Numbers 35 - Introduction
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_The Levitical cities_ The Levites are to receive 48 cities with their surrounding land (E.VV. -suburbs"), six of which are to be -cities of refuge." The cities are to be contributed by each tribe in numbers proportionate to its size. Each plot of land is to be a square of 2,000 cubits (_c._1,000 y... [ Continue Reading ]
_suburbs_ -pasture lands" (marg.) rightly represents the true force of the word, which denotes lit. a place for _driving_cattle (cf. Numbers 35:3). But it came to be used more generally of common land surrounding a town, which all the inhabitants had the right to use. It occurs very frequently in P... [ Continue Reading ]
_The -Cities of Refuge,"_and the _Law relating to homicide_ In Numbers 35:9 the appointment of the six cities and their purpose are prescribed; Numbers 35:16 contain specimen cases distinguishing deliberate murder from accidental homicide; Numbers 35:24 provide the legal procedure; Numbers 35:29 fo... [ Continue Reading ]
_ye shall appoint_ Perhaps better _ye shall_ SELECT. The verb in this sense is not found elsewhere in the O.T. _cities of refuge_ Perhaps _cities of_ RECEPTION, a term which occurs only in this chapter, and in Joshua 20, 21. (P), 1Ch 6:57; 1 Chronicles 6:67. The word is used in Rabbinic Heb. of the... [ Continue Reading ]
_the avenger_ Heb. _gô"çl_, the nearest representative of the family of the slain man. Perhaps (with LXX.) we should read -the avenger of blood," as in Numbers 35:19_; Numbers 35:21_. On the _gô"çl_and his duties see n. on Numbers 35:8. _the congregation_ It is not clearly stated that this means the... [ Continue Reading ]
In Joshua 20 the cities were selected as follows: on the E. of Jordan, Bezer in the south, Ramoth in Gilead, and Golan in Bashan; on the W. of Jordan, Kiriath-arba (Hebron) in the south of Judah, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kedesh in Naphtali. Thus the south, centre and north on both... [ Continue Reading ]
The cities may be used by every class of the community, the true born Israelite, the sojourner (_gêr_) and the stranger (_tôshâbh_). See on Numbers 9:14. Nothing is here said of slaves; they had no legal rights, and it is therefore improbable that they could claim any asylum.... [ Continue Reading ]
Specimen cases of murder and accidental homicide respectively; cf. Exodus 21:13 f.... [ Continue Reading ]
_a stone in the hand_ i.e. a stone held in the hand; cf. Numbers 35:18; Ezekiel 39:9 (E.VV. -handstaves").... [ Continue Reading ]
_thrust him_ i.e. pushed him, in such a way as to cause his death; e.g. over a cliff, or off the roof of a house.... [ Continue Reading ]
_according to these judgements_ i.e. guided by the foregoing specimen cases. A similar type of rule, based on hypothetical cases, is seen in the -Judgements" in Exodus 21:1 to Exodus 22:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
The legal procedure in the case of accidental homicide.... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall restore him_ It is not stated where the congregation had taken him for judgement, but it was presumably to his own city. It is not, however, impossible that -the congregation" means, as elsewhere in P, the whole community of Israel, and that P tacitly assumed that Jerusalem would be the place... [ Continue Reading ]
_a statute of judgement_ See on Numbers 27:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
_one witness shall not testify_&c. This re-enforces the law of Deuteronomy 17:6. In Deuteronomy 19:15 three, or at least two, witnesses are required to substantiate any charge (cf. Matthew 18:16).... [ Continue Reading ]
The murderer's life may not be ransomed. And the man who has committed accidental homicide may not pay a ransom in lieu of detention in the city of refuge. These prohibitions emphasize the extreme value of human life.... [ Continue Reading ]
See note on Numbers 35:1-4.... [ Continue Reading ]