Commentary - Joshua 20:1-6

Bird's-eye view

As Israel is settling into the promised land, with the major conquests complete and the tribal allotments underway, God gives Joshua a crucial instruction. He is to formally establish the cities of refuge, a provision God had already commanded through Moses. This is not some minor administrative detail; it is a profound legal and theological institution that reveals the very character of God. In a world where justice was often a matter of raw vengeance, God establishes a system that distinguishes between murder and manslaughter, between premeditated malice and tragic accident. These cities were a gracious provision of mercy, a sanctuary for the unintentional killer from the "avenger of blood."

But as with all such Old Testament institutions, we must read this with New Testament eyes. The cities of refuge are a living, breathing sermon about the gospel. They are a type, a shadow, of the ultimate refuge we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. The man fleeing for his life, gasping for breath as he runs toward the gates of Hebron or Ramoth-Gilead, is a picture of every sinner fleeing the just condemnation of God's law. The safety found within those city walls points to the perfect safety we find in Christ. And most strikingly, the manslayer's ultimate freedom being tied to the death of the high priest is a stunningly clear foreshadowing of our eternal liberty, secured by the death of our great High Priest, Jesus.

Outline

Context In Joshua

The book of Joshua is about God fulfilling His land promise to Abraham. The first half of the book (chapters 1-12) details the conquest of Canaan under Joshua's leadership. The second half (chapters 13-24) concerns the division and settlement of that land among the tribes of Israel. Chapter 20 sits squarely in this second section. After the land has been largely subdued and the inheritances are being assigned, God pauses the proceedings to ensure that this crucial aspect of Israel's civil and religious life is established. This placement is significant. A just and merciful society is not an afterthought; it is fundamental to what it means to be God's people living in God's land. Before the story of settlement can continue, the foundation of justice, which includes a provision for mercy, must be laid. This law ensures that the land itself will not be polluted by innocent blood or by unjust vengeance.

Key Issues

Justice Tempered with Mercy

The Mosaic law is unflinching on the matter of murder. "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man" (Gen 9:6). The sanctity of human life, rooted in the image of God, demands capital punishment for premeditated murder. There is no refuge for the murderer; the horns of the altar itself will not protect him. But God's law is also wise and discerning. It recognizes a world of difference between a malicious, hateful act of murder and a tragic, unintentional act of killing. The former is a crime deserving of the ultimate penalty; the latter is a tragedy requiring a different kind of justice.

The cities of refuge are God's wise and merciful provision for navigating this distinction. They uphold the principle that blood has been shed and a price must be paid, while simultaneously protecting the life of one who is not morally culpable in the same way a murderer is. The institution of the avenger of blood (goel haddam) was a legitimate one, a near kinsman tasked with executing justice on behalf of the family and the community. But this passion for justice, however righteous, could be blind. The cities of refuge insert due process into the system. They provide a cooling-off period, a place for evidence to be heard, and a sanctuary from raw, hot-blooded vengeance. This is a picture of God's own character. He is a God of perfect justice who demands that sin be punished, but He is also a God of profound mercy who has provided a refuge for us in His Son.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1-2 Then Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses,

The action begins with a divine command. This is not Joshua's bright idea, nor is it a policy developed by a committee of elders. This comes directly from Yahweh. God is establishing the civil order of His people. The phrase "of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses" is crucial. It links Joshua's work directly to the foundational law given at Sinai (see Num 35:9-34; Deut 19:1-13). Joshua is not an innovator here; he is a faithful implementer. This demonstrates the continuity of God's covenant. The promises and laws given to the generation in the wilderness are now being put into concrete, geographical practice by the generation entering the land. God's word is not a collection of abstract ideals; it is meant to be lived out on the ground, in real cities, with real laws.

3 that the manslayer who strikes down any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become for you as a refuge from the avenger of blood.

Here we have the central purpose of these cities. They are for the "manslayer," not the murderer. The text is careful to define what this means: striking someone down "unintentionally, without premeditation." The Hebrew here distinguishes between an accidental act and a malicious one. The law in Deuteronomy gives a tangible example: two men are chopping wood, and the axe head flies off the handle and kills one of them. There was no prior hatred, no intent to harm. It was a terrible accident. For such a person, these cities provide a "refuge from the avenger of blood." The avenger, the near kinsman, had a right and a duty to pursue the killer. But that right was not absolute. God's law steps in to provide a sanctuary, a safe place, until the case can be properly adjudicated.

4 And he shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and speak his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may live among them.

This verse outlines the procedure for seeking asylum. The fugitive doesn't just run into the city and hide. He must present himself at the city gate, which was the ancient equivalent of a courthouse. There, he pleads his case before the city elders, the appointed judges. This is a formal, legal process. He has to give a preliminary account of what happened. If his story is credible, the elders have a responsibility to grant him provisional asylum. They are to "take him into the city" and "give him a place." This is a beautiful picture of provisional grace. Based on his plea, he is brought into safety. Final judgment will come later, but for now, he is protected. This is analogous to the sinner who flees to Christ. We come to Him, plead our case confessing our sin, and He immediately takes us in, granting us a place in His kingdom, a provisional safety that awaits the final judgment where we will be declared righteous because of His work.

5 Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not surrender the manslayer into his hand because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand.

The protection offered is robust. If the avenger of blood shows up at the gates, breathing threats and demanding justice, the elders of the city of refuge are commanded not to hand the man over. Their duty is to protect him. The basis for this protection is reiterated: there was no "premeditation," no "hatred beforehand." The law is concerned with the state of the heart, the motive behind the action. This is a fundamental principle of biblical justice. God cares not just about what we do, but why we do it. The city of refuge becomes a shield, standing between the accused and the executioner, ensuring that justice, not just vengeance, is served. In the same way, when Satan, the accuser of the brethren, comes to demand our condemnation, Christ stands as our refuge and advocate, and the Father will not surrender us into his hand.

6 And he shall live in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return and come to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.’ ”

This verse sets the terms of the manslayer's exile and the conditions for his freedom. His asylum is not unconditional freedom. He must remain within the city. If he leaves, he forfeits his protection. He must first stand for a formal trial before the "congregation." If found guilty of murder, he would be handed over. If affirmed as an unintentional killer, he must remain in the city. His exile is a form of punishment; a life has been lost, and there are consequences. But then comes the most significant part of the entire passage. His exile ends, and he is fully pardoned, upon "the death of the one who is high priest." Why? This makes no sense from a purely civil perspective. It makes perfect sense as gospel typology. The high priest was the nation's representative before God. His life was bound up with the life of the people. His death, therefore, had a representative, atoning significance. It wiped the slate clean. It was a death that brought about liberty for the captive. This points us directly to Jesus, our great High Priest. His death on the cross was the death that purchased our true and final freedom. We are in exile in this world, safe in Christ our refuge, but we await the full inheritance that was secured for us when our High Priest died and rose again.

Application

First, we must see that God's law makes careful and necessary distinctions. In our own day, we are prone to sloppy moral reasoning, either excusing everything or condemning everything with the same blunt force. God's law distinguishes between malice and accident, between sin and crime, between what requires restitution and what requires capital punishment. We must learn to think with this kind of biblical precision about justice in our own lives and society.

Second, we all need a refuge. The avenger of blood in this story is a picture of the righteous demands of God's perfect law. Because of our sin, the law pursues us, and its demand is death. We are all fugitives from divine justice. There is no place on earth we can run, no excuse we can make that will satisfy the law's pursuit. Our only hope is to flee to the refuge God Himself has provided. That refuge is not a place, but a person: the Lord Jesus Christ. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps 46:1).

Finally, our freedom is secured by the death of our High Priest. The man in the city of refuge was safe, but he was not free. He couldn't go home. He was waiting. His full restoration was dependent on the death of another. This is our story. In Christ, we are safe from condemnation. But our ultimate freedom, our return to our true home, our entrance into the new heavens and new earth, was purchased at an infinite cost. It was purchased by the death of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest. His death was not a tragedy; it was our atonement. It was the death that set all the captives free. Therefore, let us run to Him, take refuge in Him, and live our lives in the secure and settled joy of knowing that our High Priest's death has purchased our eternal home.