Numbers 35: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Numbers 35 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh commands Moses to instruct the Israelites to give cities to the Levites. The Levites will have cities and suburbs to live in, with space for their livestock (vv. 1-4).

Key verse

“You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan. They shall be cities of refuge.”
Numbers 35:14 (WEB)

Outline

Numbers 35:1–8 Provision for the Levites
Numbers 35:9–15 Establishing Cities of Refuge
Numbers 35:16–21 Laws on Murder
Numbers 35:22–28 Judgment and Refuge
Numbers 35:29–34 Statutes on Bloodshed

Discussion questions

In v6, what are the 'six cities of refuge' designated for?
What does Yahweh instruct the Israelites to do in vv. 10-11?
In v28, what does it mean for the man slayer to return 'to the land of his possession'?
In v31, why is there a prohibition against taking 'ransom' for a murderer?
When have you felt the need for a 'refuge' in your life?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Numbers 35: Deuteronomy 19, Joshua 20, Exodus 21.

Before next time: read Numbers 36.