2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint for yourselves the cities of refuge, whereof I spoke unto you through Moses,
Then Moses separated three cities on this side the Jordan toward the sun-rising, that the manslayer might flee thither, who should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not previously, that fleeing to one of these cities, he might live: Bezer in the wilderness, in the plateau, of the Reubenites, and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.
then ye shall appoint for yourselves cities: cities of refuge shall they be for you; that a manslayer may flee thither, who without intent smiteth a person mortally. And ye shall have these cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he have stood before the assembly in judgment. And the cities that ye shall give shall be six cities of refuge for you. Three cities shall ye give on this side of the Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge. For the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them shall these six cities be a refuge, that one who smiteth a person mortally without intent may flee thither. And if he have smitten him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall certainly be put to death. And if he have smitten him with a stone from the hand, wherewith one may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall certainly be put to death. Or if he have smitten him with an instrument of wood, in the hand, wherewith one may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall certainly be put to death; the avenger of blood, he shall put the murderer to death; when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death. And if he thrust at him out of hatred, or hurl at him intentionally, so that he die, or from enmity smite him with his hand, so that he die, he that smote him shall certainly be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meeteth him. -- But if he have thrust at him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything unintentionally, or [have smitten him] with any stone wherewith one may die, without seeing him, and have cast it upon him so that he die, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm: then the assembly shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these judgments;
thou shalt separate three cities for thyself in the midst of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess. Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the territory of thy land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, so that every slayer may flee thither. And this is the case of the slayer who shall flee thither that he may live: he that smiteth his neighbour unwittingly, whom he hated not previously; as when he goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron slippeth from the handle, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; such an one shall flee unto one of these cities, and live; lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, since he hated him not previously. Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thyself. And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers (if thou keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in his ways continually), then shalt thou add three cities more for thyself to these three, that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and blood come not upon thee. But if a man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and he flee into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not spare him; and thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.
But if he have not lain in wait, and God have delivered [him] into his hand, I will appoint thee a place to which he shall flee. But if a man act wantonly toward his neighbour, and slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
Who shall bring an accusation against God's elect? [It is] God who justifies: who is he that condemns? [It is] Christ who has died, but rather has been [also] raised up; who is also at the right hand of God; who also intercedes for us.
that by two unchangeable things, in which [it was] impossible that God should lie, we might have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us, which we have as anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that within the veil,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 20
Commentary on Joshua 20 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
After the distribution of the land by lot among the tribes of Israel, six towns were set apart, in accordance with the Mosaic instructions in Num 35, as places of refuge for unintentional manslayers. Before describing the appointment and setting apart of these towns, the writer repeats in Joshua 20:1-6 the main points of the Mosaic law contained in Num 35:9-29 and Deuteronomy 19:1-13, with reference to the reception of the manslayers into these towns. לכם תּנוּ , “ give to you ,” i.e., appoint for yourselves, “ cities of refuge ,” etc. In Joshua 20:6, the two regulations, “ until he stand before the congregation for judgment ,” and “ until the death of the high priest ,” are to be understood, in accordance with the clear explanation given in Numbers 35:24-25, as meaning that the manslayer was to live in the town till the congregation had pronounced judgment upon the matter, and either given him up to the avenger of blood as a wilful murderer, or taken him back to the city of refuge as an unintentional manslayer, in which case he was to remain there till the death of the existing high priest. For further particulars, see at Num 35.
List of the cites: Levitical cities were chosen, for the reasons explained in the Commentary on the Pentateuch.
Joshua 20:7
In the land on this side (viz., Canaan) they sanctified the following cities. In the north , Kedesh (see at Joshua 12:22), in Galil , on the mountains of Naphtali. Galil (a circle) was a district in the northern part of the subsequent province of Galilee; it is called הגּוים גּליל , circle of the heathen, in Isaiah 9:1, because an unusually large number of heathen or Gentiles were living there. In the centre of the land, Shechem , upon the mountains of Ephraim (see at Joshua 17:7). And in the south, Kirjath-arba , i.e., Hebron, upon the mountains of Judah (see at Joshua 10:3).
Joshua 20:8-9
The cities in the land on the other side had already been appointed by Moses (Deuteronomy 4:41-43). For the sake of completeness, they are mentioned here again: viz., Bezer , Ramoth in Gilead , and Golan (see at Deuteronomy 4:43). The subject is brought to a close in Joshua 20:9. המּוּעדה ערי signifies neither urbes congregationis ( Kimchi ) nor urbes asyli ( Gesenius ), but cities of appointment, - those which received the appointment already given and repeated again in what follows.