Deuteronomy 4:41-43

Deuteronomy 4:41-43

[41] Then Moses  severed  three  cities  on this side  Jordan  toward the sunrising;  [42] That the slayer  might flee  thither, which should kill  his neighbour  unawares,  and hated  him not in times  past;  and that fleeing  unto one  of these  cities  he might live:  [43] Namely, Bezer  in the wilderness,  in the plain  country,  of the Reubenites;  and Ramoth  in Gilead,  of the Gadites;  and Golan  in Bashan,  of the Manassites. 

What does Deuteronomy 4:41-43 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

It may seem strange that Moses included the record of his appointment of Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan as the three cities of refuge ("safe towns," CEV) east of the Jordan at this point in Deuteronomy. He probably did so because this important event took place after his first address and before he delivered his second speech. The two and one-half tribes were beginning to settle in Transjordan, and they needed this information.
The inclusion of this historical incident also serves a literary function. It provides a kind of intermission for the reader following the emotional climax at the end of the first address. It allows him or her to recover from its strong impact before the next long address begins.
Deuteronomy , as Leviticus and the other books of Moses, is essentially a narrative document. Moses interspersed much legal material in the narrative of Leviticus , and he interspersed much sermonic material in the narrative of Deuteronomy. In both books there is less narrative material than legal or sermonic material.