Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel — the final exhortation emphasizes that the land is the LORD's dwelling, and blood-pollution makes it unfit. The covenant-community's responsibility is to maintain the land's sanctity through proper justice. The six cities of refuge thus represent a comprehensive theology of mercy within justice: they protect the innocent manslayer, restrain arbitrary vengeance, ensure due process, and maintain the land's purity.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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