Joshua 20
Joshua 20 records the process of actually designating the cities of refuge that God had commanded in advance through Moses after the people of Israel settled in the land of Canaan. A city of refuge is a place designed so that a person who committed an accidental killing can flee safely to avoid retaliation. This chapter emphasizes the purpose of establishing the cities of refuge, the qualifications of those who may take shelter in the city, and the social and theological significance of the cities-of-refuge system.
1verseThe LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
2verse“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses,
3versethat the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
4verseHe shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live among them.
5verseIf the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before.
6verseHe shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the man slayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city he fled from.’”
7verseThey set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8verseBeyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
9verseThese were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands trial before the congregation.
Chapter Structure and Flow
- Verses 1-2: God reaffirms to Joshua the mission of the cities of refuge
- Verse 3: Explanation of the function of a city of refuge as a place of escape for someone who committed a killing unintentionally
- Verses 4-6: Presents the procedure for how someone who has killed another person unintentionally enters a city of refuge, how life is lived there, and the final way the case is judged
- Verses 7-9: Lists the six cities of refuge designated for various regions of Israel (Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth in Gilead, and Golan in Bashan)
The Meaning of the Cities of Refuge
Cities of refuge are not merely legal protection measures; they are a system in which God’s justice and mercy are both realized. By distinguishing between accidental killing and intentional killing, we can catch a glimpse of God’s heart to protect innocent lives along with clear responsibility. In addition, cities of refuge also carry the social-justice value of providing a space where anyone can receive protection when a problem arises.
Points for Reflection
- How can we take in the fact that God has kept open a path of protection and restoration even amid our mistakes and weakness?
- Let’s think about how God’s commanded social justice and mercy can be applied to our lives and our community.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Could we open up a channel of understanding, forgiveness, and restoration rather than easily condemning or turning away from our own mistakes and weakness—or those of other people?
- Let’s also consider and put into practice what “a city of refuge” role looks like for me today—that is, the role of becoming safety and rest for someone else.
