Numbers 35:11

Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
appoint	וְהִקְרִיתֶ֤ם ve.hik.ri.Tem	H7136	to light upon (chiefly by accident) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine plural
cities	עָרִ֔ים 'a.Rim	H5892	a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · noun, common masculine plural absolute
cities	עָרֵ֥י 'a.Rei	H5892	a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · noun, common masculine plural construct
refuge	מִקְלָ֖ט mik.Lat	H4733	an asylum (as a receptacle) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
slayer	רֹצֵ֔חַ ro.Tze.ach	H7523	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
flee	וְנָ֥ס ve.Nas	H5127	to flit · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
killeth	מַכֵּה ma.keh-	H5221	to strike (lightly or severely · verb, hiphil active participle, masculine singular construct
person	נֶ֖פֶשׁ Ne.fesh	H5315	properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
unawares	בִּשְׁגָגָֽה bish.ga.Gah	H7684	a mistake or inadvertent transgression · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Exodus 21:13 And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
Numbers 35:6 And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, th…
Joshua 20:2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
Numbers 35:22-25 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
Deuteronomy 4:42 That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of…
Deuteronomy 19:1-13 When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cit…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 35:11

THE BLOOD AVENGER. (Num. 35:9-34) that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares--The practice of Goelism, that is, of the nearest relation of an individual who was killed being bound to demand satisfaction from the author of his death, existed from a very remote antiquity (Gen 4:14; Gen 27:45). It seems to have been an established usage in the age of Moses; and although in a rude and imperfect state of society, it is a natural and intelligible principle of criminal jurisprudence, it is liable to many great abuses; the chief of the evils inseparable from it is that the kinsman, who is bound in duty and honor to execute justice, will often be precipitate--little dispo…

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Adam Clarke on Numbers 35:11

Ye shall appoint - cities of refuge - The cities of refuge among the Israelites were widely different from the asyla among the Greeks and Romans, as also from the privileged altars among the Roman Catholics. Those among the Hebrews were for the protection of such only as had slain a person involuntarily. The temples and altars among the latter often served for the protection of the most profligate characters. Cities of refuge among the Hebrews were necessary, because the old patriarchal law still remained in force, viz., that the nearest akin had a right to avenge the death of his relation by slaying the murderer; for the original law enacted that whosoever shed man's blood, by man should hi…

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John Gill on Numbers 35:11

Then ye shall appoint your cities to be cities of refuge for you,.... And, according to the Jewish writers (i), these were neither to be made large nor little, but middling; and they appointed them where there were markets and fairs, at which goods were to be sold; and where there was plenty of water, and a multitude of people; and where there were but few, they fetched others from other places; and they neither made nets for hunting, nor twisted ropes in them, nor sold any warlike instruments, lest the avenger of blood should use himself to come thither, under pretence of buying such things, and kill the manslayer: that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares; or…

Dictionary and topics

City — The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain (Gen. 4:17). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12). Next, we have…
Law of Moses — Is the whole body of the Mosaic legislation (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:25; Ezra 3:2). It is called by way of eminence simply “the Law” (Heb. Torah, Deut. 1:5; 4:8, 44; 17:18, 19; 27:3, 8). As a written…
Refuge, Cities of — Were six in number (Num. 35). 1. On the west of Jordan were (1) Kadesh, in Naphtali; (2) Shechem, in Mount Ephraim; (3) Hebron, in Judah. 2. On the east of Jordan were, (1) Golan, in Bashan; (2)…
Cities Of Refuge · Design of — Design of
Homicide · ACCI — ACCI
Refuge · .From the avenger of bloo — .From the avenger of bloo

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Numbers 35:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 35:11

Adam Clarke on Numbers 35:11

John Gill on Numbers 35:11

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 35:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 35:11

Adam Clarke on Numbers 35:11

John Gill on Numbers 35:11

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Numbers 35:9–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 35:9-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 35:6-34

Rashi on Numbers 35:11