Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Joshua
Chapter 20: The Cities of Refuge
Among the tribal inheritances, God commands a merciful provision: cities of refuge. To them the one who had killed a person 'unawares and unwittingly' could flee from the avenger of blood, and be safe. He must run to the city, declare his cause, and dwell there, and no one could deliver him up. And there he stayed 'until the death of the high priest', when the high priest died, the slayer went free. Here is one of the clearest pictures of the gospel in all the Old Testament: a refuge for the guilty, safety only inside, open to all, and freedom purchased by the death of the High Priest. Christ is our refuge, and His death sets us free.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Joshua chapter 20. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here God appoints the cities of refuge, a merciful shelter for the slayer, freed at the death of the high priest, one of the richest pictures of Christ our refuge. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Flee Thither
A city of shelter from the avenger of blood.
Only Inside
Received at the gate, kept only by remaining within.
The High Priest's Death
At his death, the slayer returns home free.
For the Stranger Too
Six cities across the land, open to all.
Until the Death of the High Priest (Joshua 20:1-6)
God commands the cities of refuge, where the slayer of a person killed unawares may flee from the avenger of blood, and dwell safely until the death of the high priest, when he goes free.
They Shall Be Your Refuge
"The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 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. 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. 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."
Word Study
"refuge," Hebrew miqlat (מִקְלָט). The word means a place of refuge, asylum, shelter; "they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood." The cities of refuge were a merciful provision for the one who had caused a death "unawares and unwittingly", not a murderer, but one guilty of accidental killing, who nonetheless stood in danger of the "avenger of blood," the near kinsman who by ancient custom pursued the slayer. To such a one God gave a refuge: a city he could flee to and be safe. This is one of the clearest and most beautiful pictures of Christ in the Old Testament, and the New Testament uses its very language. Hebrews speaks of those "who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18), the same image of fleeing to a refuge. And the parallels are striking. The slayer must flee to the refuge, we must flee to Christ; he is safe only inside the city, we are safe only in Christ; the refuge is near and accessible, and by God's mercy Christ is a refuge close at hand for all who run to Him. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1); "the name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe" (Proverbs 18:10). The avenger could not touch the one inside the city; and no accusation, no condemnation, no wrath can touch the one who is in Christ, "there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). So miqlat preaches the gospel of refuge: guilty and pursued, we flee to Christ, and in Him we are safe from every avenger. He is the city of refuge for all who run to Him, the strong tower, the hiding place, the very present help. Flee to Him, and dwell in Him, and be safe.
Explanation
The cities of refuge set up a careful legal process, distinguishing murder from manslaughter. One who killed "unawares and unwittingly" — an accident, not a crime — could flee to a refuge city, "stand at the entering of the gate," and state his case to the elders. There he was sheltered from "the avenger of blood" until he could "stand before the congregation for judgment," a fair trial. If cleared as accidental, he stayed safe in the city. It is due process written into the law: no hot-blooded vengeance, but shelter, a hearing, and justice.
Gospel Focus
The cities of refuge reveal the mercy and justice of God together. Justice required that bloodshed be answered; mercy provided that the one who killed unintentionally should not die as a murderer. So God appointed cities where the slayer could flee, declare his cause, and be sheltered from "the avenger of blood." But the most gospel-laden detail is the condition of his release: "he shall dwell in that city... until the death of the high priest... then shall the slayer return... unto his own house." The slayer's freedom was bound to the death of the high priest. As long as the high priest lived, the slayer remained in the refuge; when the high priest died, the slayer was set free to return home, fully and forever. Here is a shadow of the deepest truth of the gospel. We were guilty, pursued by the avenger, sheltered only by fleeing to the refuge. And our full and final freedom came through the death of a High Priest, not the death of Aaron's successors, but the death of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, "who needeth not daily... to offer up sacrifice... for this he did once, when he offered up himself" (Hebrews 7:27). By the death of our High Priest, the guilty go free; the slayer returns home; the condemnation is lifted; we are released, not to the old bondage, but to our own inheritance. The one who fled to Christ for refuge is set free forever by Christ's own death. For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a picture of the whole way of salvation. Guilty and pursued by death and judgment, we flee to Christ our refuge and are safe in Him; and by the death of our High Priest we are set completely free, delivered from the avenger, released to our eternal home. Christ is both our refuge and our High Priest, our shelter while we live and our freedom by His death. Flee to Him, abide in Him, and rejoice, for by the death of the High Priest the guilty are set free.
For the Stranger That Sojourneth Among Them (Joshua 20:7-9)
Six cities of refuge are appointed on both sides of the Jordan, near to all, and open not only to Israel but to the stranger who sojourns among them.
For All the Children of Israel, and for the Stranger
"And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. 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. 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."
Word Study
"stranger," Hebrew ger (גֵּר). The word means a sojourner, a resident foreigner, a non-Israelite living among the people of God. And here the mercy of the cities of refuge is expressly opened to them: "these were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them." The refuge was not for Israel only; the Gentile sojourner, too, could flee there and be safe. This universal reach is deeply significant. God's mercy was never meant to stop at the borders of Israel; the refuge stood open to all who would flee to it, native and stranger alike. And it points forward to the gospel that would go to all nations. Christ, our true refuge, is open to every sinner of every people; "whosoever" may flee to Him. The word "whosoever" itself rings in this passage, "that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither." As the city of refuge received the stranger, so Christ receives all who come, "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37); "in every nation he that feareth him... is accepted with him" (Acts 10:35); "there is neither Jew nor Greek... for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). And the six cities were spread across the land, three on each side of the Jordan, so that no one was ever far from a refuge; God made mercy accessible to all. So ger proclaims the wideness of God's mercy. The refuge was for the stranger too; Christ is a refuge for every nation and every sinner who flees to Him. No one is too foreign, too far, or too guilty; the refuge stands open, near at hand, to whosoever will run to it. Flee to Christ, whoever you are, and be safe.
Explanation
Six cities were appointed — three west of Jordan (Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron) and three east (Bezer, Ramoth, Golan) — spread the length of the land so that no fugitive was ever far from refuge. And the mercy reached beyond Israel: the cities were "for the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them." One more detail carries the gospel: the manslayer was freed to go home only at "the death of the high priest." A death set the sheltered guilty one free — a shadow of the death of our great High Priest, in whom the guilty who flee to Him find both refuge and release.
Gospel Focus
Six cities were appointed, three west of the Jordan, Kedesh in the north, Shechem in the center, Hebron in the south, and three east, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan, so that from anywhere in the land a refuge was within reach. God did not place a single distant city that few could reach; He spread the refuges evenly, near to all, and Jewish tradition holds that the roads to them were kept clear and marked, so the fleeing slayer would not stumble on his way. Mercy was made accessible. And the refuge was open "for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them", the Gentile too could flee and be safe. Even the names of the cities whisper of the refuge we have in Christ: Kedesh means "holy" (from qadash, to be set apart as holy), and He is our sanctuary; Shechem means "shoulder," and He bears us up; Hebron, from chabar ("to join"), speaks of fellowship, and in Him we have communion with God; Bezer, from batsar ("to fortify"), means "fortress," and He is our stronghold; Ramoth, from rum ("to be high"), means "heights," and He lifts us up; and Golan, whose meaning is less certain (some link it to a root for removal or exile), has been taken to speak of the separation into which He calls us apart to Himself. Whether or not each name was chosen for its meaning, together they picture the many-sided refuge we find in Christ. For the Apostolic reader the appointing of the cities preaches the wide, accessible mercy of God. The refuge was near to all, open to the stranger, reachable by whosoever would flee. Such is Christ: not a distant, hard-to-reach salvation for a favored few, but a refuge near at hand, open to every nation and every sinner, to whosoever will run to Him. The roads are kept clear, the gate stands open, the refuge is near. So we proclaim to all, to Israel and stranger, to near and far, to whosoever will: flee to Christ, the city of refuge, and be safe from the avenger; for He receives all who come, and casts out none.
Chapter 20 in Review
Joshua 20 records the appointing of the cities of refuge. To them the one who killed a person "unawares and unwittingly" could flee "from the avenger of blood." He must run to the city, "declare his cause" at the gate, and dwell there, safe, for "they shall not deliver the slayer up." And he remained "until the death of the high priest," when he went free "unto his own house." Six cities were appointed, three on each side of the Jordan, near to all, "for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is one of the clearest pictures of the gospel in all the Old Testament. Guilty and pursued by the avenger, the slayer's only hope was to flee to the refuge, and there he was safe. So we, guilty before God and pursued by death and judgment, flee to Christ our refuge and are safe in Him, for "there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Safety was only inside the city; safety is only in Christ. And the deepest note of all: the slayer's full freedom came "until the death of the high priest," when the high priest died, the guilty went free. So our full and final freedom comes by the death of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who offered up Himself, and by His death we are released from the avenger, set free to our eternal home. The refuge was near to all, spread across the land, open even to the stranger, that "whosoever" might flee, a shadow of the wide mercy of Christ, who receives every nation and every sinner who comes, and casts out none. So we flee to Christ, we abide in Him, and we rejoice that by the death of our High Priest the guilty are set free forever. And we proclaim to all: the refuge stands open, near at hand; flee to Christ, and be safe.
- The cities of refuge picture Christ our refuge: guilty and pursued, we flee to Him (20:2-3; Hebrews 6:18).
- Safety was only inside the city; safety is only in Christ (20:4-5; Romans 8:1).
- The slayer went free at "the death of the high priest", a shadow of Christ's death (20:6; Hebrews 7:27).
- By the death of our High Priest, the guilty are set free to their home (20:6).
- The refuge was open to "the stranger", Christ receives every nation and sinner (20:9; John 6:37).
- Six cities near to all: mercy made accessible, "whosoever" may flee (20:7-9; Proverbs 18:10).
Questions for Reflection
- Have you fled to Christ, your refuge, from the avenger of sin and death?
- Are you dwelling safely inside the refuge, abiding in Christ?
- How does the death of your High Priest set you completely free?
- Are you proclaiming to all that the refuge stands open to whosoever will flee to Christ?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The law of the cities of refuge: Joshua 20:1-6; Exodus 21:12-14; Numbers 35:9-34; Deuteronomy 19:1-13. Christ our refuge; safety in Him: Joshua 20:3-5; Psalm 46:1; 9:9; Proverbs 18:10; Hebrews 6:18; Romans 8:1. Freedom at the death of the high priest; Christ our High Priest: Joshua 20:6; Numbers 35:25, 28; Hebrews 7:23-27; 9:11-15, 26. The refuge for the stranger; the wideness of mercy: Joshua 20:7-9; Numbers 35:15; John 6:37; Acts 10:34-35; Galatians 3:28; Revelation 22:17. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The cities of refuge picture Christ our refuge; safety only inside: Joshua 20:1-5; Hebrews 6:18; Romans 8:1.
- Freedom at the death of the high priest; Christ our great High Priest: Joshua 20:6; Hebrews 7:27; 9:15.
- The refuge open to the stranger; the wideness of God's mercy: Joshua 20:9; John 6:37; Galatians 3:28.
- Six cities near to all: mercy made accessible to whosoever: Joshua 20:7-8; Proverbs 18:10.