Joshua Chapter 20

This chapter is about cities of refuge. This chapter is a REALLY short one. We’re talking very short. We hope y’all enjoy this read, regardless of the length.

God starts talking to Joshua (We know, shocking.), telling him to start setting up the cities of refuge. Like Moses was told to do, but since Moses was with the angels…Joshua inherited it. The cities of refuge were so that anyone who killed someone else accidentally, & unintentionally, may flee there & find protection from others wanting revenge.

When someone flees to one of these cities, that person stands at the entrance of the city gate & states their case before the elders of that city. Then they’re to let the person in the city & give them a place to live with them. K

If the people wanting revenge pursue them, they can’t surrender the accused. Because they committed murder unintentionally & without malice or forethought. The accused can’t leave the city, not until they’ve stood trial & the death of the current high priest. Then the accused could go back to their own homes.

So they set up Kedesh, in Galilee, in the hill country of the tribe Naphtali. The town of Shechem is in the tribe of Ephraim’s territory. Kiriath Arba (a.k.a. Hebron) in the territory of Judah’s tribe. On the east side of the Jordan of Jericho, they designated Bezer in Reuben’s tribes’ territory.

Ramoth in Gilead in Gad’s territory. Golan in Bashan in Manasseh’s real estate holdings.

Any of the Israelites or aliens living among them who killed someone unintentionally could flee to one of these cities. They couldn’t be revenge killed before a trial could happen.