Deuteronomy 19:3
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It wasn't just about placing the cities of refuge; God mandated preparing specific, clear, and well-maintained roads to them. This highlights His profound concern for the accidental manslayer to find safety without delay or confusion, ensuring justice and mercy were practically accessible to all.
You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is establishing specific, practical regulations for the proper administration of justice, focusing on accidental killings. Before this, He outlined the cities of refuge, and this passage details how the land must be divided and prepared to ensure these cities are accessible to anyone who needs to flee. This sets the stage for distinguishing between intentional murder, which warrants severe punishment, and accidental death, which is to be met with mercy and protection.
Imagine being in a desperate situation, needing to escape, but the path is unclear or blocked. God's command for cities of refuge included more than just the cities themselves.
God's instruction in Deuteronomy 19:3 wasn't just about locating cities of refuge, but also about ensuring a clear and accessible path to them.
Preparing the Way
The text says, 'You shall prepare you a way.' This wasn't a casual suggestion. Ancient commentators tell us these roads were made broad (around 32 cubits wide), kept smooth, and free of obstructions like hills or unbridged rivers. Bridges were built where necessary.
Clear Signage
At crossroads, posts were erected with the word 'Refuge' clearly marked to prevent any confusion or delay. The goal was to ensure that a person fleeing for their life, even in a panic, could easily find their way to safety without any impediment.
Equitable Distribution
Furthermore, the land was to be divided into three parts. This division ensured that a city of refuge was within a reasonable distance for anyone in any region of the land, making the escape route practical and equitable for all Israelites.
When an accidental killing occurred, the community faced a difficult balance: honoring justice for the fallen while showing mercy to the unintentional slayer.
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The command for cities of refuge reveals a profound theological truth about how God balances justice and mercy.
The Need for Justice
'The avenger of blood' represented the societal need for justice and accountability. Allowing an innocent person's blood to go unpunished would defile the land (Deuteronomy 19:10). There was a serious consequence for unlawful killing.
Protection for the Unintentional
However, God made a crucial distinction. If the killing was accidental – 'slaying his neighbor unaware' (Deuteronomy 19:4-5) – the slayer was to flee to a city of refuge. This wasn't about letting guilty people off the hook, but protecting those who were not intentionally malicious.
Preventing Rash Vengeance
The preparation of the way and the distance between cities were designed to ensure the slayer could reach safety before the 'avenger of blood,' whose heart might be 'hot' with grief and anger (Deuteronomy 19:6). This provision prevented immediate, potentially unjust, retribution.
Understand the original words
ratsach · Hebrew Noun
One who has caused the death of another human being. In biblical law, it is distinguished from a murderer in that the killing was accidental rather than malicious.
This passage establishes the institution of the cities of refuge, explaining their purpose in protecting those who accidentally caused a death, directly paralleling the context of Deuteronomy 19:3.
Joshua 20:1-9This passage describes the actual appointment and function of the cities of refuge after Israel entered the Promised Land, showing the practical outworking of the law given in Deuteronomy.
Isaiah 40:3The imagery of 'preparing the way' and making a 'level road' in Isaiah echoes the practical preparations described for the roads leading to the cities of refuge, suggesting a spiritual preparation for God's presence.
Hebrews 6:18This verse speaks of 'strong encouragement' to 'take hold of the hope set before us' by fleeing for refuge to the hope offered in Christ, drawing a direct parallel between the physical cities of refuge and Christ as our ultimate spiritual refuge.
Matthew 12:31-32Jesus' teaching on the unforgivable sin highlights the distinction between sins committed in ignorance or accident versus those done with malicious intent, reflecting the underlying principle of distinguishing between unintentional manslaughter and intentional murder that the cities of refuge addressed.
gillDeuteronomy 19:3: "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."
Thou shalt prepare thee a way,.... A road, an highway to those cities: on the first of Adar, or February, the magistrates used to meet, and proclaimed, or ordered to be proclaimed, that the ways be repaired (r), particularly those leading to the cities of refuge; which was done by making them smooth and plain,…
clarkeDeuteronomy 19:3: "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."
Thou shalt prepare thee a way - The Jews inform us that the roads to the cities of refuge were made very broad, thirty-two cubits; and even, so that there should be no impediments in the way; and were constantly kept in good repair.
It wasn't just about placing the cities of refuge; God mandated preparing specific, clear, and well-maintained roads to them. This highlights His profound concern for the accidental manslayer to find safety without delay or confusion, ensuring justice and mercy were practically accessible to all.
God is establishing specific, practical regulations for the proper administration of justice, focusing on accidental killings. Before this, He outlined the cities of refuge, and this passage details how the land must be divided and prepared to ensure these cities are accessible to anyone who needs to flee. This sets the stage for distinguishing between intentional murder, which warrants severe punishment, and accidental death, which is to be met with mercy and protection.
God is establishing specific, practical regulations for the proper administration of justice, focusing on accidental killings. Before this, He outlined the cities of refuge, and this passage details how the land must be divided and prepared to ensure these cities are accessible to anyone who needs to flee. This sets the stage for distinguishing between intentional murder, which warrants severe punishment, and accidental death, which is to be met with mercy and protection.
"You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them." — It wasn't just about placing the cities of refuge; God mandated preparing specific, clear, and well-maintained roads to them. This highlights His profound concern for the accidental manslayer to find…
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Last reviewed October 2026
