Joshua 20:5

_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._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

1-6 When the Israelites were settled in their promised inheritance, they were reminded to set apart the cities of refuge, whose use and typical meaning have been explained, Joshua 20:35; Joshua 20:19. God's spiritual Israel have, and shall have in Christ and heaven, not only rest to repose in, but refuge to secure themselves in. These cities were designed to typify the relief which the gospel provides for penitent sinners, and their protection from the curse of the law and the wrath of God, in our Lord Jesus, to whom believers flee for refuge, Hebrews 6:18....

EXPOSITION THE CITIES OF REFUGE.— JOSHUA 20:1 CITIES OF REFUGE. The original is more definite, the cities of refuge. So LXX. WHEREOF I SPAKE TO YOU. In Exodus 21:13; Numbers 35:9; Deuteronomy 19:2. Here, again, Joshua is represented as aware of the existence of the Pentateuch. It must, therefore, have existed in something like its present shape when the Book of Joshua was written. The words are partly quoted from Numbers and partly from Deuteronomy; another proof that these book

AND IF THE AVENGER OF BLOOD PURSUE AFTER HIM,.... To the city of refuge, whither he is fled, and demand him: THEN THEY SHALL NOT DELIVER THE SLAYER UP INTO HIS HANDS; to be slain by him, but shall protect him: BECAUSE HE SMOTE HIS NEIGHBOUR UNWITTINGLY, AND HATED HIM NOT BEFORETIME; Numbers 35:22, Numbers 35:23, and Deuteronomy 19:6....

7. THE CITIES OF REFUGE CHAPTER 20 _ 1. The ordinance repeated (Joshua 20:1)_ 2. The cities named (Joshua 20:7) The reader will find the meaning of the ordinance of the cities of refuge in Numbers and Deuteronomy, so that we do not need to repeat it here. But only three cities are mentioned in the Pentateuch. Here the three cities in the land are added. Kedesh was in Naphtah, Kedesh means “sanctuary,” and Naphtali means “wrestler-struggler.” Christ is the refuge for the struggling sinner. Shechem means “shoulder,” and is the type of service. He who is the perfect servant, who ministered and gave His life, is the place of refuge. Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, is the third, and Hebron means “communion.” This we find in Him. Bezer (defense), Ramoth (heights) and Golan (rejoicing) wer

JOSHUA 20. THE CITIES OF REFUGE. The cities of refuge (p. 113) were not appointed till after the Deuteronomic reform under Josiah in Joshua 6:21. In early times the asylum or refuge for the manslayer was the altar at the local sanctuary. This is seen from the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 21:14): If a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from my altar that he may die. See also 1 Kings 1:50, where Adonijah, in fear of his life, flees to the altar for safety. When the law of the single sanctuary was promulgated in Dt., other provision had to be made for asylum; hence the institution of the cities of refuge. As Dt. says that Moses commanded the institution of these cities, a later wr

_And if the avenger of blood pursue_ "And when the blood wreker him pursue," Wyclif. The steps are now prescribed which were to be taken, in the event of the Avenger of Blood pursuing the homicide. He was not to be delivered up into his hands, but kept securely....

_VER._ 1-6. _THE LORD ALSO SPAKE UNTO JOSHUA, SAYING,_ &C.— The great work of distributing the lands being now finished, God orders Joshua to put the last hand to the settlement of the cities of refuge, upon the footing which he had specified to Moses. See on Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19. The slayer was to _stand at the gate of the city,_ ver. 4 as being the place where the courts of justice were held....

_God's Instructions to Joshua 20:1-6_ 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. 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 neighbor unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. 6 And he shall dwell in this city, until he stand before the congregation for judgme

THE APPOINTMENT OF CITIES OF REFUGE The allotment of the tribal inheritance is followed by the appointment of six cities of refuge previously provided and in part assigned by Moses, according to the terms of the Sinaitic law concerning manslaughter: cp. Exodus 21:13; Numbers 35:6. These are enumerated in the following order:—W. of Jordan: Kedesh (N.), Shechem (central), Hebron (S.); E. of Jordan: Bezer (S.), Ramoth-Gilead (central), Golan (N.). Geographical considerations must have had the first place; the six cities are so placed as to give nearly equal facilities of access from all parts of Palestine. But it is interesting to observe that the three western cities were ancient traditional sanctuaries. This is inferred from the name of Kedesh (= Holy) and known of the other two. The same may be true of t