The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 458

rested upon the family until blood had been eanctions of religion, and 110 modified them avenged by blood, until " satisfaction " had as to secure the maximum of practical good been done by the death of the manslayer. consistent with the social state and moral He who freed the family from this intolerable feelin~ of the people. No doubt many an pain and humiliation-who enabled it to indiVIdaal was overtaken and slain by the hold up its head, and to breathe freely once goel who did not deserve to die according to more-was the goel; and in the natural our ideas; but where perfection was unattain- order of things he was the nearest "kins- able, this error was far less dangeroWI to that man" of the slain who could and would take age than the opposite error of diminishing the the duty upon him. To these natural feel- sanctity of human life and the awfulness of ings was added in many cases a religious Divine justice. The congregation. Hebrew, sentiment which regarded homicide as a sin nil/. This word is used frequently from against the higher Powers for which they E~~·d. xii. 3 to the end of this chapter, and too demanded the blood of the guilty. Such again in Joshua and the last two chapters of was the feeling among the Greeks, and Judges. It is not found in Deuteronomy, probably among the E~tians, while among nor often in the later books, In every case the Hebrews it could plead Divine sanction, apparently eydah signifies the whole nation given in the most comprehensive terms: as gathered together, e. g. as represented by "Your blood of your lives will I require, at all who had an acknowledged right to appear, the hand of every beast will !,require it; and for of course 600,000 men could not gather at the hand of man ; . . . whoso sheddeth together in any one place, The force of the man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" word may be understood by reference to its (Gen. ix. 5, 6). The moral difficulties of use in Judges Lx:x. 1 ; m. 10, 13, 16. this proclamation need not here bo cou- Another word (lOR) is also used, less fre• sidered ; it is enough to take note that the quently in Leviticus and Numbers, but more Divine law itself recognised the duty as well frequently in the later books, for the general as the lawfulness of private blood-revenge assembly of the people of Israel. No dis- when public justice could not be depended tinction of meaning can be drawn betweeu on. The goel, therefore, was not merely the two words, and it cannot, therefore, be the natural champion of his family, nor maintained that the " congregation" of this only the deliverer who satisfied the imperioWI verse means the local elders of Josh. xx. 4. demands of an artificial code of honour ; he The regulations there laid down are not in- was a minister of God, in whose patient consistent with the present law, but are quite efforts to hunt down his victim the thirst independent ofit. They refer to e. prelim~~ry for vengeance was to some extent at least hearing of the case as state~ by ~he ~agi.t1ve superseded by, or rather transmuted into, the alone in order to determ.me hill nght to longing to glorify God (compare the difficult shelter in the mean time; which right, if case of Rev. vi. 10). It was not merely accorded, was without prejudice to the future human feelings of great reach and tenacity judgment of the "congregation" on tho which were outraged by the immunity of the whole facts of the case (see below on manslayer ; it was still more the justice of ver. 25). . God which received a. grievous wound. Just Ver. 13.-Silc cities. See on Deut. x1x. becnuse, however, God had made the cause 8 9 where three more are apparently ordered of the slo.in man his own, and had sanctioned t~ be set aside upon e. certain contingency. the avenging mission of the goel, he could Ver. 14.-Ye shall give three cities on therefore regulate the course of vengeance so this aide Jordan. According to Dea t. iv. as to make it run as even as possible with 41-43, Moses himself severed these three true justice. It was not indeed possible to cities, Bezer of the Reubenites, Ra.moth of distin!!Uish 0 ab initio between the homicide the Gadites, and Golan of the Manassites. which deserved and that which did not Those verses, however, seem to be an evident deserve capital punishment. Such distinc- interpolation where they stand, and are tion, difficult under any circumstances, was hardly consistent with previoWI stntements impossible when vengeance was in private if taken literally. It is tolerably clear that hands. But while the goel could not bo the t\vo tribes had only formed temporary restrained from immediate pursuit unhindered settlements hitherto, and that their bound- by investigation or compunction (lest his aries were not de.fined as yet ; 11.lso that the whole UBefulness be paralysed), the manslayer Levitical cities (to which the citie~ of refuge might have opportunity to escape, and to be were to belong) were no~ separated until aficr sheltered under the Divine mercy until he the conquest. It is likely that Dent. 1v. could establish (if that were possible) his 41-43 is a fragment, the real meaning of innocence. No botter instance cnn ho found which is that Moses ordered the severauco of of the way in which the King of Israel three cities on that side J ortlan as cities of adopted the sentiments and institutions of a refuge, for which purposes the tlueo citil"J IIPIUi-biu-barous age, added to them tile mentioned were afterwards selected.  448 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [CH, XXXV. 1--34, -------------- Ver. 16.-With an instrument of iron. satisfactory character in the death of the There is no reasonable doubt that ~ 1·i.3 has high priest seems to be introducing an ,.: .. element quite foreign to the sym bo !ism of the here (as elsewhere) it.s proper meaning of ~Id :restament. The stress, however, which iron. The expression must be held to include is laid upon the fact of his decease (cf. ver. both weapons and other instruments ; the 28), and the solemn notice of his having been former may have been mostly made of bronze, anointed with the holy oil, seem to oint but where iron is used at all it is sure to be employed in war. 1 unmistakably to something in his oflicia nnd consecrated character which made it right Ver. 17.-With throwing a stone, where- that the rigour of the law should die with with he may die. Literally, "with a stone him. What theJubile was to the debtor who of the hand, by which one may die," i. e. had lost his property, that the death of the a stone which is suitable for striking or high priest was to the homicide who had throwing, and apt to inflict a mortal wound. lost his liberty. If it was the case, as com- Ver. 18.-A hand weapon of wood. A monly believed, that all blood feuds were club, or other such formidable instrument. absolutely terminated by the death of the Yer. 19.-When hemeeteth him, i.e. out- high priest, might this not be because the side a city of refuge. high priest, as chief minister of the law of Ver. 20.-Butif. Rather, "and if" (Clt!t)). God, was himself the goel of the whole The consideration of wilful murder is co·n- nation I When he died all processes of tinued in these two verses, although chiefly vengeance lapsed, because they had really with reference to the motive. It is to be been commenced in his name. understood that the deliberate intent was Ver. 26.-Without the border of the city, present in the former cases, and a new case i. e. no doubt beyond its "suburbs." is added, viz., if he smite him with his fist Ver. 80.-By the mouth of witnesses, i. e. with fatal consequences. of two at least (cf. Deut. xvii. 6). Yer. 22.-Without enmity, . . . without Ver. 31. -Ye shall te.ke no satisfaotion laying of wait. These expressions seem for the life of a murderer. The passion for in tended to limit mercy to cases of pure vengeance is both bad and good, and is accident, such as that quoted in Deut. xix. 5. therefore to be carefully purified and re- Neither provocation nor any other "extenu- strained; but when the desire for vengeance ating circumstances" are taken into account, can be appeased by a money payment, it nor what we now speak of as absence of pre- has become wholly bad, and is ouly a despic- meditation. The want of these finer dis- able form of covetousness which insults the tinctions, as well as the short and simple justice it pretends to invoke. Such pay- list of fatal injuries given, show the rudeness ments or " ransoms " nre permitted by the of the age for which these regulations were Koran, and have been commou among most made. semi-civilised peoples, notably amongst our Ver. 25.-The congregation (i1'JJ?.) shall old English ancestors. restore him to the city of his refuge. It is Ver. 82.-The.t he should come again to perfectly plain from this (and from Josh. xx. dwell in the land. No one might buy off 6) that the general assembly of all Israel was the enmity of the avenger before tho ap• to summon both homicide and avenger before pointed time, for that would give an unjust them with their witnesses, and, if they found advantage to wealth, and would make the the accused innocent, were to send him back whole matter mercenary and vulgar. under safe escort to the city in which he had Ver. 83.-The land ce.nnot be cleansed. taken refoge. He shall abide in it unto the Literally, "there is no expiation (i~t) for death of the high priest. No doubt his the land." Septuagint, oux H:1'Aaa~~<11rn1 ;, family might join him in his exile, and his yij. By these expressions the Lord places tho life might be fairly happy as well as safe sin of murder in its true light, us 11 sin within certain narrow limits ; but under against himself. The land, his land, is de- ordinary circumstances he must forfeit much filed with the blood of the slain, and nothing and risk more by his enforced absence from can do away with the guilt which cleaves to home and land. It is not easy to see why it but the strict execution of Divine justice the death of the high priest should have set upon the murderer. Money might satisfy the fugitive free from the law of vengeance, the relatives of the slain, but caunot satisfy except as foreshadowing the death of Christ. his Maker. No similar significance is anywhere else at- Ver. 34.-For I the Lord dwell among tributed to the death of the high priest; and the children of Iare.el. Therefore the m ur• it was rather in its unbroken continuance derer' s hand is raised against me ; the blood thau in its recurring interruption that the of the slain is ever before my eyes, itf cry for :ericsthood of Aaron typified that of the vengeance ever in my ears (cf. Gen. iv. 10; Redeemer. To sec anything of a vicarioqs or Matt. uiii. 85; Rev. vi. lO), cm. XXXV, 1-34.] THE BOOK OF NUMBERS.