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Texts -- Joshua 20:4-9 (NET)

Context
20:4 The one who committed manslaughter should escape to one of these cities , stand at the entrance of the city gate , and present his case to the leaders of that city . They should then bring him into the city , give him a place to stay , and let him live there. 20:5 When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the one who committed manslaughter , for he accidentally killed his fellow man without premeditation . 20:6 He must remain in that city until his case is decided by the assembly and the high priest dies . Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to the city from which he escaped .” 20:7 So they selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali , Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim , and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron ) in the hill country of Judah . 20:8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they selected Bezer in the desert on the plain belonging to the tribe of Reuben , Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the tribe of Gad , and Golan in Bashan belonging to the tribe of Manasseh . 20:9 These were the cities of refuge appointed for all the Israelites and for resident foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed someone could escape there and not be executed by the avenger of blood , at least until his case was reviewed by the assembly .

Pericope

NET
  • Jos 20:1-9 -- Israel Designates Cities of Refuge

Bible Dictionary

  • Homicide

    [isbe] HOMICIDE - hom'-i-sid (rotseach): Hebrew has no word for killing or murder; rotseach is the word for manslayer. The Greek for murder is phonos. Homicide was every conscious violent action against a human being with the immed...
    [nave] HOMICIDE. Accidental Ex. 21:13, 28-32; Num. 35:11-15, 22-28, 32 Deut. 4:41-43; 19:1-10. Josh. 20:1-9 Felonious or Murder: Gen. 4:9-11 v. 12.; Gen. 9:5, 6; Gen. 49:7; Ex. 20:13 Deut. 5:17; Rom. 13:9. Ex. 21:29-32; Num. 35...

  • Avenger of Blood

    [nave] AVENGER OF BLOOD Pre-mosaic, Gen. 9:5, 6. Cain fears, Gen. 4:14, 15. Lamech fears, Gen. 4:24. Law concerning, set aside by David, 2 Sam. 14:4-11. See: Homicide. Figurative Psa. 8:2; 44:16; Rom. 13:4; 1 Thess. 4:6. Scr...

  • REFUGE, CITIES OF

    [isbe] REFUGE, CITIES OF - `are ha-miqlaT; poleis ton phugadeuterion (compare 1 Macc 10:28), and other forms): 1. Location: Six cities, three on each side of the Jordan, were set apart and placed in the hands of the Levites, to ser...

  • CRUEL; CRUELTY

    [isbe] CRUEL; CRUELTY - kroo'-el, kroo'-el-ti 'akhzar, "harsh," "fierce," chamac, "violence"): There are various uses of the word "cruel" in the Old Testament: (a) "the cruel (deadly) venom of asps" (Dt 32:33); (b) spoken of men of...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Joshua

    [nave] JOSHUA 1. Called also Jehoshua, and Jehoshuah, and Oshea. Son of Nun, Num. 13:8; 1 Chr. 7:27. Intimately associated with Moses, Ex. 24:13; 32:17; 33:11. A religious zealot, Num. 11:28. Sent with others to view the promise...

  • Refuge

    [nave] REFUGE. Cities of From the avenger of blood, Ex. 21:13, 14; Num. 35:11-32; Deut. 4:41-43; 19:2-13; Josh. 20:1-6. List of, Josh. 20:7-9. Roads made to, Deut. 19:3. Figurative Of Christ, Heb. 6:18.

  • GOEL

    [isbe] GOEL - go'-el (go'el, "redeemer"): Goel is the participle of the Hebrew word gal'al ("to deliver," "to redeem") which aside from its common usage is frequently employed in connection with Hebrew law, where it is the technica...

  • Shechem

    [ebd] shoulder. (1.) The son of Hamor the Hivite (Gen. 33:19; 34). (2.) A descendant of Manasseh (Num. 26:31; Josh. 17:2). (3.) A city in Samaria (Gen. 33:18), called also Sichem (12:6), Sychem (Acts 7:16). It stood in the narrow ...
    [isbe] SHECHEM - she'-kem (shekhem, "shoulder"; Suchem, he Sikima, ta Sikima, etc.; the King James Version gives "Sichem" in Gen 12:6; and "Sychem" in Acts 7:16): 1. Historical: This place is first mentioned in connection with Abra...
    [smith] (back or shoulder). An important city in central Palestine, in the valley between mounts Ebal and Gerizim, 34 miles north of Jerusalem and 7 miles southeast of Samaria. Its present name, Nablus , is a corruption of Neapolis,...
    [nave] SHECHEM 1. Called also Sichem and Sychem, a district in the central part of the land of Canaan. Abraham dwells in, Gen. 12:6. Jacob buys a piece of ground in, and erects an altar, Gen. 33:18-20. The flocks and herds of Jac...

  • Bezer

    [ebd] ore of gold or silver. (1.) A city of the Reubenites; one of the three cities of refuge on the east of Jordan (Deut. 4: 43; Josh. 20:8). It has been identified with the modern ruined village of Burazin, some 12 miles north o...
    [isbe] BEZER - be'-zer (betser; Bosor, "strong"): (1) A city of refuge, set apart by Moses for the Reubenites and located in the "plain country" (or table-land, Mishor) East of the Jordan, later assigned to this tribe by Joshua (Dt...
    [nave] BEZER 1. A city of refuge, E. of the Jordan, Deut. 4:43; Josh. 20:8; 21:36; 1 Chr. 6:78. 2. Son of Zophah, 1 Chr. 7:37.

  • Communion

    [nave] COMMUNION. With God Psa. 16:7; John 14:16-18, 23; 1 Cor. 10:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 2:1, 2; 1 John 1:3; Rev. 3:20 See: Fellowship. Instances of Enoch, Gen. 5:22, 24. Noah, Gen. 6:9, 13-22; 8:15-17...

  • Galilee

    [isbe] GALILEE - gal'-i-le (ha-galil, hagelilah, literally, "the circuit" or "district"; he Galilaia): 1. Galilee of the Nations: Kedesh, the city of refuge, is described as lying in Galilee, in Mt. Naphtali (Josh 20:7; compare 21:...
    [smith] (circuit). This name, which in the Roman age was applied to a large province, seems to have been originally confined to a little "circuit" of country round Kedesh-Naphtali, in which were situated the twenty towns given by Sol...
    [nave] GALILEE 1. The northern district of Palestine. A city of refuge in, Josh. 20:7; 21:32; 1 Chr. 6:76. Cities in, given to Hiram, 1 Kin. 9:11, 12. Taken by king of Assyria, 2 Kin. 15:29. Prophecy concerning, Isa. 9:1; Matt. ...

  • Ramoth-gilead

    [ebd] heights of Gilead, a city of refuge on the east of Jordan; called "Ramoth in Gilead" (Deut. 4:43; Josh. 20:8; 21:38). Here Ahab, who joined Jehoshaphat in an endeavour to rescue it from the hands of the king of Syria, was mo...
    [isbe] RAMOTH-GILEAD - ra'-moth-gil'-e-ad (ramoth gil'adh; Codex Vaticanus Rhemmath Galadd; Codex Alexandrinus Rhammoth, and other forms): A great and strong city East of the Jordan in the territory of Gad, which played an importan...
    [nave] RAMOTH-GILEAD Called also Ramah, 2 Kin. 8:29; 2 Chr. 22:6. A city of Gad, and a city of refuge, Deut. 4:43; Josh. 20:8; 1 Chr. 6:80. One of Solomon's commissaries at, 1 Kin. 4:13. In the possession of the Syrians, 1 Kin. ...

  • Golan

    [ebd] exile, a city of Bashan (Deut. 4:43), one of the three cities of refuge east of Jordan, about 12 miles north-east of the Sea of Galilee (Josh. 20:8). There are no further notices of it in Scripture. It became the head of the...
    [smith] (circle), a city of Bashan, (4:43) allotted out of the half tribe of Manasseh to the Levites, (Joshua 21:27) and one of the three cities of refuge east of the Jordan. ch (Joshua 20:8) Its very site is now unknown. It gave its...
    [nave] GOLAN, a town in Bashan. Given to Manasseh as a city of refuge, Deut. 4:43; Josh. 20:8. A Levitical city, Josh. 21:27; 1 Chr. 6:71.

  • Hebron

    [ebd] a community; alliance. (1.) A city in the south end of the valley of Eshcol, about midway between Jerusalem and Beersheba, from which it is distant about 20 miles in a straight line. It was built "seven years before Zoan in ...
    [smith] (alliance). The third son of Kohath, who was the second son of Levi. (Exodus 6:18; Numbers 3:19; 1 Chronicles 6:2,18; 23:12) He was the founder of a family of Hebronites, (Numbers 3:27; 26:58; 1 Chronicles 26:23,30,31)...
    [nave] HEBRON 1. A city of Asher, Josh. 19:28. 2. A city of Judah, S. of Jerusalem. When built, Num. 13:22. Fortified, 2 Chr. 11:10. Called Kirjath-arba, Gen. 23:2; Arba, Gen. 35:27; Josh. 15:13. Abraham dwells and Sarah dies a...

  • NAPHTALI, MOUNT

    [ebd] the mountainous district of Naphtali (Josh. 20:7).
    [isbe] NAPHTALI, MOUNT - (har naphtali; en to orei to Nephthalei): This was the most northerly of the three divisions of the Western Range, which derived their names from those of the tribes holding chief sway over them--Mt. Judah,...
    [smith] the mountainous district which formed the main part of the inheritance of Naphtali, (Joshua 20:7) answering to "Mount Ephraim" in the centre and "Mount Judah" in the south of Palestine.

  • CITIES OF REFUGE

    [smith] six Levitical cities specially chosen for refuge to the involuntary homicide until released from banishment by the death of the high priest. (Numbers 35:6,13,15; Joshua 20:2,7,9) There were three on each side of Jordan. KEDE...

  • Kedesh

    [smith] (a sanctuary). In the extreme south of Judah, (Joshua 15:23) same as Kadesh and Kadesh-barnea. A city of Issachar, allotted to the Gershonite Levites. (1 Chronicles 6:72) The Kadesh mentioned among the cities whose kings ...
    [nave] KEDESH 1. A city of Judah, Josh. 15:23. Possibly identical with Kadesh-barnea. 2. Called also Kishion and Kishon. A Canaanite city taken by Joshua, Josh. 12:22; 19:20; 21:28; 1 Chr. 6:72. 3. Called also Kedesh-naphtali. A ...

  • ASSASSINATION

    [isbe] ASSASSINATION - a-sas-i-na'-shun. 1. Meaning of the Term: The language of Scripture distinguishes less clearly than the modern juridical between assassination and murder. "Murderer" = rotseach (Nu 35:16-19,21,30,31; 2 Ki 6:3...

  • GATE

    [smith] The gate and gateways of eastern cities anciently held and still hold an important part, not only in the defence but in the public economy of the place. They are thus sometimes taken as representing the city itself. (Genesis ...
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Arts

Hymns

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  • [Jos 20:8] Rest Over Jordan

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 12:4 Possibly Abram viewed Lot as his heir (cf. 11:27-32; 12:4-5; 13:1-2)."Since Mesopotamian law-codes allowed for the adoption of an heir in the case of childlessness, this becomes an attractive hypothesis with respect to L...
  • Six of these Levitical towns were also cities of refuge.The appointment of cities of refuge was a divine provision for the safety of a killer who was not guilty of premeditated murder (cf. Deut. 19:1-13; Josh. 20:1-9). God ha...
  • I. The conquest of the land chs. 1-12A. Preparations for entering Canaan chs. 1-21. God's charge to Joshua 1:1-92. Joshua's charge to Israel 1:10-183. The spying out of Jericho ch. 2B. Entrance into the land 3:1-5:121. Passag...
  • In one sense verses 1-9 are a preamble to the whole book. They contain the basic principles that were to guide Joshua and Israel so they could obtain all that God had promised their forefathers.1:1 The first word of the book ...
  • The writer identified 31 kings in the order in which Joshua defeated them."Many of the same names appear in the Amarna letters, thus confirming the historicity of our text."158"The description was not complete. Shechem is not...
  • Chapters 13-24 describe how Joshua divided the land and the results of that division. Many if not all the Israelite tribes did not conquer or control all the land allotted to them (15:63; 16:10; 17:12-13). The record of the a...
  • After the process of assigning land to the three tribes mentioned above, Israel's attention turned to relocating the tabernacle in a more central location (v. 1). God undoubtedly made the choice of Shiloh (lit. rest; cf. Deut...
  • At this time the tribal leaders formally designated the six cities of refuge about which Moses had received instructions (Num. 35). Three stood west of the Jordan: Kadesh in Naphtali, Shechem in Manasseh, and Hebron in Judah ...
  • These verses conclude the account of the division of the land proper (chs. 13-21; cf. 1:2-6; 11:23). They bind the two parts of the second half of the book together. They form a theological conclusion to the entire book up to...
  • The main part of the second half of the Book of Joshua dealing with the division of the land ends with the appointment of the Levitical cities (chs. 13-21). The rest of the book deals with settlement in the land (chs. 22-24)....
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • This is the sixth and last message that Ezekiel received from the Lord the night before the refugees reached the exiles with the message that Jerusalem had fallen (cf. 33:21-22). It too deals with God's plans for Israel in th...
  • The tribe of Dan was to receive the northernmost section of the Promised Land. The order of tribes from north to south, north of the sacred district, was Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Judah--seven tribal...
  • This section stresses Israel's covenant disloyalty to Yahweh.6:4 The Lord twice asked rhetorically what He would do with Ephraim and Judah. The questions express frustration, helplessness, and despair more than inquiry. The l...
  • Again the change in genre, this time from exhortation to exposition, signals a new literary unit within the epistle. Here the writer proceeded to expound the reliability of God's promise to Christians through Jesus Christ's h...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Joshua 20:1-9Our Lord has taught us that parts of the Mosaic legislation were given because of the hardness' of the people's hearts. The moral and religious condition of the recipients of revelation determines and is taken in...
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