8; 10:26-30,39
- after the death.
* Heb 9:11,12,15-17
VERSE 29
- See on ch.
* Nu 27:1,11
VERSE 30
* De 17:6,7; 19:15 Mt 18:16 Joh 8:17,18 2Co 13:1 1Ti 5:19
* Heb 10:28 Re 11:3
VERSE 31
- Moreover.
* Ge 9:5,6 Ex 21:14 De 19:11-13 2Sa 12:13 1Ki 2:28-34 Ps 51:14
- guilty of death. Heb. faulty to die.
VERSE 32
* Ac 4:12 Ga 2:21; 3:10-13,22 Re 5:9
The region east of Jordan was nearly as long as that on the
west, and therefore three cities were appointed in each
division. One or other of these cities would be within half a
day's journey of every part of the land; and as it would
rarely happen that the avenger of blood would be on the spot,
and none had a right to assault or detain the manslayer, at
least if no malicious intention was manifest, the unhappy men
would, therefore, get the start of their adversaries, and very
few of them be overtaken before they gained the place of
refuge. But then they must forsake their families,
employments, most important interests, and dearest comforts;
and they must neither loiter nor yield to weariness, nor
regard difficulties, nor slacken their pace, till they had got
safe within the walls of the city. The Jewish writers inform
us, that to afford every facility to those who thus fled for
their life, the road to these cities was always preserved in
good repair; and way-posts, upon which was inscribed REFUGE
were placed wherever needful, that they might not so much as
hesitate for a moment.
VERSE 33
- it defileth.
* Le 18:25 De 21:1-8,23 2Ki 23:26; 24:4 Ps 106:28 Isa 26:21
* Eze 22:24-27 Ho 4:2,3 Mic 4:11 Mt 23:31-35 Lu 11:50,51
- the land cannot be cleansed. Heb. there can be no expiation
for the land.
VERSE 34
- Defile not.
* Nu 5:3 Le 20:24-26
- I dwell.
* Ps 135:21 Isa 57:15 Ho 9:3 2Co 6:16,17 Re 21:3,27
- dwell among.
* Nu 5:3 Ex 25:8; 29:45,46 1Ki 6:13 Ps 132:14 Isa 8:12
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