Cities

Cities of Refuge. Moses, at the command of God, set apart three cities on the east of Jordan, and Joshua added three others on the west, whither any person might flee for refuge who had killed a human creature inadvertently. The three on the east of Jordan were Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan; the three on the west were Hebron, Shechem, and Kedesh. (Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx. 1–8.)

The Cities of the Plain. Sodom and Gomorrah.

“Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.”—Gen. xiii. 12.

The Seven Cities. Egypt, Jerusalem, Babylon, Athens, Rome, Constantinople, and either London for commerce, or Paris for beauty. (See Pentapolis.)

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.