That is why I am commanding you to set aside three cities of refuge.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves.
- KJV Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
- BSB This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.
- NKJV Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’
- NASB Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall set aside for yourself three cities.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Therefore God commands Israel to set apart three cities of refuge. The repeated charge stresses the importance of providing protection.
Overview
Moses restates the command to establish the three refuge cities, emphasizing its seriousness. The reiteration drives home that protecting the innocent from unjust vengeance is a binding duty before God. God's insistence reflects how much He values both justice and the preservation of innocent life.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 19:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.