Joshua 20 KJV
Cities of Refuge
Joshua Chapter 20: Cities of Refuge
The requirement that the manslayer remain in the city until the high priest's death ties refuge directly to the priestly office, suggesting the high priest's life functions as a corporate atonement that releases the protected party upon his death.
1he LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
3 That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
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Did You Know?
The requirement that the manslayer remain in the city until the high priest's death ties refuge directly to the priestly office, suggesting the high priest's life functions as a corporate atonement that releases the protected party upon his death.
All six cities were previously designated Levitical cities, embedding the asylum system within the tribe responsible for teaching the law and ensuring that legal adjudication occurred under priestly oversight rather than solely civil authority.
The chapter distinguishes intent through the criterion of prior enmity or lying in wait, a legal standard that echoes ancient Near Eastern case law yet uniquely subordinates blood vengeance to communal judicial process at the city gate.
By placing three cities on each side of the Jordan, the arrangement creates geographic symmetry that counters tribal favoritism and anticipates disputes over jurisdiction in a newly settled confederation of tribes.
The narrative reuses the verb 'to appoint' (vayyadedu) that appears in the earlier divine commands of Numbers and Deuteronomy, framing Joshua's action as obedient fulfillment rather than legislative innovation.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain The Lord spake unto Joshua... Appoint out for you cities of refuge โ (See Nu 35:9-28; De 19:1-13). The command here recorded was given on their going to occupy their allotted settlโฆ
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Joshua 20 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: The Lord commands the cities of refuge; The israelites appoint by name the cities of refuge.
- 1-3
- The Lord spake unto Joshua... Appoint out for you cities of refuge โ (See Nu 35:9-28; De 19:1-13). The command here recorded was given on their going to occupy their allotted settlements. The sanctuaries were not temples or altars, as in other countries, but inhabited cities; and the design was not to screen criminals, but only to afford the homicide protection from the vengeance of the deceased's relatives until it should have been ascertained whether the death had resulted from accident and momentary passion, or from premeditated malice. The institution of the cities of refuge, together with the rules prescribed for the guidance of those who sought an asylum within their walls, was an important provision, tending to secure the ends of justice as well as of mercy.
- 4
- he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city โ It was the place of public resort, and on arriving there he related his tale of distress to the elders, who were bound to give him shelter and the means of support, until the local authorities (Jos 20:6), having carefully investigated the case, should have pronounced the decision. If found guilty, the manslayer was surrendered to the blood-avenger; if extenuating circumstances appeared, he was to remain in the city of refuge, where he would be safe from the vindictive feelings of his pursuers; but he forfeited the privilege of immunity the moment he ventured beyond the walls.
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