Cities of refuge 1
Crime from hatred 11
Property markers 14
Qualifications of witnesses 15
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¶ 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 cities,
and in their houses;
2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. .3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. |
1 -
When ... cut off the nations The instructions
were for future application.
2 - Separate This order from nu3514 had already been partially planned. 3 - A way See is3508. |
| .4
And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may
live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time
past;
.5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: 6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. |
5 -
Into the wood According to Egyptian records the land was then heavily
wooded.
5 - Fetcheth a stroke Or "swings a stroke" (NKJV). 5 - Live Compare jos2001-4. The one who comes to Christ with blood on his hands may be cleansed in Jesus jn0107. |
| 8 And if the LORD thy
God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee
all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: 10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. |
8 -
Enlarge See ge1518,
ex2331,
de0107.
9 - If ... keep The promises of more territory (enlargement) depended on obedience de1122-4. 9 - Add three cities Three on each side of the Jordan had already been designated. The extra set of three was apparently not mentioned later. |
| .11
But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up
against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of
these cities:
.12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. |
11 - Hate his neighbor Hatred is not an excuse for crime. In fact hating carries the guilt of the crime 1jo0315. |
| .14 ¶ Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. | 14 - Landmark You can think of applications for this verse. |
| .15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. | One witness ... not To provide fairer justice. Compare de1706, nu3530, mt1816, 1ti0519. |
| .16
If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that
which is wrong;
17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; 18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. 20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. 21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. |
16
- If a false witness A reasonable plan of justice. Also see ex2123
and the "golden rule" mt0712,
which would have been would have been drawn from this passage. The ninth
commandment forbids false witness ex2016.
Some teach that Jesus didn't say anything new that was not in the Rabbinical
law. In fact, Jesus Himself claimed that He did not come to destroy the
law (Torah) but to uphold it mt0517.
The Torah, was writings of Moses and is obviously older than the ideas
of the Rabbis. In fact much of the Rabbinical ideas were developed after
the time of Christ.
16 - Before the Lord The higher court de1708-12. 19 - As he had thought The false witness would receive the punishment he had claimed for the one he accused v21, ex2301, ps03511. |
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