Bible Strands
Numbers 35:28
because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses delivers statutory ordinances to the Israelites regarding the management of cities of refuge, following the previous day's instructions on the avenger of blood and manslayer boundaries.
The words — The Hebrew verb יֵשֵׁב (yēšēḇ) means he will remain or dwell, bounded by עַד־מוֹת (‘aḏ-môṯ), literally "until death." This phrasing creates a strict temporal limit tied to a specific officeholder's lifespan.
The thread — The motif of remaining appears in John 15:4, where abiding in Christ is explicitly linked to bearing fruit, and in Acts 27:31, where remaining aboard the ship is the condition for the crew's preservation.
Why it lands — The text commands the manslayer to stay confined in the city of refuge until the high priest dies, after which he may return to his inherited land. This establishes a fixed, non-negotiable condition for ending exile and restoring property rights.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
Cross-references
- John 15:4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
- Acts 11:23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.
- Acts 27:31 But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
- Hebrews 3:14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.
- Hebrews 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
- Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation.
- Hebrews 9:15 Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
- Hebrews 10:26 If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains,
- Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.