“And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.”
He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them — The legal procedure involves three steps: flight, explanation, and adjudication. The city gate (šaʻar), the locus of legal authority and covenant judgment, becomes the arbiter. The 'elders' (zĕqēnîm), representing the covenant community's wisdom and authority, hear the case. The verb 'give him a place' (natĕnû lô maqôm) suggests both asylum and integration; the refuge city offers not mere asylum but inclusion within the covenant community.
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