But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled,
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,
- KJV But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
- BSB But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled
- NASB But if at any time he goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he flees,
- NLT “But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge,
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
If the manslayer leaves the boundary of his refuge city, he forfeits its protection. Safety depended on remaining within God's appointed place.
Overview
The refuge held only so long as the manslayer stayed inside its borders; stepping beyond exposed him to the avenger. This stresses that the refuge was a real, bounded provision requiring obedient trust to enjoy. So too, the security found in Christ is real, but believers are called to abide in Him rather than wander from the safety He provides (John 15:4-5).
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 35:26 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
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