The Cities of Refuge

Selected from among the 48 Levitical cities were the 6 cities of refuge, 3 on each side of the Jordan, and placed under the jurisdiction of the Levites, to serve as places of retreat and security for such as might shed blood unwittingly, without foresight or design. East of the Jordon they were Bezer in Reuben, Ramoth-Gilead in Gath, and Golan in Manasseh. On the West of the Jordan they were Hebron in Judah, Shechem in Mt. Ephraim, and Kadesh in Judah. The purpose of the appointment of the...