The Six Cities of Refuge: Where Grace and Justice Meet
Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: Joshua 20 · Commentary
[Context]
After the distribution of the land inheritance (chapters 13-19) was complete, God immediately commanded Joshua to set up six cities of refuge. This was not a new command, but the fulfillment of a system long established in the Law of Moses (Numbers 35:9-34; Deuteronomy 19:1-13). Now that the land had been assigned, the law had to follow, otherwise the promised land would become a jungle where personal vengeance ran rampant.
[Narrative Unit]
Joshua 20-21 form an "institutional establishment" unit: chapter 20 establishes the cities of refuge (judicial asylum), and chapter 21 allocates the Levitical cities (priestly system). Together, these two chapters provide the dual infrastructure of law and religion for the nascent nation of Israel.
[Paragraph Structure]
The entire chapter has only nine verses, yet it holds a unique place in the Old Testament legal tradition: it is the only legal practice in the ancient Near East that systematically distinguishes between "manslaughter" and "murder" and establishes institutional protection for the unintentional killer. The core spirit of the city of refuge system is that justice must not be absent, but grace must not be swallowed up.
[Key Verse]
20:3 "that the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood."
Joshua 20:3（World English Bible）
20:1-2 "Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses,"
Joshua 20:1-2（World English Bible）
The opening formula "Yahweh spoke to Joshua" appears repeatedly in the second half of the book of Joshua (cf. 13:1, 14:6, 20:1), each time marking the initiation of a key institution. The tone here is not "issuing a new law," but "fulfilling a command already given." The phrase "of which I spoke to you by Moses" directly draws the reader's memory back to Numbers 35:9-34 and Deuteronomy 19:1-13. Moses had announced this system in the wilderness, but since Israel had not yet entered Canaan, the system could only remain pending. Now that the land had been taken (chapters 13-19), establishing the cities of refuge was no longer a theoretical concept but an administrative task that had to be implemented immediately.
The narrator uses this "fulfillment" literary style to convey an important theological signal: God's commands may have a time lag, but they are not forgotten. From their promulgation in the wilderness to their execution in Canaan, a whole generation of wandering in the wilderness passed, but God's concern for a just system never slackened.
20:3 "that the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood."
Joshua 20:3（World English Bible）
"The man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally": The Hebrew בִּשְׁגָגָה (bishgagah) means "through negligence, unintentionally." Deuteronomy 19:4-5 gives a specific example: a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and the axe head flies off the handle, striking the other person and killing him. The woodcutter had no hatred, no premeditation, and no malice; it was a pure accident, but a life was lost, and the grief of the deceased's family was real.
This introduces the core tension that the city of refuge system was meant to resolve: the blood of the dead cries out for justice, but the unintentional killer should not pay for an accident with the death penalty. In a tribal society without a state judicial system, the nearest relative of the deceased (גֹּאֵל הַדָּם, go'el ha-dam, "the redeemer of blood") had the right to hunt down the killer. This system of "blood vengeance" was common among the peoples of the ancient Near East. It upheld a simple sense of justice—"a life for a life"—but it could not distinguish between premeditated murder and unintentional manslaughter. The city of refuge system builds a bridge in this gap, not by abolishing the tradition of blood vengeance, but by creating an institutional buffer for it.
It is worth noting the word go'el. Its root means "to redeem." The same word is used in the book of Ruth to describe Boaz, who was Ruth's "kinsman-redeemer" (Ruth 3:9, 4:14). In the book of Isaiah, God himself is called Israel's go'el (Isa 41:14, 43:14). The same root carries the seemingly contradictory meanings of "avenger" and "savior," profoundly revealing the biblical understanding of justice: true justice includes both retribution for evil and redemption for the weak.
20:4 "He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live among them."
Joshua 20:4（World English Bible）
The city of refuge was not a sanctuary where one was safe simply by entering; it had a strict judicial process. The text describes four steps: fleeing to the city, standing at the city gate, presenting the case to the elders, and being received into the city. In the ancient Near East, the city gate was a place for public judgment (cf. Ruth 4:1-2, where Boaz handles the redemption of land at the gate). Presenting one's case here meant entering into a formal legal process.
The collective review by the board of elders (plural) is a key design. A fugitive arriving alone in a strange city could easily fall victim to an abuse of power if only one person decided their fate. The biblical legal tradition always emphasizes multiple witnesses and collective judgment (Deut 17:6, "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he who is to die be put to death"), an arrangement that both protected the unintentional killer from immediate revenge and prevented the city of refuge from becoming a hideout for criminals.
20:5-6 "If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before. He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the man slayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city he fled from.’”"
Joshua 20:5-6（World English Bible）
Verse 5 demonstrates the protective function of the city of refuge: even if the avenger of blood pursues him to the city, the elders must not hand him over. This is conditioned on the fact that "he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn't hate him before." In other words, if the review finds premeditation or hatred, the protection of the city of refuge does not apply. Numbers 35:16-21 details the criteria for determining "intentional murder": striking with an iron instrument, a stone, or a wooden object; pushing someone out of hatred; or attacking from an ambush. The law does not protect all killers indiscriminately but precisely distinguishes motive.
Verse 6 introduces the most unique and perhaps most perplexing clause of the system: "until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days." Why is the manslayer's return home conditioned on the death of the high priest? Rabbinic tradition offers several explanations: one is that since the high priest is the spiritual representative of the whole people, his death marks the end of an era, and the right to prosecute old cases expires with it. Another is that the high priest's death serves a symbolic "atoning" function, similar to the high priest atoning for the whole nation on the Day of Atonement. Whatever the explanation, this rule builds a temporal bridge between "justice" and "grace." The manslayer is not exiled forever, but neither is he released immediately; he must wait in the city of refuge for a period of unknown length.
For New Testament readers, the typological significance of this clause is almost self-evident. The author of Hebrews develops his argument on this very logic: Jesus Christ is the High Priest who "lives forever" (Heb 7:24-25), and His death was not the accidental end of an era but a once-for-all, eternally effective act of atonement (Heb 9:11-14). The manslayer in the Old Testament city of refuge waited for the high priest to die to go home; New Testament believers are "forever released" because this High Priest has already been "offered once."
20:7 "They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the hill country of Judah."
Joshua 20:7（World English Bible）
The three cities west of the Jordan are arranged from north to south: Kedesh in the northernmost hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the central hill country of Ephraim, and Hebron in the southern hill country of Judah. The three cities perfectly cover the northern, central, and southern sections of the entire settled area west of the Jordan River.
These three cities each have deep historical memories. Kedesh (from the root q-d-sh, meaning "holy") later became the place where Deborah and Barak gathered their army to defeat Sisera (Judg 4:6). Shechem was where God first appeared to Abraham when he entered Canaan (Gen 12:6-7) and later the site of Joshua's covenant renewal (Josh 24:1). Hebron (the new name for Kiriath Arba) was where Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah (Gen 23) and the city Caleb conquered by faith (Josh 14:13-14). The three cities of refuge were not randomly chosen small towns but important cities bearing patriarchal memories and faith traditions. Establishing cities of refuge in these places meant that the system of justice and grace was embedded in Israel's deepest historical roots.
20:8 "Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh."
Joshua 20:8（World English Bible）
The three cities east of the Jordan are also arranged from north to south: Bezer in the southern wilderness plateau of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in the central region of Gilead of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the northern Bashan plateau of East Manasseh. The three cities east of the river form a precise latitudinal correspondence with the three cities west of the river: north to north (Kedesh, Golan), central to central (Shechem, Ramoth), and south to south (Hebron, Bezer).
The practical significance of this symmetrical layout is that any inhabitant of the land of Israel, whether east or west of the Jordan, could reach the nearest city of refuge within about a day's journey (30-40 km). Rabbinic tradition records that the roads to the cities of refuge had to be kept wide and smooth, with signs at intersections reading "מִקְלָט" (refuge), so that a person fleeing in extreme fear would not lose their life by getting lost or because of poor road conditions. Although this detail is not from this chapter, it profoundly reflects the spirit of the city of refuge system: a system to protect the weak cannot exist only on paper; every aspect of its implementation must be designed for those in most urgent need.
All six cities of refuge were managed by the Levites (Chapter 21 will show they were also Levitical cities), which means that those who fled to these cities would live among the priestly community. The cities of refuge were not only legal sanctuaries but also places of spiritual care. During their years of waiting, the unintentional killers were surrounded by people who served God.
20:9 "These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands trial before the congregation."
Joshua 20:9（World English Bible）
The final verse emphasizes two features of the city of refuge system in a summary fashion. First, "for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them": the protection of the cities of refuge was not limited to Israeli citizens. The sojourner or stranger (גֵּר, ger) is a vulnerable group that repeatedly appears in Old Testament law. The Mosaic Law repeatedly emphasizes not to oppress them (Exod 22:21, Lev 19:33-34), "for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." The city of refuge system extends this protection to the most extreme situations. Even if a foreigner unintentionally killed someone, they had the right to flee into the city and receive a fair trial, rather than being executed on the spot for lacking a tribal background. This is an extremely rare equality clause in ancient Near Eastern law.
Second, "until he stands before the congregation": the text again emphasizes that the judicial process cannot be skipped. The city of refuge provided not an exemption, but an opportunity for trial. The manslayer must ultimately face a public trial before the "congregation" (עֵדָה, edah). If judged to be an intentional murderer, the protection of the city of refuge was immediately revoked (Num 35:30-31). This design ensures that grace does not become a negation of justice. God both prepared a refuge for the innocent and preserved prosecution for the guilty.
| Character | Identity | Function in this Chapter | Theological Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Unintentional Manslayer | One who unintentionally causes another's death | Flees into the city seeking asylum | Humanity in the consequences of sin needs the covering of grace |
| The Avenger of Blood (go'el ha-dam) | The nearest kinsman of the deceased | Demands blood vengeance, carries out retribution | The uncompromising nature of justice regarding the cost of sin |
| The City Elders | Governors of the city of refuge | Review the case, decide whether to grant entry | Collective judgment prevents the abuse of power |
| The High Priest | Spiritual representative of the whole nation | His death signals the release of the manslayer | A type of Christ: His death brings release to sinners |
| The Sojourning Foreigner | A foreigner living among the Israelites | Shares the protection of the city of refuge with Israelites | God's grace is not limited by ethnicity |
| Theme | Scriptural Basis | Core Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| The Coexistence of Justice and Grace | 20:3, 5 | The manslayer is protected but must undergo trial: grace does not cancel justice |
| Motive Determines Culpability | 20:3 (cf. Num 35:16-21) | Biblical law distinguishes between intentional and unintentional acts: a precursor to modern criminal law |
| The High Priest's Death and Release | 20:6 (cf. Heb 9:11-14) | The manslayer can return home only after the high priest's death: a type of Christ's atonement |
| Equality Before the Law | 20:9 | Israelites and sojourning foreigners share the protection of the cities of refuge |
| Fulfilling the Promise to Moses | 20:2 | God's commands are fulfilled across time: His promises will not fail |
The city of refuge system needs to be protected from two misinterpretations. It is not a loophole for criminals to evade responsibility, because the manslayer must still state their case at the city gate, undergo review by the elders, and await judgment by the congregation. Nor is it an endorsement of blood vengeance, because before a verdict is reached, the grieving family cannot take a life out of anger. Here, God simultaneously protects the dignity of the deceased's life and the manslayer from being consumed by vigilante justice.
This is especially relevant for how the church today handles harm, conflict, and accusations. Grace cannot be used to cover up intentional harm, nor can procedure become cold legalism. The city of refuge brings together protection, investigation, judgment, and waiting, reminding us that the more urgent and painful the case, the more we need to both have compassion for the terrified fugitive and seriously investigate the facts, so that neither justice nor grace is sacrificed.
The story of the cities of refuge shows us what kind of a lawgiver God is. He did not say, "A killer deserves to die"—that is simplistic and crude justice. Nor did He say, "If it was unintentional, forget it"—that would be to neglect the value of the deceased's life. He established a system where justice is taken seriously while grace also has a place to land. The years the manslayer spent in the city of refuge were both a mark of respect for life (someone died because of you; you cannot act as if nothing happened) and an exercise in grace (you do not have to pay for an accident with your life).
Looking back on this system, the author of Hebrews wrote: "we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us" (Heb 6:18). In the light of the New Testament, Christ is that eternal city of refuge. Every one of us is a fugitive because of sin, and His cross is the city gate. The difference is that the Old Testament high priest's death was an unknown future event, and the manslayer's wait was uncertain. But Christ, this High Priest, has already accomplished everything on the cross. Those who trust in Him do not have to wait in anxiety; the release is immediate, complete, and eternal.
| Original Language | Transliteration | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| עִיר מִקְלָט | ir miqlat | Literally "city of asylum," the root of miqlat is q-l-t, meaning "to receive, take in." |
| בִּשְׁגָגָה | bishgagah | From sh-g-g, "to go astray, to err." The same word is used in Leviticus 4 for "sinning unintentionally." |
| גֹּאֵל הַדָּם | go'el ha-dam | The root of go'el means "to redeem." The same word is used for Boaz (Ruth 3:9) and for God himself (Isaiah 41:14). |
| עֵדָה | edah | Refers to a civic assembly with judicial functions, not just a religious gathering. |
| כֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל | kohen ha-gadol | The spiritual representative of the entire nation, whose death marks the end of a judicial era. |
| גֵּר | ger | A non-Israelite residing in Israel, whose rights are repeatedly protected under the Law of Moses. |
The cities of refuge were not an invention of the book of Joshua. Their legal foundation is scattered throughout the Pentateuch, with Joshua 20 being the chapter of implementation:
| Scripture | Stage of Development | Core Content |
|---|---|---|
| Exod. 21:13-14 | Principle Declared | God will "appoint a place" for the unintentional killer, but will not protect the intentional murderer. |
| Num. 35:9-15 | System Designed | Stipulates the establishment of six cities of refuge, three west and three east of the Jordan. |
| Num. 35:16-29 | Judgment Criteria | Details the criteria for distinguishing between "intentional murder" and "unintentional killing." |
| Num. 35:30-34 | Procedural Rules | Conviction requires two or more witnesses; no ransom can be accepted in place of the death penalty. |
| Deut. 4:41-43 | Partial Implementation | Moses first designated Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan east of the Jordan. |
| Deut. 19:1-13 | Supplementary Details | Emphasizes that the roads to the cities of refuge must be well-prepared; three more cities could be added if the territory expands. |
| Josh. 20:1-9 | Full Implementation | The three cities west of the Jordan are formally established, completing the six-city system. |
| 1 Chr. 6:57, 67 | Historical Retrospect | The cities of refuge were also Levitical cities. |
From a single declarative principle in Exodus, to detailed legislation in Numbers, to supplementary rules in Deuteronomy and implementation in Joshua, the development of the city of refuge system demonstrates a key feature of biblical law: it is not a set of rigid statutes issued once, but a living system that is progressively detailed and supplemented in response to new situations throughout history.
Blood feuds were common in ancient Near Eastern cultures. In a tribal society without a central government or professional police force, the responsibility for justice fell on the family. The nearest relative of the deceased was obligated to hunt down the killer; otherwise, the blood of the dead could not "rest."
Other ancient Near Eastern cultures also had rudimentary forms of asylum. Mesopotamian temples sometimes served as sanctuaries, where a person who fled into the temple was temporarily protected by the deity. However, Israel's city of refuge system surpassed surrounding cultures in several key aspects:
| Feature | ANE Practice | Israel's Cities of Refuge |
|---|---|---|
| Place of Asylum | Temples (religious) | Designated cities (institutional) |
| Protected Persons | Usually no distinction of motive | Strictly limited to "unintentional killing," excluding premeditated murder. |
| Trial Process | Divine oracle or priestly decree | Review by elders + public trial by the congregation. |
| Rights of Foreigners | Usually not protected | Explicitly includes resident aliens (20:9). |
| Time Limit | No clear stipulation | May return home after the high priest's death. |
| Ransom Substitution | Sins could be atoned for with money | Numbers 35:31-32 explicitly forbids it: no ransom for an intentional murderer. |
This last point is particularly important. In Babylonian and Assyrian law, a killer's family could "reconcile" with the victim's family using gold and silver: a rich person's life was worth more, and a poor person's life could be discounted. Israelite law explicitly forbids this practice: "Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death" (Num. 35:31). This prohibition ensured equality before the law; regardless of wealth or status, the value of a life could not be measured in money.
"Until the death of the high priest who shall be in those days" (20:6) is the most thought-provoking clause in the city of refuge system. Why should the fate of an unintentional killer be tied to the lifespan of the high priest? Jewish and Christian traditions have offered various interpretations:
Rabbinic Interpretation (Mishnah Makkot 2:6): The mother of the high priest would send food and clothing to those in the cities of refuge, lest they pray for her son to die sooner. While this detail has a legendary quality, it implies a kind of fateful connection between the high priest and the manslayer. The high priest's life maintained the old order, and his death ended it, ushering in a new era.
Legal-Functional Interpretation: The death of the high priest marked the end of a judicial "era." The right to prosecute all unresolved blood cases that occurred within that era expired along with it. This is similar to the amnesties granted when an ancient monarch was succeeded by a new one—when the new king ascended the throne, old cases were closed.
Typological Interpretation (Book of Hebrews): Hebrews 7:23-25 contrasts the Old Testament high priests, of whom "many, indeed, have been made priests, because they are hindered from continuing by death," with Christ, who "because he lives forever, has his priesthood unchangeable." The death of the Old Testament high priest brought temporary release to the manslayer; the death of Christ, the great High Priest, brings eternal release to believers. Hebrews 9:11-14 further argues that Christ, "through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption." The wait in the city of refuge was long and uncertain, as no one knew when the high priest would die. But Christ's atonement is immediate and certain: "Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise'" (Luke 23:43).
The list of Levitical cities in Joshua 21 shows that all six cities of refuge were also cities where the Levites lived:
| City of Refuge | Tribal Territory | Levitical Clan (Josh. 21) | Other Biblical Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kedesh | Naphtali (North) | Gershonites (21:32) | Where Deborah summoned Barak (Judg. 4:6) |
| Shechem | Ephraim (Central) | Kohathites (Josh. 21:21) | Where Abram first received the promise in Canaan (Gen. 12:6) |
| Hebron | Judah (South) | Kohathites (21:13) | Where Abraham buried Sarah (Gen. 23) |
| Golan | East Manasseh (North) | Gershonites (21:27) | Origin of the name for the later Golan Heights |
| Ramoth | Gad (Central) | Merarites (21:38) | Where Ahab died in battle (1 Kgs. 22:3-4) |
| Bezer | Reuben (South) | Merarites (21:36) | A fortress city on the plateau of Moab |
The arrangement for the cities of refuge to be managed by Levites was no coincidence. The Levites had no tribal territory of their own (13:14, 33); they were dispersed among the tribes, with the duty of teaching the Law and leading worship. When a manslayer fled to one of these cities to begin his long wait, his neighbors were priests and Levites—the very people most familiar with God's law and most skilled in spiritual care. The city of refuge was therefore not only a legal sanctuary but also a spiritual "place of restoration." Here, the manslayer was not just waiting for death (the death of the high priest), but was rebuilding his life within a community of faith.
| Old Testament Text | New Testament Echo | Connection Explained |
|---|---|---|
| 20:2 Establish cities of refuge | Heb. 6:18 "we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge" | The most direct OT-NT link: believers "flee" to Christ as the manslayer fled to the city of refuge. |
| 20:3 go'el ha-dam | Gal. 3:13 "Christ redeemed us" | The root of go'el is transformed in the NT into Christ's redemptive role. |
| 20:6 Released after the high priest's death | Heb. 9:11-14 Christ's once-for-all sacrifice for eternal redemption | The death of the OT high priest brings temporary release; the death of Christ brings eternal release. |
| 20:9 Foreigners share protection | Eph. 2:19 "you are no longer strangers and foreigners" | The OT cities of refuge were open to foreigners; the NT gospel is open to all nations. |
| 20:4 Pleading one's case at the city gate | Matt. 7:7 "Knock, and it will be opened for you." | The gate of grace is opened for sincere seekers. |
| 20:7 Shechem: a holy place of covenant | John 4:5, 20 Jesus at the well of Sychar | Shechem/Sychar: from an OT city of refuge to an NT source of living water. |