Deuteronomy
Chapter 19
Cities of Refuge
When the Lord, your God, has destroyed the nations whose land he will give you, when you have driven them away, and you occupy their houses,
you shall set aside three cities in the land which the Lord, your God, gives you in possession.
Open a way to them and divide into three parts the territory that the Lord, your God, gives you in possession, so that anyone who has killed someone may find refuge in those cities.
But who may find refuge there to save himself?
The person who caused the death of his neighbor, with whom he had not quarreled before.
For example, if someone goes to the forest with a companion to cut firewood and, as he wields the axe to cut a tree, the blade comes off its handle, mortally wounding his companion, he can flee into one of those cities and so save himself.
The avenger of blood must not be allowed, in his rage, to hunt the killer and catch up with him because the distance is great, and kill him in turn, when in reality the latter is not guilty of murder since he had had no previous quarrel with his companion.
Therefore, I command you to set aside these three cities.
But perhaps the Lord will extend your borders as he has promised your ancestors and give you all the land he vowed to your forefathers,
on the condition that you keep his commandments and do what I tell you today—that is, to love the Lord your God and follow his ways at all times. Then you will add three more to these three cities.
In this way, innocent blood will not be shed in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and you will not be guilty of such bloodshed.
But if a man, because of a feud with his neighbor, ambushes him and falls on him and wounds him fatally, and if afterward, the aggressor flees into one of these cities,
the heads of this city shall order that he be arrested there in the place of asylum. And he shall be put in the hands of the relatives of the victim that they may kill him.
Do not show pity to him, for you must remove from Israel the shedding of innocent blood, so that you may have prosperity.
In the inheritance you receive in the land which the Lord, your God, will give as your possession, do not move the boundaries of your neighbor set by your ancestors.
Law on Witnesses
A sole witness is not enough to condemn anyone, whatever the crime or offense of which the person is accused. Only by the testimony of two or three witnesses can a case be resolved.
If only one witness rises against a person and accuses him of an offense,
both parties involved shall appear before the Lord in the presence of the priests and judges then in office, who may deal with it.
The judges will examine the case in detail, and if it turns out that the witness had lied in falsely accusing his brother,
they shall impose on him the punishment which the lying witness tried to impose on his brother. So shall you uproot evil from your midst,
because others, upon knowing it, shall fear and not do the same.
Do not feel sorry for him: life for life, eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Commentaries
Cities of Refuge.
Beyond merely protecting someone who involuntarily caused another’s death, this law, as seen in Nm 35:9-28 and Jos 20:1-9, specifically aims to reduce the severe violence and bloodshed that can happen from any injury, whether intentional or accidental. Israel was not immune to these excesses, and much blood was likely shed over injuries, no matter how minor. The Bible itself condemns and denounces this behavior (cf. Gn 4:23f). Therefore, there was a need to establish a place where the life of a murderer or accidental attacker could be protected and secured (1-10); however, neither these cities nor any other place could serve as a refuge for an intentional attacker: he had to pay with his life for shedding his victim’s blood (11-13).
Verse 14 forbids changing property boundaries. It is not connected to the law about the cities of refuge and their purpose; however, it makes sense that, in a law mainly aimed at protecting life, it is explicitly forbidden to attack what gives life and support to a neighbor: his land, his inheritance. It appears that, at one time, this was common in Israel; greedy landowners did everything to monopolize and hoard the land of the poor. The book of Kings offers an example that clearly shows this behavior, which the Bible condemns: the vineyard of Naboth (cf. 1 Kgs 21:1-19).
Law on Witnesses.
In a declining society, people may face various traps and schemes that threaten their lives and property. A clear sign of disrespect and danger to life is denunciation, which involves informing on or accusing someone to cause their disappearance and seizing their possessions. Israel was not immune to this problem either; that’s why the Deuteronomist tradition (D), which focuses on justice and life, establishes this law to protect life and prevent abuses in denunciations and accusations.