4 And when he that doth flee H5127 unto one H259 of those cities H5892 shall stand H5975 at the entering H6607 of the gate H8179 of the city, H5892 and shall declare H1696 his cause H1697 in the ears H241 of the elders H2205 of that city, H5892 they shall take H622 him into the city H5892 unto them, and give H5414 him a place, H4725 that he may dwell H3427 among them.
Then went H5927 Boaz H1162 up H5927 to the gate, H8179 and sat him down H3427 there: and, behold, the kinsman H1350 of whom Boaz H1162 spake H1696 came H5674 by; unto whom he said, H559 Ho, H1945 such H6423 a one! H492 turn aside, H5493 sit down H3427 here. And he turned aside, H5493 and sat down. H3427 And he took H3947 ten H6235 men H582 of the elders H2205 of the city, H5892 and said, H559 Sit ye down H3427 here. And they sat down. H3427
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.