Learn Joshua 20: What It Means and Why It Matters

Chapter Summary: The Point

God commands Joshua to appoint the cities of refuge promised earlier through Moses. Joshua 20 explains how Israel must protect a manslayer who kills someone accidentally or unintentionally. The manslayer may flee to one of the appointed cities and present his case at the city gate before the elders. The elders must receive him, give him a place to live, and protect him from the avenger of blood. The congregation must judge the case, and the manslayer must remain in the city until the death of the high priest. Israel then sets apart six cities, three west of the Jordan and three east of the Jordan. These cities serve Israel and the alien living among them, so justice and mercy are available under God’s law. The chapter teaches that God’s people must restrain vengeance, protect life, and judge guilt with truth.

Outline: The Structure of Joshua 20

• Verses 1-3: God commands Joshua to assign the cities of refuge
• Verses 4-6: The manslayer receives protection and awaits judgment
• Verses 7-8: Israel appoints six cities across the land
• Verse 9: The cities serve Israel and the alien until trial before the congregation

Context: The Setting

Literary Flow and Genre: Joshua is Old Testament historical narrative that records God’s faithfulness in giving Israel the land and ordering Israel’s life under his covenant word. Joshua 20 stands within The Distribution and Ordering of the Land, Joshua 13:1-21:45, where the land is allotted and Israel’s covenant life is organized. Chapter 19 completed the tribal inheritances and gave Joshua his own inheritance. Chapter 20 appoints cities of refuge, and chapter 21 assigns cities to the Levites. Historical narrative here should be read by tracing commands, fulfillment, legal terms, and how earlier instructions from the Pentateuch are carried out in the land.

History and Culture: Ancient Israel lived in a world where family members had responsibility to pursue justice when blood was shed. The avenger of blood could act against a killer, but God’s law distinguished murder from accidental killing. The cities of refuge protected a manslayer while guilt or innocence was examined. City gates were public legal spaces where elders heard cases and made decisions. These cities also protected the alien living among Israel, which shows that God’s justice was to govern the whole covenant community and those dwelling within its borders.

Joshua 20 Commentary: The Walkthrough

Verses 1-2: The Command Recalled

God speaks to Joshua and commands him to address the children of Israel. The instruction concerns “the cities of refuge” already spoken of through Moses. Joshua implements God’s earlier law rather than creating a new policy.

The wording links Joshua to the Pentateuch. Exodus 21:12-14, Numbers 35, and Deuteronomy 19 had already prepared Israel for this institution. The land must be ordered by God’s word after the tribes receive their inheritance.

God’s command also places mercy inside the structure of covenant justice. Israel has conquered cities and received territory. Now the people must establish places where vulnerable accused persons can live until judgment is properly made.

Verse 3: The Protected Manslayer

The refuge is for “the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally.” The distinction is crucial. God’s law treats intentional murder and accidental killing differently.

The manslayer may flee there “for a refuge from the avenger of blood.” The avenger of blood was likely a near relative responsible to seek justice for the slain family member. God restrains personal vengeance through public justice.

Accidental killing still creates real loss and bloodshed. The chapter does not treat death lightly. Mercy protects the accused, and justice honors the life that was taken. Both belong together in God’s law.

Three concerns shape the command:

• Life must be protected because people bear God’s image.
• Guilt must be judged by truth rather than anger.
• The community must provide ordered refuge before final judgment.

The city of refuge exists because God cares about the victim, the accused, and the holiness of the land.

Verse 4: The Gate and the Elders

The manslayer must flee to one of the cities and stand at the entrance of the gate. He must declare his case “in the ears of the elders of that city.” The gate was the public place for legal hearing, witness, and civic authority.

The elders then take him into the city and give him a place to live. Refuge includes actual protection, not only a symbolic status. The manslayer receives shelter, community, and legal safety while the case is pending.

This procedure prevents hasty retaliation. The accused person does not hide in secrecy. He comes into the open and states his case before lawful authority. God’s mercy works through public order.

Verse 5: The Avenger Restrained

If the avenger of blood pursues the manslayer, the elders must refuse to deliver him up. The city becomes a barrier against revenge. The reason is stated plainly: the manslayer struck his neighbor unintentionally and did not hate him beforehand.

Hatred becomes evidence of intent. Deuteronomy 19 also uses prior hatred to distinguish murder from accidental killing. God’s law examines motive, history, and action. A death has occurred, but the moral question must be judged carefully.

The phrase “his neighbor” is important. The dead person is not reduced to a case detail. The law protects the accused while still naming the victim as a neighbor. Justice in Israel must honor both truth and human dignity.

Verse 6: Judgment and the High Priest

The manslayer must dwell in the city until he stands before the congregation for judgment. The city of refuge is temporary protection before public decision. The congregation has a role in determining the case, which keeps justice from being controlled by private anger.

The manslayer also remains there until the death of the high priest. This second marker comes from Numbers 35. The death of the high priest marks the point at which the manslayer may return to his own city and house.

Why would the high priest’s death matter? The chapter does not explain the mechanism, yet the wider law connects bloodshed, the land, and atonement. The high priest represents Israel before God, and his death marks a covenant transition for the manslayer’s exile. Christian readers may see a limited shadow of priestly mediation, while keeping the passage grounded in Israel’s legal life.

Verses 7-8: The Six Cities Named

Israel sets apart six cities. West of the Jordan they appoint Kedesh in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba, also called Hebron, in Judah. East of the Jordan they assign Bezer, Ramoth in Gilead, and Golan in Bashan.

The placement matters. The cities are spread across the land so refuge can be reached from different regions. Deuteronomy 19 had stressed accessible roads to prevent needless death before trial.

Several city names carry earlier biblical weight. Shechem had covenant associations from the patriarchs. Hebron had just been linked to Caleb’s inheritance. Places of inheritance also become places of justice and mercy. God’s gift of land includes responsibility for life within that land.

Verse 9: Refuge for Israel and the Alien

Verse 9 gathers the chapter’s purpose. These are the appointed cities for all the children of Israel and for the alien living among them. The protection is not limited to native Israelites.

The phrase “whoever kills any person unintentionally” broadens the reach of the law. God’s justice covers the whole community living in the land. The alien receives the same legal protection in this matter as the Israelite.

The manslayer must not die by the hand of the avenger before standing trial before the congregation. The final word is not family rage, social pressure, or fear. Judgment must be public, ordered, and accountable before God. Joshua 20 places mercy within law and law within God’s covenant holiness.

Timeline: The Dates

• After the tribal inheritances are distributed: God commands Joshua to assign the cities of refuge (Joshua 20:1-2).
• When accidental killing occurs: The manslayer may flee to one of the appointed cities (Joshua 20:3-4).
• When he reaches the city gate: The manslayer declares his case before the elders of that city (Joshua 20:4).
• If the avenger of blood pursues him: The elders must protect the manslayer from being delivered into his hand (Joshua 20:5).
• Until judgment before the congregation: The manslayer remains in the city while his case awaits public judgment (Joshua 20:6).
• Until the death of the high priest: The manslayer remains in the refuge city before returning to his own city and house (Joshua 20:6).
• After the cities are appointed: Israel and the alien living among them have lawful refuge before trial (Joshua 20:7-9).

Application: The Practice

Personal Faith and Discipleship

1. Honor truth before judgment | Joshua 20 requires the manslayer to declare his case before the elders and await public judgment. Faithfulness means refusing to decide guilt by anger, rumor, or pressure. References: Joshua 20:4-6.
2. Run to lawful refuge | The accidental killer was to flee to the appointed city rather than face private vengeance alone. Christians should seek God’s appointed means of help, truth, accountability, and protection when guilt, danger, or conflict rises. References: Joshua 20:3-4.
3. Take life seriously | The chapter protects the manslayer, but it also treats bloodshed as grave. God’s people should reject carelessness, hatred, and revenge because human life belongs under God’s holy rule. References: Joshua 20:3, 5-6.

Church and Community

1. Protect due process | The elders receive the manslayer, hear his case, and shield him from the avenger until judgment. Churches should handle accusations with truth, witnesses, patience, and lawful care rather than mob instinct. References: Joshua 20:4-6.
2. Make mercy accessible | The cities are placed across the land so the manslayer can flee to refuge. Christian communities should make pastoral care, safety, and biblical counsel available in practical ways. References: Joshua 20:7-8.
3. Welcome the vulnerable alien | The appointed cities serve both Israel and the alien living among them. God’s people should administer justice without partiality toward insiders and without neglecting outsiders who dwell among them. References: Joshua 20:9.

Leadership and Teaching

1. Teach justice with mercy | Joshua 20 brings protection and judgment together in one legal institution. Leaders should teach that mercy never cancels truth and truth never gives permission for vengeance. References: Joshua 20:3-6.
2. Restrain revenge clearly | The elders must not deliver the manslayer to the avenger when the killing was unintentional. Leadership must name the temptation to punish before truth is known and must establish orderly protection. References: Joshua 20:5.
3. Apply old commands faithfully | Joshua assigns the cities God had spoken about through Moses. Teachers should help God’s people see that obedience often means carrying out what God has already commanded. References: Joshua 20:1-2, 7-9.
4. Include the whole community | The final verse names Israel and the alien together under the same refuge provision. Christian teaching should display God’s impartial justice and his concern for every person under communal care. References: Joshua 20:9.

Interpretive Options: The Differences

How should Christians understand the avenger of blood?

• Broad consensus: The avenger of blood was a family representative connected to justice after a killing. Joshua 20 does not abolish that social responsibility, but it places strict limits around it. The city of refuge protects the accused until the case can be heard.
• Pastoral Christian reading: Many Christian interpreters emphasize the restraint of vengeance. The passage recognizes grief and the demand for justice while preventing immediate retaliation from replacing lawful judgment. The chapter trains God’s people to distinguish justice from revenge.

Why must the manslayer remain until the high priest dies?

• Broad consensus: The rule comes from the law given through Moses, especially Numbers 35. The high priest’s death marks the end of the manslayer’s required stay and permits return home. The exact reason is not explained in Joshua 20, but the rule ties accidental bloodshed to Israel’s priestly and covenant life.
• Typological Christian reading: Many Christian readers see priestly mediation here as a limited shadow that points forward to Christ. The high priest’s death releases the manslayer from exile, while Christ’s death brings full redemption from guilt and curse. This reading should begin with the chapter’s legal meaning and then move carefully to the wider canon.
• Historical-legal reading: Some interpreters focus on the high priest’s death as a public time marker for ending the legal restriction. This view stresses social order and a clear boundary for the manslayer’s return. It remains compatible with seeing priestly symbolism in the wider biblical context.

Do the cities of refuge point to Christ?

• Historic Christian reading: Many Christians have seen the cities of refuge as a pattern of salvation because the guilty and endangered person runs to an appointed refuge. The chapter itself speaks about legal protection for accidental killing, so the typology should not erase that original setting. Christ fulfills the deeper need for refuge from sin, judgment, and death.
• Broad exegetical reading: The primary meaning concerns justice in Israel’s land. The cities protect a person whose guilt must be examined and whose life must be preserved until judgment. Christian application can move from that legal refuge to Christ because the Bible presents God as the final refuge of his people.

Common Misreadings: The Mistakes

“The cities of refuge were shelters for murderers to escape justice.” The chapter protects only the person who killed accidentally or unintentionally. The manslayer must present his case, live under restriction, and stand before the congregation for judgment.

“The avenger of blood had unlimited divine permission to kill.” Joshua 20 places the avenger under legal restraint. The elders must not hand over the manslayer when the killing was unintentional and there was no prior hatred.

“Old Testament justice cared only for Israelites.” The appointed cities serve the children of Israel and the alien living among them. The chapter requires one refuge provision for both native Israelites and resident foreigners.

Leading: The Teaching Guide

The Aim: Joshua 20 teaches that God orders his people to protect life, restrain vengeance, and provide lawful refuge until truth is judged rightly (vv. 3-6, 9).

A Teaching Flow:

1. Begin with God’s command to Joshua in verses 1-2 and connect it to earlier instructions given through Moses.
2. Explain the legal process in verses 3-6, moving from flight, to the city gate, to protection by the elders, to judgment before the congregation.
3. Walk through the six cities in verses 7-8 and show how their spread across the land makes refuge accessible.
4. Conclude with verse 9, emphasizing that justice and mercy extend to Israel and to the alien living among them.

The Approach: Teach Joshua 20 as covenant law put into practice after inheritance. Keep the passage anchored in its legal purpose: accidental killing, restrained vengeance, public judgment, and priestly order. In the wider storyline of Scripture, the cities of refuge help readers understand why sinners need an appointed refuge, and why Christ’s priestly work provides the final shelter God’s people need.

Cross-References: The Connections

Exodus 21:12-14 – This earlier law distinguishes murder from accidental killing and prepares for a place of refuge.

Numbers 35:9-34 – This passage gives the fullest Pentateuch background for the cities of refuge and the death of the high priest.

Deuteronomy 19:1-13 – Moses commands accessible refuge cities and explains the difference between accidental killing and murder.

Psalm 46:1 – God is described as refuge and strength, which gives a broader theological frame for the idea of refuge.

Proverbs 18:10 – The name of the Lord as a strong tower develops the biblical theme of safety found in God.

Hebrews 6:18 – The New Testament uses refuge language for believers who flee to lay hold of the hope set before them.

Hebrews 7:23-27 – Christ’s permanent priesthood provides the fuller priestly reality toward which Israel’s temporary priesthood pointed.

Further Study: The Articles

Coming Soon!