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Numbers 35:6

in Numbers 35

Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee unto: and besides them ye shall give forty and two cities.

KJV

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, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

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This verse in Numbers 35

Commentary

3 notes on this verse
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 Num 35:24 note.

This site's exposition

there shall be six cities for refuge

on Numbers 35:6-8

Six of the forty-eight are cities of refuge and forty-two are not, and verse 8 sets the quota by size, from them that have many ye shall give many. Joshua 21 records the count being made good tribe by tribe, and Albert Barnes notes that Judah and Simeon together gave nine, Naphtali gave three, and the rest gave four apiece. The man who has taken a life is sheltered in a town belonging to the one tribe that owns no country of its own.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites,....

The words behind it

19 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְאֵ֣תand <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • הֶֽעָרִ֗יםthe cities

    hearimH5892 →1090 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֤רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • תִּתְּנוּ֙you will give

    titenuH5414 →2011 times

  • לַלְוִיִּ֔םto the Levites

    lalviyimH3881 →291 times

  • אֵ֚ת<obj.>

    ʾetH853 →10935 times

  • שֵׁשׁ־[the] six

    shesh-H8337 →216 times

  • עָרֵ֣י[the] cities of

    ʾareiH5892 →1090 times

  • הַמִּקְלָ֔ט<the> refuge

    hamiklatH4733 →20 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • תִּתְּנ֔וּyou will give

    titenuH5414 →2011 times

  • לָנֻ֥סto flee

    lanusH5127 →159 times

  • שָׁ֖מָּהthere towards

    shamahH8033 →834 times

  • הָרֹצֵ֑חַthe killer

    harotzeachH7523 →47 times

  • וַעֲלֵיהֶ֣םand to them

    vaaleihemH5921 →5755 times

  • תִּתְּנ֔וּyou will give

    titenuH5414 →2011 times

  • אַרְבָּעִ֥יםforty

    ʾarbaimH705 →136 times

  • וּשְׁתַּ֖יִםand two

    ushetayimH8147 →768 times

  • עִֽיר׃citi[es]

    ʾirH5892 →1090 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Joshua 20:2“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,5 worksJoshua 21:13So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,4 worksJoshua 21:3So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:4 worksDeuteronomy 4:41Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east4 worksNumbers 35:11designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.4 worksPsalms 9:9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.3 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Joshua 21:21From the tribe of Ephraim they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,3 worksJoshua 21:38And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,3 worksJoshua 21:36From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz,3 worksJoshua 21:32And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands.3 worksJoshua 21:27This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.3 worksNumbers 35:13–14The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge.2 worksPsalms 62:7–8My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock; my refuge is in God.2 worksIsaiah 4:6a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.2 worksPsalms 142:4–5Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.2 worksMatthew 11:28Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.2 worksHebrews 6:18Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.2 worksDeuteronomy 4:42to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Psalms 9:9

    The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 18:10

      The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

    • Psalms 91:1–2

      He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

    • Nahum 1:7

      The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.

    • Psalms 32:7

      You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

    • Psalms 46:1

      God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

  • Through

    Joshua 21:21

    From the tribe of Ephraim they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,

    it leads to

    • Joshua 20:7

      So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    Joshua 21:38

    And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,

    it leads to

    • Genesis 32:2

      When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.

  • Through

    Joshua 21:13

    So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,

    it leads to

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies1

About Numbers

The Bronze Serpent, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Bronze Serpent, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Numbers: the study guide →Read Numbers 35 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).

Read on in Numbers 35 →