Joshua 20
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.
Common Questions About Joshua 20
What cities does chapter 20 establish?
Joshua designates the six cities of refuge, three on each side of the Jordan, first established in principle back in Numbers and Deuteronomy, providing protection throughout the whole land for anyone who killed another person accidentally, ensuring fair access to justice regardless of location.
What process does the chapter describe for someone seeking refuge?
The chapter describes a fair, structured process: the person explains their case to the city elders, is granted entry and protection, and later receives a fair public trial, providing genuine due process rather than either immediate vigilante justice or complete lack of accountability.
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Questions to Think About
- This system balanced genuine protection with genuine accountability, avoiding both harsh vigilante justice and complete lack of consequence. How do you pursue this same balance in your own conflicts: genuine accountability alongside fair process and protection?
- These cities were accessible throughout the entire land, ensuring fair access to justice regardless of where someone lived. How do you make sure fairness and support are genuinely accessible to everyone in your own community, not just those in convenient or central locations?
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