35:34 “You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I Yahweh am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.”

As we come to the conclusion of Numbers, Yahweh puts the finishing touches on the commands to apportion the land. The 23,000 Levites will have forty-eight cities and sufficient lands among each of the territories of the tribes. We continue to see this family of Israel receive special treatment, as the Lord’s possession and gift to Aaron’s priests for operating the tabernacle. God will always provide for those who serve Him, and enable them to continue in their labors. 

Six of these Levite cities will serve as refuges for those guilty of manslaughter. Yahweh states the reason for this institution at the end: “I am dwelling among Israel” and, to paraphrase: “the land will not be polluted by the blood of murder.” This should remind us of Abel’s blood which, “cried to Yahweh from the ground”, demanding justice, as well as the eventual command to Noah: “whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.”

Finally, the sons of Manasseh raise an important question concerning the transfer of land across the tribes through marriage. These men should be commended for their attention to the details of this law, and the issue is resolved by constraining the marriage of the daughters of Zelophehad and those like them to their own tribe. The book of Numbers now closes, with a fresh generation waiting to take the land and fulfill God’s purpose for them.