A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Numbers · Chapter 35 – Chapter 36
CHAP. XXXV.
Verſ. 2. COmmand the children of Iſrael, that they give unto the Levites, of the inheritance of their poſſeſſion, cities to dwell in, &c.]
Thus that which Jacob did at firſt threaten as a curſe againſt Levi, Gen. 49. 7. I will divide them in Jacob, and ſcatter them in Iſrael, is turned into a bleſſing, and their reproch changed into a matter of honour and dignity: for they are now diſperſed into ſeverall cities through the whole kingdome (where they dwelt, unl…ſſe it were when they went in their courſes to ſerve in the tabernacle) that they might be as Gods watchmen, ſtanding in ſo many watch-towers, to look to the people, to inſtruct them continually in the law of God, and to keep them from being corrupted either in doctrine or manners. But this and other places do almoſt fully ſatisfie that the whole cities and their ſuburbs, afterward ſet apart for their dwelling, were entirely the Levites poſſeſſion, and divided amongſt them, and that no man elſe could challenge any propriety in them, whence is that Levit. 25. 32, 33, 34. Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houſes of the cities of their poſſeſſion, may the Levites redeem at any time. And if a man purchaſe of the Levites, then the houſe that was ſold, and the citie of his poſſeſſion ſhall go out in the year of Jubile: for the houſes of the cities of the Levites are their poſſeſsion among the children of Iſrael; yet withall I think it moſt probable that others dwelt with them in houſes hired or bought of them (for how elſe could they live without the help of men of other profeſſions, at leaſt ſuch as were their ſervants?) and that theſe might live, as the townſmen do in our Univerſities, under a civil government amongſt themſelves, to which ſome apply that, Ezra. 2. 70. So the prieſts, and the Levites, and ſome of the people, and the ſingers, and the porters, and the Nethini…s, dwelt in their cities, and all Iſrael in their cities. However clear it is that the fields and villages belonging to theſe cities, which were without the ſuburbs, belonged to others, as is manifeſt in Hebron, which was given to the prieſts, and yet the land without the ſuburbs, to wit, the houſes without the walls and the fields belonging thereto, were given to Caleb, Joſh. 21. 11, 12. And they gave them the citie of Arbah, the father of Anak, which citie is Hebron in the hill countrey of Judah with the ſuburbs thereof round about it. But the fields of the citie and the villages thereof gave they to Caleb the ſonne of Jephunneh, for his poſſeſſion.
Verſ. 4. And the ſuburbs of the cities which ye ſhall give unto the Levites, &c.]
There ſeems to be a manifeſt contradiction betwixt that which is ſaid in t…is fourth verſe, concerning the meaſure of the ſuburbs of the Levites cities, and that which is ſaid in the following verſe: for here it is plainly ſaid that the ſuburbs of the cities ſhould reach from the wall of the citie, and outward a thouſand cubits round about, and then in the next verſe it is ſaid that they ſhould meaſure from without the city, on each ſide, two thouſand cubits, the citie being in the midst, and that this ſhould be to them the ſuburbs of the cities. To reconcile this ſeeming contradiction there are ſeverall anſwers given by Expoſitours, ſome holding that the ſuburbs were but a thouſand cubits on each ſide of th… citie, but then from the outermoſt part of the ſuburbs on one ſide, as one the Eaſt ſide, to the outermoſt part of the ſuburbs on the other ſide, to wit, on the Weſt (the citie in the midſt not being meaſured) there were two thouſand cubits. Others again holding that the fourth verſe ſpeaks of the length of the ſuburbs from the wall to the outmoſt part of them, which was a thouſand cubits, and that the fifth verſe ſpeaks of the circumference of the ſuburbs in the foure quarters on each ſide the citle, which was in each quarter two thouſand cubits. But firſt, becauſe it is plainly ſaid, verſ. 5. that they ſhould meaſure two thouſand cubi…s on each ſide, Eaſt, Weſt, North, and South; and ſecondly, becauſe the fifth verſe ſpeaks of cubits to be meaſured from without the citie, and the fourth verſe ſpeaks of cubits to be meaſured from the wall of the citie, therefore I conceive the trueſt anſwer is, that each citie of the Levites had without the walls three thouſand cubits, the firſt thouſand were for houſes, barns, garners, ſtalls for cattel, gardens, &c. which is that which we uſually call the ſuburbs of a citie, of which Moſes ſpeaks in the fourth verſe; and then the other two thouſand cubits, which were without theſe, were for paſture for their cattel, and theſe are meant in the fifth verſe, and are reckoned as a part of their ſuburbs.
Verſ. 6. And among the cities which ye ſhall give unto the Levites, there ſhall be ſix cities for refuge, &c.]
Theſe cities of refuge are aſſigned out of the Levites cities rather then out of any other, firſt, becauſe the honourable eſteem and reſpect of the Levites would cauſe the places to be the more inviolably obſerved; ſecondly, becauſe it was preſumed that the prieſts and Levites above others would be carefull not to protect wilfull offenders in places appointed to be Sanctuaries onelyonly for the innocent; thirdly, that this might be a figure of the ſufficient ſhelter which Chriſts prieſthood ſhould yield unto poore ſinners, that in faith ſhould fly to him as their Sanctuary. In Deut. 4. and Joſh. 20. we may ſee what cities of the Levites were ſet apart for this purpoſe, to wit, firſt, Bezer of the Reubenites, ſecondly, Ramoth in Gilead of the Gadites, thirdly, Golan in Baſan of the Manaſſites (the…e three Moſes ſeparated, Deut. 4. 41, 43.) fourthly, Kadeſh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, fifthly, Shechem in mount Ephraim, and ſixthly, Kiriath-arba (which is in Hebron) in the mount of Judah; and theſe Joſhua ſeparated, Joſh. 20. 7. Before theſe cities of refuge were appointed, it ſeems the altar onelyonly was a kind of Sanctuary to thoſe that fled to it: whence is that, Exod 21. 14. But if a man come preſumptuouſly upon his neighbour to ſlay him with guile, thou ſhalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. But afterward theſe cities were the chief Sanctuaries, and yet they were onelyonly to be Sanctuaries to thoſe that killed any man unwittingly, and therefore they were not to receive any man till he profeſſed his innocency in this regard, Joſh. 20. 4. And when he that doth flee unto one of thoſe cities, ſhall ſtand at the entring of the gate of the citie, and ſhall declare his cauſe in the ears of the Elders of that citie; they ſhall take him into the citie unto them, and give him a place that he may dwell among them: and purpoſely they choſe ſuch cities as lay at an equall diſtance in the ſeverall parts of the land, that no man driven to uſe them might have too farre to go, leſt ſo happely he ſhould be overtaken by the revenger of bloud before he could recover the Sanctuary.
Verſ. 12. And they ſhall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger, &c.]
That is, the next kinſman to the man flain, who was by the law allowed to put the murderer to death, verſ. 19. but not him that killeth a man unawares; yet leſt he ſhould in his rage kill ſuch a one, let there be cities, ſaith the Lord, of refuge for ſuch.
Verſ. 14. Ye ſhall give three cities on this ſide Jordan, and three cities ſhall ye give in the land of Canaan, &c.]
There was no inequality in this, becauſe the portion of the two tribes and a half without Jordan reached as farre in length as theirs in the land of Canaan, though it were nothing ſo broad. And beſides, it is moſt probable that thoſe in the land of Canaan near Jordan might fly to the cities of refuge without Jordan, if they were nearer to them then the others, yea and if the Lord enlarged their coaſts, and gave them all the land, they were to adde three cities more, Deut. 19. 8, 9.
Verſ. 16. And if he ſmite him with an instrument of iron ſo that he die, he is a murderer, &c.]
That is, purpoſely and preſumptuouſly: for otherwiſe if he killed a man with an inſtrument of iron unawares, not thinking to hit him, he was not to be ſlain, verſ. 22, 23. for this is onelyonly added, becauſe a man may ſtrike his neighbour purpoſely with his fiſt, &c. of which he may die, and yet not be a murderer, becauſe he may not happely intend his death. But leſt therefore under this pretence wilfull murderers ſhould think to eſcape, the Lord gives theſe following Laws, and this in the firſt place, that if it were proved that he did it willingly he muſt not think to eſcape by ſaying that he meant not to kill him: for if he ſtruck him with an inſtrument of iron (whatever it be) or with a ſtone, or hand-weapon, wherewith in any probability a man may be killed, it ſhall be preſumed that he intended hi… death, &c.
Verſ. 19. The revenger of bloud himſelf ſhall ſlay the murderer, &c.]
That is, though the revenger of bloud be but a private perſon, yet he ſhall ſlay the murderer, that is, he may ſlay him, he ſhall have liberty to do it, and ſhall not be accoun…ed guilty of murder if he doth ſlay him (yea ſome think he was bound to do it) when he meeteth him he ſhall ſlay him, that is, he ſhall not need to bring him before a Magiſtrate, &c. but he may ſlay him himſelf. And this is added to ſhew how neceſſary cities of refuge were, to wit, becauſe the avenger of bloud having this power from God might otherwiſe abuſe it, and in the heat of bloud fall upon a man that killed unawares, unleſſe this courſe were taken to have the Magiſtrate a judge in the cauſe. Neither need it ſeem ſtrange (as to ſome it doth) that private men ſhould be allowed thus to meddle with the ſword of juſtice: for a man being otherwiſe a private man, no Magiſtrate, being thus armed with power from God, is for the time to be eſ…eemed as a Magiſtrate, more then a private man.
Verſ. 20. But if he thrust him of hatred, &c.]
Here is another caſe given wherein the Magiſtrate ſhould adjudge a man a murderer, yea though he ſtruck him onelyonly with his hand, or with ſome little ſtone, or ſome other thing which was no way likely to kill him: for even in this caſe if it be proved that he lay in wait for him, or that he did it in prepenſed malice, or lived before in open enmity or hoſtility with him, by whatever means he kill him he ſhall be adjudged a wilfull murderer; for there is a difference made here betwixt enmity and ſudden diſpleaſure.
Verſ. 21. The revenger of bloud ſhall ſlay the murderer when he m…eteth him.]
See the note upon verſ. 19.
Verſ. 24. Then the congregation ſhall judge between the ſlayer, and the r…venger of bloud, &c.]
That is, if a man that had killed another fly to the citie of refuge, the avenger muſt then go and deſire juſtice againſt him, the Levites muſt bring him to the congregation where the man was ſlain, and then if he found a murderer, the congregation, that is, the Magiſtrates, ſhall give him up into the hands of the avenger; but if they found it, as we call it, chance-medly, then they ſent him back to the city of refuge.
Verſ. 25. And he ſhall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, &c.]
Even a man that killed another unwittingly was to live a while as a man baniſhed from his family and friends, both to ſhew how hatefull the ſhedding of mans bloud is to the Lord, and withall to prevent further miſchief, that the avenger be not urged nor provoked with the ſight of him: and the period appointed for his continuance in the city of refuge was till the death of the high prieſt, and that doubtleſſe that this releaſing of men exiled by the death of the high prieſt might be a ſhadow of our freedome and redemption by the death of Chriſt.
Verſ. 27. He ſhall not be guilty of bloud, &c.]
The Lord here freeth the avenger from puniſhment, if he found the man out of the city of refuge, and killed him, not as allowing his fact, but by this to make the ſlayer the more carefull to obſerve this law of keeping within his citie of refuge.
CHAP. XXXVI.
Verſ. 1. ANd the chief fathers of the families of the children of G…lead, &c.]
Becauſe the Lord had formerly ordered that Zelophehads daughters ſhould have that portion of the land aſſigned to 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) con…idering that if they married into any other tribe, this part of their land would be quite alienated from their tribe, they came now and ſhewed what inconvenience might follow upon this; and becauſe it was their tribe that was now likely to receive detriment by the alienation of Zelophehads portion, therefore they made it their ſuit that ſome order might be taken to prevent this miſchief.
Verſ. 2. The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Iſrael, &c.]
As if they ſhould have ſaid, To what purpoſe was this, if now our lot ſhall be diminiſhed, and a part of it wholly alienated to another tribe? yea by like accidents the portion of every tribe may in time be changed and diſturbed, and ſo all at length may come to confuſion, and the very end of Gods appointing every tribe to have their portion apart by themſelves may be quite made void.
Verſ. 4. And when the Jubile of the children of Iſrael ſhall be, then ſhall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received, &c.]
The drift of theſe words is to put Moſes and the Princes in mind, that whereas by the law of God at the year of Jubile (which was every fiftieth year) whatever land was ſold away out of the tribe ſhould return to the tribe, and that law of the Jubile ſeemed purpoſely intended to prevent the confuſion of the inheritance of the tribes, the very end of this law by ſuch marriages as theſe would be quite diſannulled.
Verſ. 5. And Moſes commanded the …hildren of I…rael▪ according to the word of the Lord, &c.]
That is, having asked counſel of God, he an…wered them as God had commanded him.