Bible Studies

Cities of Refuge: Where Justice Meets Mercy in Christ

by Cecil Maner
08/17/26
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The cities of refuge form one of the most important institutions in the Law of Moses. They reveal the character of the LORD God, who is both perfectly just and abundantly merciful, and they point forward with striking clarity to the person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scriptural Record (KJV)

The primary passages establishing the cities of refuge are these:

Exodus 21:12–14

“He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.”

Numbers 35:6, 9–34 (key portions)

“And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither… Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment… These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.”

The chapter carefully distinguishes willful murder—whether by iron instrument, stone, wooden weapon, thrusting of hatred, or lying in wait—from accidental killing without enmity or premeditation. The congregation judges the case. If the death was unintentional, the manslayer is restored to the city of refuge and must remain there “unto the death of the high priest.” Leaving the city again exposes him to the avenger of blood. No ransom is accepted for a murderer or to release the manslayer early. Blood defiles the land and is cleansed only by the blood of him that shed it.

Deuteronomy 4:41–43

Moses severs three cities east of Jordan—Bezer, Ramoth in Gilead, and Golan—“that the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live.”

Deuteronomy 19:1–13

Three cities are to be separated in the land, with roads prepared “that every slayer may flee thither.” The classic illustration is the accidental death caused when an axe-head slips while hewing wood. Protection is granted lest the avenger of blood, “while his heart is hot,” overtake the unintentional killer. But the willful murderer who flees is to be fetched out and delivered to the avenger; “Thine eye shall not pity him.”

Joshua 20:1–9

The LORD commands Joshua to appoint the cities of which He had spoken by Moses. The slayer who kills “unawares and unwittingly” flees, stands at the gate, declares his cause to the elders, and is received. He dwells there until judgment before the congregation and until the death of the high priest. The six cities are named: Kedesh in Galilee (Naphtali), Shechem (Ephraim), and Kirjath-arba (Hebron) in Judah west of Jordan; Bezer (Reuben), Ramoth in Gilead (Gad), and Golan in Bashan (Manasseh) east of Jordan. They serve both the children of Israel and the stranger sojourning among them.

Additional references in Joshua 21 and 1 Chronicles 6 identify these as Levitical cities.

Who Flees and Why: Justice and Mercy Meet

According to Scripture, the one who flees is the manslayer who has killed another “at unawares,” “unwittingly,” “ignorantly,” or “without enmity.” Willful, premeditated murderers are excluded and must die. Both Israelites and sojourners may claim the refuge. The purpose is protection from the avenger of blood (the nearest kinsman) until a fair judicial hearing, followed by continued safety within the city until the high priest’s death.

Here the LORD’s justice and mercy meet. Justice requires that shed blood be answered (Genesis 9:6; Numbers 35:33—“the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it”). The avenger of blood and the death penalty for murderers protect the community and the land from defilement. Yet mercy provides a designated place of safety, maintained roads, open access for Israelite and stranger, a fair hearing, and temporary asylum for the unintentional killer. Neither pure vengeance nor unchecked lawlessness prevails. The high priest’s death as the terminus of exile further hints that a greater High Priest’s death would one day secure permanent release.

The LORD God Himself Is the Refuge of His People

It is striking that Scripture repeatedly presents the LORD Himself, rather than any city, as the true Refuge of His people. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). He is “my rock… my high tower, and my refuge” (2 Samuel 22:3; cf. Psalms 18, 91, 142). Believers “have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18). The cities were temporary, geographical provisions under the Law; the LORD is the living, eternal Refuge of all who trust in Him.

Contrast: Flight to a City versus Flight to the LORD in Repentance

Those who fled to a city of refuge were not guilty of premeditated murder. Their act was accidental; they had not “hated him in time past.” They needed protection from earthly vengeance and a place to wait out the legal consequence until the high priest died. Their refuge was limited, temporary, and restricted to one category of unintentional bloodshed.

By contrast, those guilty of sin—willful, deliberate, and universal—are called in repentance to flee to the LORD God Himself as their Refuge. Every sinner stands under the just sentence of death; there is no claim of “unawares” before a holy God. Yet mercy is offered not through a physical city but through the living God who Himself becomes the hiding place. The repentant do not remain in a temporary asylum until a high priest dies; they are secured forever by the once-for-all death and ongoing intercession of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ. The cities protected the relatively innocent from human vengeance; the LORD as Refuge receives the guilty who cast themselves upon His mercy, satisfying justice at the cross and extending free pardon.

The Typology of Christ as the True Refuge

The cities of refuge form one of the clearest Old Testament types of Christ. Hebrews 6:18 deliberately echoes their language, employing the same Greek term used in the Septuagint for fleeing to the cities. The parallels are numerous and intentional:

•  Divinely appointed by God Himself.

•  Provided for those under sentence of death.

•  Accessible and near (roads prepared; three cities on each side of Jordan).

•  Open to all without distinction (Israelite and stranger).

•  Immediate safety upon entry.

•  The only place of safety; outside, the avenger retained the right to kill.

•  Release tied to the death of the high priest—pointing directly to the once-for-all death of our great High Priest.

The names of the cities further enrich the picture: Kedesh (“holy”), Shechem (“shoulder”), Hebron (“fellowship”), Bezer (“fortress”), Ramoth (“heights”), and Golan (often linked with joy or captivity). Each suggests aspects of what the believer finds in Christ—His holiness, His strength to bear His people, fellowship with God, a stronghold of safety, exaltation, and joy.

Yet Christ infinitely surpasses the type. The cities protected only the unintentional manslayer; Christ is the Refuge for willful sinners. Residence was temporary and restricted; freedom in Christ is complete and everlasting. The high priest’s death was that of a mere man; Christ’s death is the death of the sinless Son of God. The cities saved from temporal death; Christ saves from the second death and grants eternal life. One could leave the city and forfeit protection; no one who is truly in Christ can be plucked from His hand (John 10:28–29).

Hebrews 6:18–20 in Its Context

The New Testament explicitly draws the connection in Hebrews 6:18–20:

“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: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

These verses climax a section (6:13–20) that follows a solemn warning against apostasy (5:11–6:12). The writer points to Abraham: God made a promise and, because He could swear by no greater, swore by Himself (Genesis 22:16–17). The result is two unchangeable things—God’s promise and God’s oath—providing strong consolation to those who have fled for refuge. The hope is an anchor of the soul that enters within the veil, the very presence of God, where Jesus has already gone as Forerunner and eternal High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Because His priesthood is permanent, those who have fled to Him are eternally secure.

Thus the cities of refuge, the LORD as Refuge in the Psalms, and the finished work of Christ converge. Justice and mercy meet perfectly in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The manslayer fled to a city; the sinner flees to a Saviour. The high priest’s death released the refugee; the death and endless life of our great High Priest secure everlasting freedom. There is no other Refuge. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).