East side] or, East quarter; in Chaldee, East winde: See the notes on Numb. 34. 3. Sea side] that is, the West side, as the Chaldee saith, the West winde. Moses useth to call the West, the Sea, as is noted on Gen. 12. 8. So in Numb. 34. 6.
Vers. 6. of refuge] that citie is called in Hebrew [unspec 6] Miklat, of gathering, because the man-slayer was there gathered and detained; in Greeke, Phugad••n∣terion, a place of flight and exile; in Chaldee, She∣zabuth, of deliverance and preservation. The six cities appointed for refuge, were these; Bezer of the Reubenites country, Ramoth in Gilead of the Ga∣dites, and Golan in Basan of the Manassites; these three Moses separated, Deut. 4. 41, 43. the other three appointed by Ioshua, were Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba (which is Hebron) in the mount of Iudah, Ios. 20. 7. the use of these is after shewed. 42. cities] These with the six cities of refuge, are declared in Ios. 21. how they were given out of every tribe. Of the Kohathites, the Priests the sons of Aaron had thirteene cities, Ios. 21. 19. the resi∣due of the Kohathites had ten cities, Ios. 21. 26. The Gershonites had thirteene cities, Ios. 21. 33. The Merarites had twelve cities, Ios. 21. 40. So all the cities of the Levites, within the possession of the somes of Israel, were fortie and eight cities with their suburbs, Ios. 21. 41. Thus Iakobs prophesie of Levi was fulfilled, that he should be scattered in Israel, Gen. 49. 5, 7. But because of the Levites zeale for the Lord, the curse was turned into a blessing, (as is no∣ted on Exod. 32. 29.) and they were teachers of the law 〈…〉〈…〉o the tribes of Israel, Deut. 33. 8, 10. Wher∣fore God gave them cities out of every tribe. How∣〈◊〉〈◊〉, whatsoever remained of these cities, besides the habitations of the Levites, and the suburbs ••orementioned, as the fields of the cities, and their villages, continued under the dominion, and in the possession of the tribes, to whom they had been distributed before, as the example of Hebron gi∣ven unto Caleb sheweth, Ios. 14. 13, 14. and 21. 11, 12.
Vers. 8. yee shall give many] or, yee shall multi∣ply [unspec] to give: so the tribes that had many cities, and 〈…〉〈…〉ge inheritances, gave the more cities. For 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the tribes of the sonnes of Iudah and of Si∣〈◊〉〈◊〉, were given nine cities, out of Benjamin foure, out of Ephraim foure, out of Dan foure, out of the halfe tribe of Manasses two, out of the other halfe 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Manasses two, out of Issachar foure, out of Aser foure, out of Naphtali three, out of Zabulon foure, out of Reuben foure, out of Gad foure, Ios. 21. 9, 16, &c.
Vers. 11. shall appoint] or prepare, as the Chal∣dee explaineth it; in Greeke, yee shall distinguish, (or distinctly separate:) elsewhere it is called sepa∣r〈…〉〈…〉ng, Deut. 4. 41. and sanctifying, Ios. 20. 7. by errour] or, ignorantly, unadvisedly, unawares: the Greeke translateth, unwillingly; this is opened in vers. 22, 23. and Deut. 19. 5. In ••os. 20. 3. it is de∣clared by two words, by errour, (o•• unawares,) and without knowledge, (or unwittingly.)
Vers. 12. the avenger] to wit, of the bloud, as is expressed in vers. 19. and the Chaldee and Greeke here adde the same. Goel, here Englished an Avon∣ger, elsewhere signifieth a Redeemer, but properly one of the same bloud and kindred, as Ruth 2. 20. and 3. 9, 12. who if things were sold, was to re∣deeme them, as Levit. 25. 25. if bloud were shed, was to avenge it, as in this case. And so the Greeke here & usually calleth him Agchiste••on, that is, one neere of kin. Of this kinsman the avenger, it is said in v. 19. that he should put the murderer to death; see the notes there. before the congregation] When a man had done a murder, he fled to some citie of refuge, the way being alwaies prepared, that he might flee thither without hinderance, as is no∣ted on Deut. 19. 3. Comming thither, at the en∣tring of the gate, he shewed his cause to the Elders of the citie of refuge, who tooke him in till he was sent after, and fetched home to the citie where hee had done the murder, and there he stood before the congregation, Ios. 20. 4, 6. who if they found him worthy of death, they delivered him to the aven∣ger, to kill him; if not, they returned him to his citie of refuge, where hee lived in a kinde of exile and imprisonment, untill the death of the high Priest, as after followeth. See Deut. 19. 12. Before the cities of refuge were appointed, the Altar was a place of refuge, as is probable by Exod. 21. 13, 14. And from that place the Hebrewes gather that the Altar was a place of refuge. Maim. Treat. of Murder, chap. 5. sect. 12.
Vers. 14. Three cities] which were Bezer, Ra∣moth, [unspec 14] and Golan, Deut. 4. 41, 43. and three cities] Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron, Ios. 20. 7. And if the Lord enlarged their coast, and gave them all the land, they were to adde three cities moe, Deut. 19. 8, 9.
Vers. 15. the stranger] in Greeke, the proselyte, [unspec 15] meaning him that was not an Israelite by nature, but by religion. the sojourner] that dwelt a stranger in the land of Israel, and yet not of their Church and religion, Deut. 14. 21. These all had benefit by the cities of refuge; but if an heathen by errour killed an heathen, the cities of refuge recei∣ved him not, saith Maim. Treat. of Murder, chap. 5. sect. 4. smiteth a soule] that is, killeth any person; so vers. 11.
Vers. 16. if he smite him] to wit, purposely, and [unspec 16] presumptuously, as the punishment after sheweth. surely put to death] or, put to die the death; Hebr. dying hee shall be put to death; so in vers. 17, 18, 21.
Vers. 17. a stone of the hand, that is, throwen with [unspec 17] the hand; the Greeke translateth it, a stone out of the hand; the Chaldee, a stone that is taken in the hand. he may die] the Chaldee more fully explai∣neth it, which is enough for him to die therewith; so in vers. 18.
Vers. 18. wood of the hand] Greeke, out of the [unspec 18] hand; Chaldee, wood taken in the hand, which is sufficient for him to die thereby; as in vers. 17. These cautions are here added to discerne of murders; the Hebrewes explaine them thus: He that smiteth his fellow presumptuously with a stone, or with wood, that he die, they measure the thing wherewith he smote him, and the place whereon he smote him to see ••f that