Joshua 20: Cities of Refuge
God commands six cities of refuge where one who kills accidentally may flee from the avenger of blood and find protection until judgment.
Joshua 20 (WEB)
1 Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses,
3 that 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.
4 He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his cause 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.
5 If the avenger of blood pursue after 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.
6 He 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.’”
7 They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 Beyond 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.
9 These 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 before the congregation.
Joshua 20 (KJV)
1 The 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 Kirjath–arba, 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.
Joshua 20 (ASV)
1 And Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Assign you the cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by Moses,
3 that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly and unawares may flee thither: and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 And he shall flee unto one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; and 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 up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unawares, and hated him not beforetime.
6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the manslayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
7 And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah.
8 And beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in 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 appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person unwittingly might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
Summary
Yahweh speaks to Joshua, commanding Israel to set apart the cities of refuge that he had appointed earlier through Moses. These are to be places where a person who kills another accidentally or unintentionally may flee for safety from the avenger of blood. The fugitive is to flee to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the gate, and declare his case to the elders, who will take him in and give him a place to live among them. If the avenger of blood pursues him, the elders are not to hand him over, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally and without prior hatred. The man slayer is to remain in the city until he stands trial before the congregation, and until the death of the high priest serving in those days; then he may return to his own home and city. Israel sets apart six such cities—Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron west of the Jordan, and Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan to the east. These cities are appointed for all Israel and for the foreigner living among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally might flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger before standing before the congregation. The chapter reveals a God who weaves mercy and justice together, providing protection for the guilty-by-accident and a path to refuge for all.
Main Characters
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who commands the cities of refuge, providing a merciful safeguard for the one who kills unintentionally while upholding justice.
- The man slayer — The one who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally and may flee to a city of refuge for protection until judgment.
- The avenger of blood — The kinsman who would seek to avenge a death, from whom the cities of refuge protect the unintentional killer.
- The elders of the city — Those who receive the fugitive at the gate, hear his case, and give him a place to live among them.
Key Verse
Joshua 20:3 (WEB)
that 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.
Lessons Learned
- God provides refuge and protection for those who flee to him.
- God's law holds together mercy and justice, distinguishing intent and providing fair trial.
- The cities of refuge were open to the foreigner as well as the Israelite, hinting at God's wide mercy.
- Release tied to the high priest's death points ahead to a greater High Priest whose death sets us free.
- God appoints places of refuge. The cities are “to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood” (Joshua 20:3, WEB), showing the Lord's care to protect the vulnerable.
- Mercy and justice meet. The man slayer is protected, yet must “stand before the congregation for judgment” (Joshua 20:6, WEB); refuge does not bypass justice but provides for it.
- Refuge is open to all who flee to it. The cities serve “all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives among them” (Joshua 20:9, WEB), extending mercy beyond Israel.
- Freedom comes through a priest's death. The slayer remains “until the death of the high priest” (Joshua 20:6, WEB), foreshadowing the death of Christ our High Priest that brings true release.
- What was the purpose of the cities of refuge, and who could flee to them?
- How do the cities of refuge hold together both mercy and justice?
- Why is it significant that the foreigner, too, could flee to these cities?
- What is the meaning of the man slayer being freed at the death of the high priest?
- Where do you most need to flee to God as your refuge, and what keeps you from running to him?
- The cities of refuge protected anyone who killed a person “accidentally or unintentionally” from the avenger of blood (20:3). They offered safety to the unintentional killer, not the murderer, providing a place to live until the matter could be judged justly.
- The fugitive received protection, but also had to stand trial before the congregation (20:4-6). The system shielded the innocent-of-intent from vengeance while still ensuring that guilt and innocence were rightly weighed—mercy and justice working together.
- The cities were explicitly open “for the alien who lives among them” (20:9). This inclusion of the foreigner reveals that God's provision of refuge was not for Israel alone, anticipating the wide reach of his mercy to all peoples.
- The man slayer's return home was tied to the death of the high priest (20:6). For Christian readers this points beyond itself: the death of our great High Priest, Jesus, secures the release and homecoming of all who take refuge in him. Draw the group gently toward this hope.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider where they need to run to God for refuge—from guilt, fear, or accusation—and what hesitations hold them back. As leader, affirm that he is a sure and welcoming refuge for all who flee to him.