Bezer
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Bezer was a Levitical city in the desert plateau east of the Jordan, and of Heshbon, originally a resting place for travelers. It was designated by Moses as a 'city of refuge', a “safe-haven” for Reubenites and others, to which any person guilty of manslaughter could flee to avoid being killed in vengeance.
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The site of Bezer "cannot be located with certainty," although several sites have been proposed.[1]
The Bible seldom mentions Bezer, but it explains the town's purpose as a refuge in Deuteronomy 4:43, Joshua 20:8, Joshua 21:36 (The usual, dutiful repetition - “to be a city of refuge for the slayer” - that follows the names of the other five cities of refuge, is actually omitted for Bezer in this verse in some translations.), 1 Chronicles 6:63 and 1 Chronicles 7:37.
Cities of refuge were necessary because the next of kin of a manslaughter victim had a right under the Law of Moses to seek compensation - in kind - for blood shed by the perpetrator.[citation needed]
The law of Moses provided that anyone accused of homicide could flee to a city of refuge, to be protected from the victim's family. Once he was there, a manslaughterer was prohibited from leaving until the high priest had died or until his own death, even if the victim's family had forgiven them.