Numbers 35:29
So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Original Language Analysis
וְהָי֨וּ
H1961
וְהָי֨וּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 8
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
מִשְׁפָּ֖ט
of judgment
H4941
מִשְׁפָּ֖ט
of judgment
Strong's:
H4941
Word #:
5 of 8
properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, ind
לְדֹרֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם
unto you throughout your generations
H1755
לְדֹרֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם
unto you throughout your generations
Strong's:
H1755
Word #:
6 of 8
properly, a revolution of time, i.e., an age or generation; also a dwelling
Historical Context
This verse establishes the perpetuity of the refuge city system from Moses (1406 BC) through the monarchy and into the Second Temple period. Jesus and His contemporaries would have understood these laws, making Hebrews 6:18's asylum imagery immediately resonant for Jewish readers.
Questions for Reflection
- What does the permanence of this statute ('throughout your generations') reveal about the unchanging nature of God's justice and mercy?
- How do the cities of refuge demonstrate that God's character balances perfect justice with merciful provision for the guilty?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you (לְחֻקַּת מִשְׁפָּט, l'chukat mishpat)—a perpetual legal ordinance, not a temporary expedient. Throughout your generations in all your dwellings—binding upon Israel wherever they lived, in Canaan or exile, until the Messianic age when these types would find fulfillment in Christ.
The phrase 'statute of judgment' combines chukat (decree, something engraved/permanent) with mishpat (justice, ordinance). God's justice isn't arbitrary or mutable but eternally grounded in His character. The cities of refuge institutionalized this truth: God is both just and the justifier (Romans 3:26).