Numbers 35:27, commentary and pictures

The law gave safety to the unintentional killer only while he stayed inside the borders of his city of refuge, so that if the avenger found him outside and put him to death the avenger bore no guilt for bloodshed. That shelter belonged to one who had killed without hatred or intent, and after a fair hearing a willful murderer was handed over to be slain. The appointment did not make the avenger the judge nor leave killing to private revenge, but restrained blood vengeance by keeping the fugitive secure until the congregation could decide his case. The city and its law foreshadow the refuge found in Christ Jesus, to whom the guilty sinner may flee and stand to be declared free. As the manslayer was safe only while abiding within, so those who remain in Christ are shielded from wrath, but those who leave him meet judgment, and because his priesthood and intercession never end that refuge is eternal.

Refuge Law Explained

The law gives the manslayer safety only inside the borders of his city of refuge, and if the avenger of blood finds him outside those borders and kills him, the avenger is not guilty of blood. The refuge therefore gave a chance to reach safety and to stand before judgment, but delay in fleeing or leaving the city afterward put the manslayer's life at risk, since his protection depended on remaining within the prescribed limits. Inside the city he had freedom, yet the protective boundary was the thousand-cubit limit marking its suburbs, and to go beyond it was to risk death without guilt of blood to the revenger. That protection was only temporary, lasting while he remained in the city.

The procedure worked in two stages, beginning at the gate of the city, which was a sheltered, public place where judges sat night and day to receive and take charge of fugitives, and where the decision of the elders admitted him to the city. The regular trial before a higher court came later, after witnesses had been summoned and the accusers had time to appear. The shelter belonged only to one who killed without enmity, unwittingly or accidentally, and not to a willful murderer, for after a fair trial a guilty murderer was delivered up to be slain. This distinguishes accidental killing from willful, premeditated murder. The permission for the avenger to kill outside the boundaries did not make the avenger the judge nor authorize private vengeance instead of trial, but the cities and the right to a fair trial limited the established custom of blood vengeance by sheltering the slayer until the congregation heard the case and determined guilt or innocence.

The requirement to dwell in the city until the death of the high priest was not unjust, even though it might seem severe if the high priest lived long. Even the accidental slaying of a fellow mortal is no light thing and is often accompanied by some carelessness. The confinement served a double purpose, to give the slayer opportunity to reflect seriously over the whole bearing of the case and to alleviate the hatred and sorrow of the friends of the dead man. The cities belonged to the Levites, so remaining there placed the slayer among religious teachers and gave opportunity to reform life.

Christ the Eternal Refuge

The cities of refuge and their law are a type of the refuge found in Christ Jesus. The city pictures Christ and the avenger pictures God's law demanding the sinner's life. The ordinance gave the manslayer a chance to reach safety within the borders and stand before judgment to be pronounced free, for if the avenger found him outside he could put him to death without incurring guilt, so delay or departure put life at risk. So sinners who flee to Christ find safety from the avenger, and remaining in Him they are safe, while His living forever and interceding keep the refuge from ending and satisfy the law.

That ancient protection was only temporary, in contrast to Christ the eternal Refuge whose unending priesthood and intercession save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him. Protection lasts only while remaining inside: those who remain in Christ are safe from wrath, while those who depart from Him face judgment and destruction. The provision is God's provision of life for transgressors who repent and return to Him, not permission to continue in sin.

Wording and Application

The singular wording for the avenger of blood and for the slayer in Numbers 35:25-28 can stand for roles carried on through successive people rather than for only one individual man on each side. The singular form therefore represents a succession holding the same office or condition over time.

The singular mention of the high priest in the same law of the city of refuge likewise means the succession of Jewish high priests arising one after another, not one man only. The singular with the article is a Scripture idiom for a multitude and for a succession of persons, so titles such as the man of sin, the son of perdition, and the lawless one can denote an impious tyranny exercised by a succession of men.

The law by which a slayer found outside the borders of the refuge could be put to death by the avenger without bloodguilt belongs to the provision of the cities of refuge. That image of a city of refuge is applied to cities made clean and bright through care for poor and suffering people.