Cities of Refuge
Six cities were designated as cities of refuge. They were spaced throughout the land and protected those who had accidentally committed a crime or who were awaiting trial.
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CITIES OF REFUGE
Six cities, three in Canaan and three in Transjordan (area east of the Jordan River), designated as places of safety for persons suspected of manslaughter. The six cities were among the 48 assigned to the Levites (Nm 35:6). The three Transjordanian cities were Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan (Dt 4:43; Jos 20:8). The three cities west of the Jordan were Kedesh, Shechem, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah (Jos 20:7). They were distributed so that east of the Jordan, Golan was located in the north, Ramoth in the center, and Bezer in the south. West of the Jordan, Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron were located north, center, and south respectively. That made it possible for an accused manslayer to reach a city of refuge quickly.
In ancient Israel the nearest relative of a murder victim was required to take the life of the murderer (Nm 35:19-21). It was his duty to the widow, other family members, and to society. Murderers were not allowed to live, and there was no way to ransom them (v 31).
Cities of Refuge
Six cities were designated as cities of refuge. They were spaced throughout the land and protected those who had accidentally committed a crime or who were awaiting trial.
Accidental death, however, was another matter. Manslaughter without malice or premeditation had a special provision in the law of Moses. A man who accidentally killed someone could flee to the nearest city of refuge, where the local authorities would grant him asylum (Dt 19:4-6). When the case came to court, if the man was found guilty of premeditated murder, he was handed over for execution (19:11-12). If the death was deemed accidental, the person was acquitted. Nevertheless, he had to pay a penalty. The manslayer had to stay in the city of refuge as long as the current high priest was in office (Nm 35:22-28). That would be a considerable hardship in some cases. It meant either separation from one’s family or the expense and risk of moving from one’s ancestral land and trying to make a livelihood in a new city.
See also Asylum; Civil Law and Justice.