Joshua 20: The Cities Of Refuge Series

Introduction: Accidents happen, and some of these accidents result in the death of another person. There was and is a difference between intentional murders—and there were numerous examples of this in the Bible—and accidental death, sometimes called manslaughter. To provide a safe place for the person who accidentally caused the death of another person, the LORD established six “cities of refuge” located in Israel: three each on each side of the Jordan River. Now let’s take a deeper or more intense look at these cities of refuge.

1 The Reminder to Establish Cities of Refuge

Text: Joshua 20:1-9, 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.

There are three other Old Testament references to establishing these cities of refuge. Numbers 35:6-34 gives a detailed explanation of what incidents were and were not accidental. Anyone who deliberately committed murder was of course to be put to death (Num. 35:30-31) but if the person who took another’s life accidentally had the option to flee to one of these cities.

The second reference is in Deuteronomy 4:41-43 where the three cities on the east of the Jordan were specified; one each in the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. The third is also in Deuteronomy 19:1-14 which seems to be a reminder and, perhaps, a paraphrase of the Numbers 35 passage. Note that at this time, the only cities mentioned as cities of refuge were for the two-and-a-half tribes living east of the Jordan. This could possibly be because those tribes had already begun to settle over there.

But the other tribes on the west side of the Jordan, or what was called “Canaan”, were still in the getting settled phases of living in their inheritances. Judah had been given the southernmost portion of the land, with Ephraim and West Manasseh occupying the more or less central region of the land. The other tribes apparently hadn’t completely settled yet but things seemed to be falling into place for them.

Before the LORD designated the other cities of refuge, He gave more information to Joshua. It’s likely Joshua may have remembered those words from years past, but, even so, the LORD reminded Joshua of the purpose for these cities.

2 The Rationales for the Cities of Refuge

Text, Joshua 20:4-6, KJV: 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.

It was one thing to designate cities as “cities of refuge”; quite another to understand the rationale for something like this. To be honest, I’ve never heard of any other “safe haven” like this in any other civilization. This, then, was or would be another of the ways Israel was unique under the LORD’s leadership.

Here was the first step: the one who accidentally slew the other person had to flee to one of the cities of refuge. Logically, that person would try to head for the closest one. Once he got there, he was to stand at the city’s gate and “declare his cause” before that city’s elders. Note that nothing is said about approaching any of the priests or Levites, only the chosen city’s elders.

Then the elders were apparently to evaluate the fugitive’s—for lack of a better word—claim and, once they were convinced he was not a deliberate murderer, they were to let him into the city and provide him with a place to live. This was not a permanent arrangement, though: the fugitive was only to stay in the city of refuge until the current high priest died.

So, besides a place to approach, and a place to remain, the city of refuge was also a place of safety for the fugitive. No doubt the “avenger of blood” would pursue the fugitive, even to the city of refuge, but the people of that city were never to hand the fugitive over to anyone. There was one word of warning not mentioned here, though, and that was if the fugitive ever left the “border of the city of his refuge (Num. 35:26-28)”, he was fair game for the avenger of blood. The city of refuge couldn’t keep the fugitive safe if he ever left the “border” of that city.