לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְלַגֵּ֤ר וְלַתּוֹשָׁב֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔ם תִּהְיֶ֛ינָה שֵׁשׁ־הֶעָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לְמִקְלָ֑ט לָנ֣וּס שָׁ֔מָּה כָּל־מַכֵּה־נֶ֖פֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃
Keenam kota itu akan menjadi tempat perlindungan bagi orang Israel serta bagi orang asing dan pendatang yang tinggal di tengah-tengah mereka, supaya setiap orang yang menewaskan seseorang tanpa sengaja dapat melarikan diri ke sana.
Yalkut Shimoni
"And for the resident alien and for the settler." Or just as Israel is exiled through the actions of an Israelite, so too Israel is exiled through the actions of a resident alien. You may say, if when an Israelite killed him, he is exempt, a fortiori, he should not be exiled, but rather, if he killed an Israelite, he is put to death. These six cities shall be for refuge. Why is it stated? Because it says, "You shall give three cities on the other side of the Jordan" (Deuteronomy 19:7). I might have thought that I should first designate the first city as a city of refuge; therefore, the verse states, "These six cities shall be." This teaches that not one of them shall be designated until all six are designated.