Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give
in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
Numbers 35:14
The cities of refuge were for people to flee to until a trial for deciding their innocence or guilt. These cities were a type of christ for us to flee to before our judgment.
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we
might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us:
Hebrews 6:18
Death of the High Priest
Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the
high priest:
but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into
the land of his possession.
Numbers 35:28
Our High Priest died for us to be able to return one day-
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God,
Hebrews 4:14
The 6 Cities
Kedesh - "The name Kedesh comes from the verb (qadash) to be consecrated, hallowed, sanctified."
Shechem - " The name Shechem probably comes from the root (shkm) that yields the verb (shakam) meaning rise early, and the noun (shekem) meaning shoulder, ... HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament looks a bit deeper in the matter and notes that in Scriptures a rising early most often has to do with the diligence/ persistence of the riser (to get a good start of the day), and so does the carrying of an actual load or a task or position upon the shoulders."
Hebron - "The name Hebron comes from (habar) meaning be joined, coupled, allied. Derivatives are: (heber), meaning company, association; The waw-nun extension denotes a localization of the root. The name Hebron means Place Of Alliance."
Bezer - "Bezer means "strong hiding place."
Ramoth - "Means "high place,"
Golan - "Apparently means "enclosure for captives,"
ICR & Abarim-Publications
And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali,
and Shechem in mount
Ephraim,
and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward,
they assigned 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 Manasseh.
Joshua 20:7,8
Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the
LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD
thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee
thither. And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may
live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
Deuteronomy 19:2-4
