民数记 35:6

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

你們分給利未人的城，其中要有六座避難城，讓誤殺人的可以逃到那裡去，此外還要給他們四十二座城。

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
你 们 给 利 未 人 的 城 邑 ， 其 中 当 有 六 座 逃 城 ， 使 误 杀 人 的 可 以 逃 到 那 里 。 此 外 还 要 给 他 们 四 十 二 座 城 。

Contextual Overview

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab across from Jericho by the Jordan River. He said, ² "Command the Israelites to give the Levites cities to live in from the land they receive. Also give the Levites the pastureland around these cities. ³ Then the Levites will have cities where they may live and pastureland for their cattle, flocks, and other animals. ⁴ The pastureland you give the Levites will extend fifteen hundred feet from the city wall. ⁵ Also measure three thousand feet in each direction outside the city wall—three thousand feet east of the city, three thousand feet south of the city, three thousand feet west of the city, and three thousand feet north of the city, with the city in the center. This will be pastureland for the Levites' cities. ⁶ "Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of safety. A person who accidentally kills someone may run to one of those cities for safety. You must also give forty-two other cities to the Levites; ⁷ give the Levites a total of forty-eight cities and their pastures. ⁸ The larger tribes of Israel must give more cities, and the smaller tribes must give fewer cities. Each tribe must give some of its cities to the Levites, but the number of cities they give will depend on the size of their land."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

six cities for refuge: Numbers 35:13, Numbers 35:14, Deuteronomy 4:41-43, Joshua 20:2-9, Joshua 21:3, Joshua 21:13, Joshua 21:21, Joshua 21:27, Joshua 21:32, Joshua 21:36, Joshua 21:38, Psalms 9:9, Psalms 62:7, Psalms 62:8, Psalms 142:4, Psalms 142:5, Isaiah 4:6, Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 6:18

to them ye shall add: Heb. above them ye shall give

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:11 - ye shall appoint Deuteronomy 4:42 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 12:8
Then he traveled from Shechem to the mountain east of Bethel and set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. There Abram built another altar to the Lord and worshiped him.

Genesis 28:19
At first, the name of that city was Luz, but Jacob named it Bethel.

Genesis 28:22
This stone which I have set up on its end will be the house of God. And I will give God one-tenth of all he gives me."

Genesis 35:22
While Israel was there, Reuben had sexual relations with Israel's slave woman Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons.

Genesis 35:26
And he had two sons by Leah's slave girl Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These are Jacob's sons who were born in Northwest Mesopotamia.

Genesis 48:3
Then Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me there.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites,.... The number of which is not yet expressed, but is afterwards: there shall be

six cities for refuge; a sort of asylums, of which there were many among the Heathens, perhaps in imitation of these, for persons to have recourse to for safety, when in danger of life: the Septuagint render the words, "cities of flight" b; or to flee unto, which certainly was the use of them: to this the apostle alludes when he speaks of some that fled for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before them, Hebrews 6:18, the word c used for refuge signifies "gathering or receiving", for here persons in distress gathered or betook themselves; and here they were received, retained, protected, and sheltered: what and where these six cities were to be, and were, is after shown:

which ye shall appoint for the manslayer; not for any and everyone, not for one that killed a man presumptuously and purposely, through enmity and malice, but for one that did it ignorantly, unawares, and without design:

that he may flee thither; with all haste, after the commission of the fact; and, to facilitate his flight, and that he might have no interruption in it, the sanhedrim were obliged to prepare the ways to the cities of refuge, and to make them fit and large; and they removed everything that might cause him to stumble; and they did not leave in the way neither an hillock, nor a dale, nor a river but they made a bridge over it, that nothing might retard him that fled thither, as it is said;

thou shalt prepare thee a way; Deuteronomy 19:3 and the breadth of the way to the cities of refuge was not less than thirty two cubits; and at the parting of ways (on posts erected) were written, "refuge, refuge", so that the slayer might know (the way) and turn there (as this directed him): and on the fifteenth of Adar or February, they met every year, to take care of this business d; and they also appointed two disciples of the wise men, or two studious and understanding persons, to accompany him, not so much for the direction of the way, as lest the avenger of blood should meet with him, and slay him in the way; and who were to talk to him, and persuade him not to do it, suggesting to him that it was not done designedly, but unawares, and that it would be a bad thing to kill a man for what he did not intend to do, and which was done without any malice or enmity to the person killed, and with such like words to cool and appease the avenger e:

and to them ye shall add forty two cities; according to the Jewish writers these also were cities of refuge; for so they say f,

"all the cities of the Levites receive or are refuges, every one of them is a city of refuge, as it is said, "and to them ye shall add", c. the Scripture makes them all alike for refuge: what difference is there between cities of refuge, which are separated for refuge, and the rest of the cities of the Levites? the gates of the cities of refuge receive, whether according to knowledge or not, (which Mr. Selden g interprets, whether the inhabitants will or not but the sense of Maimonides elsewhere h, and of other writers, is plainly this, whether according to the knowledge and intention of the manslayer or not, whether he knows it to be a city of refuge or :not, and whether he purposely came thither for safety or not,) and he that enters into them is safe; but the rest of the cities of the Levites do not receive, but according to knowledge (when the manslayer knowingly and designedly came thither for shelter); and a manslayer that dwells in a city of refuge gives no more for his house, but he that dwells in the other cities of the Levites gives more (or pays for it) to the owner of the house;''

but though this is their unanimous opinion, it rather seems, according to the letter of the Scripture, that only six were cities of refuge, and the rest were for the Levites to dwell in by themselves.

b ערי המקלט πολεις των φυγαδευτηριων, Sept. c מקלט "receptus", Junius Tremellius "collectionis", Piscator; R. Sol. Ohel Moed, fol. 82. 1. "proprie significat collectionem vel retentionem", Munster. d Maimon. Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 8. sect. 5. e Misn. Maccot, c. 2. sect. 5. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. f Maimon. ut supra, (d) sect. 11. g De Jure Natarae & Gentium, l. 4. c. 2. p. 489. h Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Maccot, l. 2. sect. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Levitical cities were in an special manner the Lord’s; and therefore the places of refuge, where the manslayer might remain under the protection of a special institution devised by divine mercy, were appropriately selected from among them. No doubt also the Priests and Levites would be the fittest persons to administer the law in the doubtful cases which would be sure to occur: compare Numbers 35:24 note.