These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.I always had a couple of questions about how these cities worked. First off, who is the avenger of blood? Is this some kind of designated person, a relative of the man who died? Is it determined by a certain kinship, or is it some kind of self-proclaimed position? Is it even a formal type of position, or just meant to designate anyone who would come seeking revenge?
Second, how does the hearing work against the killer? Is it held at the city of refuge, so that the killer's protected status is not endangered? If so, how do they arrange for the correct people to be there at the hearing? Is the congregation that of the killer/victim, or of the city? If the hearing occurs in the killer's/victim's home city, how is the killer's protection guaranteed? I wish we had more on this process.
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