Discovery BoxJoshua 20:1--21:42
Context20:1 The Lord instructed Joshua: 20:2 “Have the Israelites select 1 the cities of refuge 2 that I told you about through Moses. 20:3 Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; 3 these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood. 20:4 The one who committed manslaughter 4 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. 5 They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there. 6 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. 7 20:6 He must remain 8 in that city until his case is decided by the assembly 9 and the high priest dies. 10 Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to the city from which he escaped.” 11
20:7 So they selected 12 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 13 they selected 14 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 15 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 16 the avenger of blood, at least until his case was reviewed by the assembly. 17
21:1 The tribal leaders of the Levites went before Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the Israelite tribal leaders 21:2 in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The Lord told Moses to assign us cities in which to live along with the grazing areas for our cattle.” 21:3 So the Israelites assigned these cities and their grazing areas to the Levites from their own holdings, as the Lord had instructed.
21:4 The first lot belonged to 18 the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 21:5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten cities from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, and from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 21:6 Gershon’s descendants were allotted thirteen cities from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, and from the tribes of Asher and Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 21:7 Merari’s descendants by their clans were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 21:8 So the Israelites assigned to the Levites by lot these cities and their grazing areas, as the Lord had instructed Moses.
21:9 They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below. 21:10 They were assigned to the Kohathite clans of the Levites who were descendants of Aaron, 19 for the first lot belonged to them. 21:11 They assigned them Kiriath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak), that is, Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding grazing areas. 21:12 (Now the city’s fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.) 21:13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they assigned Hebron (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Libnah, 21:14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 21:15 Holon, Debir, 21:16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of nine cities taken from these two tribes. 21:17 From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned 20 Gibeon, Geba, 21:18 Anathoth, and Almon, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities. 21:19 The priests descended from Aaron received thirteen cities and their grazing areas.
21:20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted cities from the tribe of Ephraim. 21:21 They assigned them Shechem (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter) in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer, 21:22 Kibzaim, and Beth Horon, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities. 21:23 From the tribe of Dan they assigned Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 21:24 Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities. 21:25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh they assigned Taanach and Gath Rimmon, 21 along with the grazing areas of each – a total of two cities. 21:26 The rest of the Kohathite clans received ten cities and their grazing areas.
21:27 They assigned to the Gershonite clans of the Levites the following cities: 22 from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter) and Beeshtarah, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of two cities; 21:28 from the tribe of Issachar: Kishon, Daberath, 21:29 Jarmuth, and En Gannim, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities; 21:30 from the tribe of Asher: Mishal, Abdon, 21:31 Helkath, and Rehob, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities; 21:32 from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of three cities. 21:33 The Gershonite clans received thirteen cities and their grazing areas.
21:34 They assigned to the Merarite clans (the remaining Levites) the following cities: from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, 21:35 Dimnah, and Nahalal, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities; 21:36 23 from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer, Jahaz, 21:37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities; 21:38 from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Mahanaim, 21:39 Heshbon, and Jazer, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities. 21:40 The Merarite clans (the remaining Levites) were allotted twelve cities.
21:41 The Levites received within the land owned by the Israelites 24 forty-eight cities in all and their grazing areas. 21:42 Each of these cities had grazing areas around it; they were alike in this regard. 25
[20:2] 1 tn Heb “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘Set aside for yourselves.’”
[20:3] 3 tn Heb “so that the one who kills, taking life accidentally without knowledge, may flee there.”
[20:4] 4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the one who accidentally kills another, cf. v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:4] 5 tn Heb “and speak into the ears of the elders of that city his words.”
[20:4] 6 tn Heb “and they should gather him into the city to themselves, give to him a place, and he will live with them.”
[20:5] 7 tn Heb “for without knowledge he killed his neighbor, and he was not hating him prior to that.”
[20:6] 9 tn Heb “until he stands before the assembly for judgment.”
[20:6] 10 tn Heb “until the death of the high priest who is in those days.”
[20:6] 11 tn Heb “may return and enter his city and his house, the city from which he escaped.”
[20:8] 13 map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[20:9] 15 tn The Hebrew text reads simply “the cities.” The words “for refuge” are supplied for clarification.
[20:9] 16 tn Heb “and not die by the hand of.”
[20:9] 17 tn Heb “until he stands before the assembly.” The words “at least” are supplied for clarification.
[21:4] 18 tn Heb “came out for.”
[21:10] 19 tn Heb “and it belonged to the sons of Aaron, from the Kohathite clans, from the sons of Levi.”
[21:17] 20 tn The words “they assigned” are supplied for clarification (also in vv. 23, 25).
[21:25] 21 tn The name “Gath Rimmon” is problematic here, for it appears in the preceding list of Danite cities. The LXX reads “Iebatha”; 1 Chr 6:55 HT (6:70 ET) reads “Bileam.” Most modern translations retain the name “Gath Rimmon,” however.
[21:27] 22 tn The words “they assigned” and “the following cities” are supplied for clarification (also in v. 34).
[21:36] 23 tc 21:36-37 are accidentally omitted from a number of significant Hebrew
[21:41] 24 tn Heb “in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel.”
[21:42] 25 tn Heb “these cities were city [by] city, and its grazing areas [were] around it; so [it was] for all these cities.”
