29, 30, 31, 34+ it 1s the more ſtrange and impudent, thar any Chri- ſtians ſhould make their SanQtuaries give ProteC&ion to ſuch perſons whom God hath ſoexpreſly excepred from it, which the Papiſts do ; and their Doftors are not aſhamed to defend it upon frivolous rea- ſons. c The Kinſman, who had right or power to demand, to take vengeance of the flaughrer. |
4 And when hethatdoth flee unto one of thoſe cities, ſhal ſtand ar the entring of the gate of that city, and ihal declaie his cauſe e in the ears of the elders of that city ; they ſhal take him into the city f unto them, and give him a place g that he may dwell among them.
ad Where the Judges uſed to fir. e Or, his marters or br.ſmeſs, what he hath done, and why, and how, he ſhal give them a true relation of the Fatt, and all its circumſtances. f Underſtand, if they are ſatisfied in the relation he makes, concerning the F:&, otherwiſe it had been a vain thing to examine his Cauſe. s Which they michr well allow him, becauſe God gave them the City with a reſervari- on for ſuch perſons.
5 And if theavenger ef blood purſue after him, then they ſhal not deliver the ſlayer up into his hand : be- cauſe he ſmote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not before time,
6 And he ſhal dwell in that city» until he ſtand þ be- fore the congregation i for judgement & * until the death of the hiZh prieſt & that ſhal be in thoſe days : then ſhal che ſlayer return and come unto his own city,and unto his own houſe, unto the city from whence he tied.
. k Which was the poſture of the Accuſed and Accuſers, Exod: 18: 13* Iſa: 50: 8: Zech; 3: 1, s Or, Company, os Aſſwmbly ; to wit, the Council appointed to judge of theſe matters, not the Council of the City of Retuge,for they bad examined him before, v: 4: but of the | Ciry
* Numh;
34 17+
* Exod::, I 3- Num: 35.5641h Ig. you reſerve Deut: 19 2+ 9.
JF 12g 25!
t )
* Numb |
(hap:
Heb: i650
» Deu* 29!
1 Ch c C. 78.
* uhap I8. 1. tNum 35+ 2s
* Ge |
+ Heb: Mnlified-
» Deu:; 4: TH
1 Ch on. (. 18.
© uhap. I8. 1, = t Numb:
35+ 2o vi ;
* $& Ch. *& 33*
Chap. XXL.
30 $8 City to which he belonged,or in or nigh which the Falt was commits
tcd,as appears from Numb. 35. 25. k Of which ſee on Numb. 35+ 25» - C Andthey + appointed Kedefſh in Galilee in mount
Naphtali,and Shechem in mount Ephraim,and Kirjath-
arba ( which is Hebron ) in the mountain of Judah 7.
| Concerning theſe Cities note, 1+ That they were all upon Mountains, that th-y mighr be ſeen at a great diſtance, and ſo dirett thoſe who fled tnither. 2- Thar they were ſeated ar convenient ditance one from another, for the benefit of the ſeveral Tribes ; for X:d:ſb was in the North, Hebron in the South, and Shechem be- tween them. 3. Thar they all belonged to the Levites ; partly that theſe Cauſes might be more impartially examined, and juſtly deter- mined by tkem who are preſumed beſt able ro underſtand rhe Law of God, and moſt obliged and likely to follow it in their Judge- ment.1nd not to be byaſs'd by any affeQtion or corrupt intereſk,and partly, thar their jult reputa'ion with the people, and their good Counſe!s, might lay ſome &ſtraint upon revengeful perſons, who might be inclined or tempted to follow the Man-ſlayer thither, and endeavour to kill him there. ;
8 And on the other fide Jordan by Jericho eaſtward, they afligned mz * Bezer in the wilderneſs upon the plain, out of the tribe of Reuben,and Ramoth in Gilead,out of the tribe of Gad,and Golan in Baſhan,out of the tribe of
Manaſleh.
» Or, gave, or kad aſſizned or given; for they were given by Moſes. Deut: 4: qa, &C+ or, they confirmed Meſcs his Grant, and applied them
| to thar uſeto which Moſes d.ſiyn<d and ſeparated them.
9 Theſe were the cities appointed for ail the children of Iſrael, and for the ſtranger » that ſojourneth among them, that whoſoever killeth any perſon at unawares, might flee thither, and ner die by hand of the avenger of blood, until he ſtood before the congregatione
n Not only Profclites, bur ochers alſo; becauſe this was a matter of common Tigir, that a diſtintion might be made between caſual Man-ſlayers, and wilful Murderers.
CHAP XX6 Cittes gin 0: of the other Tribes by lot to the Levites, n == 8. Particularly zo th. priefts, the children of Aaron, 9=—19. To the Levntes 3 the Koha- thites, 20 == 26. The Gerſhonites, 27 -—— 3 3.and Mcrarites, 34 —— 40+ in all 48 c tis; with their ſuburbs, 41. The Iſraelites quietly enjay the premiſed Land, 41 —— 45+ Hen 4 came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites b unto Eleazar the prieſt,and unto Jo- ſhua the ſon of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes o' the children of Ifrael. :
a When the whole Land was diſtributed unto the ſeveral Tribes, but 13ot aQtually puſſeſled by them ; which was the proper ſeaſon for them to pur in their claini» 6 The Fathers of che Levites were Kohath Gerſhom, and Merari, and the Heads ot theſe were the chief perſons now alive'of theſe ſeveral Fami'izs- :
2 And they ſpakeunto them *at Shiloh in the land of Canaan,ſaying, F The LORD commanded by the hand of Moſes.to give us cities to dwell in, with the ſuburbs thereof for vur cattel. :
2 And the children of Iſract gave unto the Levites c out of their inheritance 4, at the commandment of the LORD thee cities and their ſuburbs e. —_
c It tcems moſt probable, that they gave to the Levites promit- cuouſly ſuch Cities as God commanded, and that the Lor appro- priated them to their ſeveral Houſes or Families. & ( 7 e ) Uurct their ſeveral Poſſeſſions ; pircly, that the burden and lef's might be equally divided; and pri..c:pally, that the Levizes being ditperſcd
SY
- amorg the ſeveral Tribes, according to Jacobs prediction, Gen. 49-
7- migÞt more eaſily, and frequently, and efteCtually Tech the /- rael.tes Gods Law ana Judgements, which they were engaged ro du D:«t. 33- 10. and thar the people might upon all occaſions reſort tothem, and require the meaning of the Lew at therr mouths, Mal- 2- 7. eN tcnly the ute, bur the abſoJute Domiaion of them, as 1s manifeſt both from wv. 11. 12. where a diſtin&tion 1s made berween the C:ty and Suburb: of Hebron,and the Fielas and Villages thereof,and the former are given to the Levites, the latter ro Caleb; and from the return of theſe Cities in the J=bilee, unto the Levires as to the: proper owners, Levuit. 25. ZZ, 34« :