Numbers 35:13

Summary

Numbers 35:13 states that the cities which the Israelites will designate must number six, and that these six will function as cities of refuge for them. The verse specifies the total count and confirms their legal purpose.

Key words

• he'arim ("the cities", H5892B) — masculine plural noun with definite article, referring back to the cities mentioned in the preceding context.
• titenu ("you will give", H5414G) — qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural, describing the ongoing/future act of designating or assigning these cities.
• 'arei miklat ("cities of refuge", H5892B + H4733) — construct chain: 'arei ("cities of") governs miklat ("refuge"), forming the technical term for these designated locations.
• tihyeinah ("they will be", H1961) — qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural, agreeing grammatically with the feminine plural noun 'arim ("cities"), expressing their future state or function.
• lakhem ("for you", H9005+H9036) — preposition with 2nd person masculine plural suffix, indicating the beneficiaries for whom the cities serve this function.

What the text says

The verse opens with ve-he'arim ("and the cities"), marked with the definite article, followed by the relative clause 'asher titenu ("which you will give"), which describes an action the addressees (grammatically masculine plural) will perform regarding these cities. The verb titenu is imperfect, conveying future or ongoing action — the giving/designating of the cities is presented as something yet to occur or continuing.

The core of the verse is the cardinal number shesh ("six") followed by the construct phrase 'arei miklat ("cities of refuge"). This construct chain functions as the predicate complement: the cities under discussion are specified as being exactly six in number and belonging to the category "of refuge." The verb tihyeinah ("they will be") is feminine plural, agreeing with the feminine plural antecedent 'arim ("cities"), and it is also imperfect, reinforcing the future orientation of the statement — the identity or function of these cities as refuge-cities is established as their coming state.

The final phrase lakhem ("for you") uses the preposition le with a masculine plural suffix, indicating that the beneficiary group is the same addressees referenced earlier in titenu. The sentence structure places the numerical specification and the functional category before the verb "will be," giving grammatical emphasis to what the cities will be (six, refuge-cities) rather than merely stating their existence.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the construct phrase with the definite article τὰς ἓξ πόλεις ("the six cities"), where the Hebrew shesh 'arei miklat lacks the article before "six," presenting it as a bare numeral construct. The Vulgate (VULCLEM) restructures the verse syntactically, opening with "De ipsis autem urbibus" ("Concerning these cities"), a phrasing that shifts the sentence into a subordinate description rather than the Hebrew's direct declarative statement with tihyeinah ("they will be").