Mosaic Command Fulfilled
Joshua 20 implements the refuge-city legislation given earlier through Moses.
Joshua 20
Cities of Refuge and the Protection of Justice in the Land
The LORD commands Joshua to appoint cities of refuge, explains their purpose for the unintentional manslayer, and Israel sets apart six cities across the land so justice and mercy may function under covenant order.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB),Public Domain · Translation notes · Reference sources
- The LORD Commands Cities of Refuge20:1-2
Joshua is commanded to appoint the refuge cities previously commanded through Moses.
- The Manslayer May Flee for Refuge20:3
The unintentional killer is given a place of protection from the avenger of blood.
- The Elders Hear the Case20:4
The manslayer must present his case at the city gate and be received by the elders.
- The Avenger Must Not Be Given Immediate Access20:5
The elders must protect the accused when the death was accidental and without prior hatred.
- The Manslayer Remains Until Trial and Priestly Death20:6
The accused remains in the city until trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest.
- The Six Cities Are Appointed20:7-8
Three cities west of the Jordan and three east of the Jordan are set apart as places of refuge.
- Refuge Is Provided for Israelite and Foreigner20:9
The cities protect anyone in Israel who kills unintentionally until proper judgment is rendered.
Biblical Theology
How This Chapter Fits
Theological Argument
The chapter argues that inheritance must be governed by holy justice. The LORD does not merely give land; He orders life within the land. Bloodshed matters, vengeance must be restrained, guilt must be determined truthfully, and mercy must be available for the one who did not act with murderous intent.
From divine command to legal procedure, from individual crisis to communal justice, from tribal land to refuge accessible throughout the whole inheritance.
- The LORD’s command through Moses must now be implemented in the land
- The sanctity of life requires that bloodshed be treated seriously
- The distinction between intentional murder and unintentional killing must be preserved
- The avenger of blood must not be allowed to act before truth is established
- The city elders must receive and protect the manslayer until trial
- The high priest’s death marks a covenantal turning point for the manslayer’s return
Christological Focus
Joshua 20 appoints cities where an unintentional manslayer can flee until a hearing and the high priest's death. Hebrews later uses refuge language and teaches Christ's priesthood, offering a Christian comparison. It does not explicitly identify the high priest's death in this law as a prediction of Christ's atoning death or erase the chapter's distinction between accidental and intentional killing.
The chapter argues that inheritance must be governed by holy justice. The LORD does not merely give land; He orders life within the land. Bloodshed matters, vengeance must be restrained, guilt must be determined truthfully, and mercy must be available for the one who did not act with murderous intent.
Covenant Significance
Joshua 20 shows that covenant inheritance requires covenant justice. The LORD’s people must not only occupy the land but structure life within it according to His holiness, mercy, and truth.
- The cities of refuge fulfill the LORD’s earlier commands through Moses
- The land is organized to protect the unintentional manslayer from revenge before trial
- The distinction between murder and accidental killing preserves moral and legal clarity
- The elders represent local covenant responsibility at the city gate
- The assembly provides judicial accountability beyond private vengeance
Formation
Theological BurdenThe LORD’s people must order their community by justice that protects life, restrains vengeance, hears truth, and provides mercy.
Pastoral BurdenMove believers from reactionary judgment and private retaliation into God-centered justice, mercy, and refuge in Christ.
Character AimA just, merciful, truth-governed people who protect life and flee to the LORD as their refuge.
- Refuse vengeance and rash judgment
- Listen carefully before drawing conclusions
- Distinguish intent, accident, negligence, and malice with moral seriousness
- Protect the vulnerable while pursuing truth
- Build church processes that reflect justice and mercy
Canonical Connections
Intentional Murder and Unintentional Killing
The cities of refuge preserve the legal distinction between murder and accidental manslaughter.
High Priest's Death and Return
The high priest's death marks the legal endpoint of the unintentional manslayer's stay in the refuge city.
The LORD as Refuge
The cities of refuge fit within the broader biblical theme of the LORD as refuge for His people.
Fleeing for Refuge in Gospel Hope
Hebrews 6 uses the language of fleeing to hope; it does not cite Joshua's city legislation or equate an unintentional manslayer with every sinner.
The LORD Commands Cities of Refuge
Joshua is commanded to appoint the refuge cities previously commanded through Moses.
Joshua 20:1-9
Six refuge cities protect the unintentional manslayer pending judgment.
Biblical Theology
Cities of Refuge Appointed: The Lord recalls the prior instruction through Moses and identifies the protected case as unintentional killing. Three western and three eastern cities are designated for Israelites and resident strangers in the specified case.
Theological Movement
Cities of Refuge Appointed: The Lord recalls the prior instruction through Moses and identifies the protected case as unintentional killing. Three western and three eastern cities are designated for Israelites and resident strangers in the specified case.
1Then the LORD said to Joshua,
2“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,
The Manslayer May Flee for Refuge
The unintentional killer is given a place of protection from the avenger of blood.
3so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
The Elders Hear the Case
The manslayer must present his case at the city gate and be received by the elders.
4When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.
The Avenger Must Not Be Given Immediate Access
The elders must protect the accused when the death was accidental and without prior hatred.
5Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
The Manslayer Remains Until Trial and Priestly Death
The accused remains in the city until trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest.
6He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”
The Six Cities Are Appointed
Three cities west of the Jordan and three east of the Jordan are set apart as places of refuge.
7So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
Refuge Is Provided for Israelite and Foreigner
The cities protect anyone in Israel who kills unintentionally until proper judgment is rendered.
9These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.