The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 90 – Section 91
SECT. XC.
THe Lord further Commands the Iſraelites to give 48 Cities to the Levites for their Poſſeſſion. He appoints the Suburbs of them to reach a thouſand Cubits from the wall of the City on each ſide, ſo that meaſuring the length from one end of the lines to the other end oppoſite againſt it, as from Eaſt to Weſt, or from North to South there were two thouſand Cubits, that made the perfect ſquare. God alſo appoints ſix of theſe Cities for Cities of Refuge, Three in the Land of Canaan, and three (b)There was no inequality in this, becauſe the portion of the two Tribes and an half without Jordan reached as far in length as theirs in the Land of Canaan, though it were nothing ſo broad. Beſides, if the Lord inlarged their Coaſts, and gave them all the Land, they were to add three Cities more, Deut. 19.8, 9.on the other ſide Jordan. And thoſe Cities were (as we may ſee afterwards, Deut. 4. and Joſhua 20.) 1. Bezer, a City of the Reubenites. 2. Ramoth of Gilead of the Gadites. 3. Golan in Baſhan of the Manaſſites. Theſe three Moſes ſeparated, Deut. 4.41, 43. 4. Kadeſh in Galilee in Mount Napthali. 5. Shechem in Mount Ephraim. 6. Kirjath-arba (which is Hebron) in the Mount of Judah; and theſe Joſhua ſeparated, Joſhua 20.7. Before theſe Cities of Refuge were appointed, it ſeems the Altar only was a kind of Sanctuary to thoſe that fled to it, ſee Exod. 21.14. But afterwards theſe Cities were the chief Sanctuaries to the Children of Iſrael, and the Sojourners and Strangers among them; and yet they were ſuch only to thoſe who had killed a man unwittingly. And therefore they were not to receive any man till he had profeſſed his Innocency as to this particular, ſee Joſh. 20.4. And ſuch Cities were purpoſely appointed as lay at an equal diſtance in the ſeveral parts of the Land, that no man driven to make uſe of them might have too far to go, and ſo might be overtaken by the Avenger of blood, who was the next Kinſman to the man ſlain, and might lawfully ſlay him, who had ſlain his Kinſman, if he took him out of the City of Refuge, and before he could recover the Sanctuary. And the way to theſe Cities was always to be prepared and made even and plain, that the Man-ſlayer might flee thither without hinderance, ſee Deut. 19.3. When the Man-ſlayer came thither, he was at the entrance of the Gate to ſhew his Cauſe to the Elders of the City, who were to take him in, till he was ſent for, and fetched to the City where he had done the Fact, and there he was to ſtand before the Congregation, [Joſhua 24.4, 6.] who if they found him worthy of death, were to deliver him to the Avenger to kill him; if not, they were to return him to the City of Refuge again, where he was to live in a kind of exile and impriſonment until the death of the High Prieſt, and might not come out before,*If He went out before, He forfeited his Priviledge and Protection, and the Avenger might lawfully ſlay him. and then He was to have liberty to return to his own houſe, and former dwelling place; the High Prieſt being a Type of the Meſſias, our High Prieſt and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, who by his death hath blotted out the hand-writing of our Sins, and reconcileth us to God. But theſe Cities of Refuge were not intended to be any Protection or Aſyle to willful Murderers, and ſuch as of malice-prepence ſlew a man, and ſtruck him with an Inſtrument of Iron, or with a Stone or Hand-weapon, wherewith (in probability) a man that is ſmitten muſt needs be kill'd. Moreover, no man was to be put to death on the ſingle teſtimony of one man alone. And no Redemption-money, no Bribe or Preſent was to be taken to ſpare a murderers life. For blood defileth the Land, and the Land cannot be cleanſed of the blood that is ſhed therein, but by the blood of him that ſhed it. And laſtly, no Redemption-money was to be taken for granting him, that was fled to a City of Refuge, a Diſpenſation or Liberty to return to the place of his former abode or habitation before the death of the High Prieſt.
Numb. 35. whole Chapter, and Deut. 4. verſ. 41, 42, 43.
SECT. XCI.
THe Lord having formerly ordered that Zelophehad's Daughter ſhould have that portion of Land in the Tribe of Manaſſeh, which their Father ſhould have had for his ſhare had he lived, the Children of Gilead (who were of that Tribe) conſidering that if theſe Daughters married into any other Tribe, this portion of their Land would be quite alienated from their Tribe, therefore they made it their ſuit that ſome order might be taken to prevent this miſchief. For by like accidents the portion of every Tribe might in time be changed, and ſo at length all may come to confuſion, and the very end of Gods appointing every Tribe to have their portion apart by themſelves might be quite made void. And further, whereas by the Law of God it was appointed that at the year of Jubilee (which was every fiftieth year) what ever Land was alienated from any Tribe ſhould return to that Tribe again, by ſuch marriages as theſe, Inheritances would paſs over from one Tribe to another, without poſſibility of reſtitution at the year of Jubilee, and ſo this Law would become void, which ſeem'd purpoſely intended to prevent the confuſion of the Inheritances of the Tribes. Moſes having ask'd Counſel of the Lord, anſwered them as God had commanded, viz. That the Daughters of Zelophehad ſhould marry only in the Tribe of their Father, (which they accordingly afterwards did) and further orders, That every Daughter that poſſeſſeth an Inheritance in any Tribe ſhould marry only unto one of that Tribe. But if ſhe was not an Inheritrix, ſhe might marry into any other Tribe. And thus Inheritances would not be removed from one Tribe to another.
Numb. Ch. 36. whole Chapter.