Deuteronomy 19 opens with the commandment to establish cities of refuge in the Holy Land and on the
east bank of the Jordan. Abravanel methodically discusses this subject.
“When God your Almighty shall cut off the nations, whose land God your
Almighty gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities, and
in their houses.”
To begin with, we will be reading about criminal proceedings in cases concerning murder. Where
involuntary or accidental manslaughter was involved, cities of refuge offered protection. In contrast, if a
cold-blooded killer escaped to a city of refuge, he would be removed, taken into court custody, and tried
for premediated murder.
Only those whose inadvertent act resulted in killing someone would qualify for the protection afforded
by cities of refuge. This law was first spelled out in Numbers 35. Additional legal details will be now
forthcoming. For brevity, we list two of the four instructions.
One, the starting point of this command took effect after the Hebrews defeated the Canaanites,
occupying their land and dividing it among the twelve tribes. "When God your Almighty shall cut off the
nations, whose land God your Almighty gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in
their houses. You shall separate three cities…"
Two, "You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land, which God your Almighty causes
you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.” The verse lays down a very
specific and technical requirement to erect highway signs: cities of refuge. The rationale for the signpost
cannot be more self-evident. Men seeking refuge should not have to guess if it's a left or right at the
upcoming traffic circle. The last thing a traumatized person needs (he just killed someone by mistake) is
to take that wrong turn, get lost, and end up in a tar pit, or in any other dead end. And if for some
reason of fate, the way to the city of refuge happens to traverse swamps, rivers, or what not, at least
there should be a bridge over these obstacles.
The point is clear. An inadvertent killer should not have to navigate challenging terrain in order to enter
a city of refuge. Convenience and clarity are key. So are good road conditions. On top of being well-
marked, it should be paved and well-kept.
Three sanctuary cities, in a manner of speaking, were situated on the east side of the Jordan River,
another three on the West Bank. But actually, manslayers found respite in many other cities. We refer
to the forty-two Levitical cities that dotted Israel. They afforded protection no less than did the cities of
refuge. All tallied, manslaughters had their choice of forty-eight protective cities.
