19:1-21

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Justice for the accused

(Deut 19:1-21)

Three cities of refuge had already been established east of Jordan (see Deut 4:41-43), and three more were to be established west of Jordan (Deut 19:1-2).

In each of these two regions one city was to be in the north, one in the centre and one in the south, so that a city of refuge was within easy reach of every person in the land, no matter where he lived.

All six cities had to have well marked roads leading to them so that the refugee could reach safety quickly (Deut 19:3-7; see also Num 35:9-34).

The Israelites could add more cities later as their territory expanded beyond its original borders (Deut 19:8-13).

While dealing with matters of land allocation, Moses warned land-owners not to shift boundary markers that they had already agreed upon. Such action was clearly a case of stealing a neighbour’s property (Deut 19:14).

In legal matters, because agreement between two or three witnesses was necessary in order to bring a conviction, a person might be tempted to lie so as to ensure an opponent’s defeat.

If the witness’s honesty was in doubt, the case had to be brought before the higher court of priests and judges.

If they found that the witness had made a false confession, he was to suffer the punishment he had tried to bring upon his opponent (Deut 19:15-20). The basis of justice was that the punishment had to fit the crime (Deut 19:21).

(For other relevant details see the comments before and after the notes on Exodus 21:1-27.)