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Joshua Chapter
Twenty
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 20
The
contents of this chapter are the renewal of the order to appoint cities of
refuge for such that commit manslaughter ignorantly, to flee unto, and have
shelter in from the avenger of blood, Joshua 20:1; and
the execution of this order, Joshua 20:7.
Joshua 20:1 The
Lord also spoke to
Joshua, saying,
YLT
1And Jehovah speaketh unto
Joshua, saying,
The Lord also spake unto Joshua,.... Out of the
tabernacle, at the door of which he with the high priest and princes were; the
Lord had spoken to him before concerning dividing the land among the tribes, Joshua 13:1; and
this being done he speaks to him again:
saying:
as
follows.
Joshua 20:2 2 “Speak to the children of
Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to
you through Moses,
YLT
2`Speak unto the sons of
Israel, saying, Give for you cities of refuge, as I have spoken unto you by the
hand of Moses,
Speak to the children of Israel, saying,.... Whom the
affair concerned the Lord spake to Joshua about, they having now the whole land
divided among them:
appoint out for you cities of refuge; of the name,
nature, use, and number of these cities; see Gill on Numbers 35:6,
whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: Numbers 35:1.
Joshua 20:3 3 that the slayer who kills
a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall
be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
YLT
3for the fleeing thither of
a man-slayer smiting life inadvertently, without knowledge; and they have been
to you for a refuge from the redeemer of blood.
That the slayer that killeth any person unawares, and
unwittingly, may flee thither,.... Who through mere accident, and without
design, killed a person, friend or foe, one of his own kindred, or a stranger,
without any malice against him, or intention to take away his life:
and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood; from any of
the relations of the deceased, who might be stirred up to avenge the blood of
his kinsman on the slayer; see Numbers 35:12.
Joshua 20:4 4 And when he flees to one
of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and
declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take
him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among
them.
YLT
4`When [one] hath fled unto
one of these cities, and hath stood [at] the opening of the gate of the city,
and hath spoken in the ears of the elders of that city his matter, then they
have gathered him into the city unto them, and have given to him a place, and
he hath dwelt with them.
And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities,.... Any one
of them, that was nearest to him:
shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city; for he might
not rush in without leave:
and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; lay before
them the whole matter, how that he had killed a person unawares, by what means
it came about, and that it was merely through error, without any malicious
design, and was a mere accident:
they shall take him into the city unto them; directly,
lest the avenger of blood should come and seize on him, and kill him; and they
were to take him into the city, not only to prevent that, but to examine him
still more closely about the matter, and get further satisfaction; and being
satisfied, were to continue him in it:
and give him a place, that he might dwell among them; until his
death, or the death of the high priest, if that was first. Kimchi observes from
their Rabbins, the he was not to hire a house all the time of his dwelling
there, but was to have one freely, because it is said, "and give
him", &c.
Joshua 20:5 5 Then if the avenger of
blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he
struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand.
YLT
5`And when the redeemer of
blood doth pursue after him, then they do not shut up the man-slayer into his
hand, for without knowledge he hath smitten his neighbour, and is not hating
him hitherto;
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; See Gill on Numbers 35:22; see
Gill on Numbers 35:23, and
See Gill on Deuteronomy 19:6.
Joshua 20:6 6 And he shall dwell in that
city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the
death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return
and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.’”
YLT
6and he hath dwelt in that
city till his standing before the company for judgment, till the death of the
chief priest who is in those days -- then doth the man-slayer turn back and
hath come unto his city, and unto his house, unto the city whence he fled.'
And he shall dwell in that city until he shall stand before the
congregation for judgment,.... That is, until his cause was heard in
the court of judicature in his own city, or in any other to which the avenger
of blood should appeal: see Numbers 35:24; who
if they found him guilty of death, they put him to death; but if only guilty of
accidental manslaughter, then they delivered him up to his city of refuge for
safety, where he was to abide
until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days; see Numbers 35:25,
then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto
his own house, unto the city from whence he fled; and live with his family
in the enjoyment of his possessions and estates, honours, and privileges
belonging to him, as before; see Numbers 35:28.
Joshua 20:7 7 So they appointed Kedesh
in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim,
and Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in the mountains of Judah.
YLT
7And they sanctify Kedesh in
Galilee, in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of
Ephraim, and Kirjath-Arba (it [is] Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah;
And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in Mount Naphtali,.... Of which
see Joshua 19:37; the
appointment of this and the two cities following was made by the children of
Israel at this time:
and Shechem in Mount Ephraim; called Sichem, Genesis 12:6; and
Shechem from a prince of that name that possessed it, Genesis 34:2; it
fell to the lot of the tribe of Ephraim; its name in the New Testament is
Sychar, John 4:5; and it is
now called Neapolis, or Naplouse:
and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah; it stood in
the hill country of Judea, Luke 1:39; of which
see Joshua 14:15. There
seems to be a difficulty here, since this city was before given to Caleb, Joshua 14:13; and
yet afterwards given to the Levites, and appointed a city of refuge. The Jews
reconcile this by observing, that the city and suburbs were given to the
Levites, and fixed for a city of refuge; but the villages and fields, and
country around it, and belonging to it, were given to Caleb, Joshua 21:12; and
Abarbinel makes no doubt that the children of Judah gave something else to
Caleb in lieu of it. As these cities of refuge were typical of Christ, as has
been observed on Numbers 35:29;
their names are applicable to him. "Kedesh" signifies
"holy" or "holiness"; Christ is holy in both his natures,
divine and human; and so abundantly qualified to be the Mediator, Saviour, and
Redeemer; and is the fountain of holiness to his people, and is made
sanctification to them, Psalm 16:10 1 Corinthians 1:30;
and "Shechem" signifies the "shoulder"; and not only the
government of the church and people of God is on the shoulder of Christ, but
all their sins have been laid upon him, and bore by him; and every particular
soul in conversion, every lost sheep, is looked up by him, and taken up and
brought home on his shoulder, Isaiah 9:6 Luke 15:4.
"Hebron" signifies "fellowship"; in the effectual calling,
the saints are called into fellowship with Christ, and their fellowship is with
the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ; through him they have access to God, and
communion with him now, and shall have uninterrupted communion with him to all
eternity, 1 Corinthians 1:9 John 17:24.
Joshua 20:8 8 And on the other side of
the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness on the
plain, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and
Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.
YLT
8and beyond the Jordan, [at]
Jericho eastward, they have given Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain, out of
the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in
Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward,.... In the
country possessed by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh:
they assigned Bezer in the wilderness, upon the plain, out of the
tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in
Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh; of these places, and the
signification of their names, and of the application of them to Christ, the
antitype of the cities of refuge; see Gill on Deuteronomy 4:43.
These last cities were not appointed now, they were appointed in the times of
Moses, and severed by him, Deuteronomy 4:41;
nor are they here said to be appointed, but to be assigned or "given"F3נתנו "dederunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator. ; they were now delivered up into the hands of the
Levites for cities of refuge, for they were before severed for that use; they
were not, according to the JewsF4Misn. Maccot, c. 2. sect. 4.
Maimon. Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 8. sect. 2, 3. , made use of as such, until the
other three were appointed.
Joshua 20:9 9 These were the cities
appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among
them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die
by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.
YLT
9These have been cities of
meeting for all the sons of Israel, and for a sojourner who is sojourning in
their midst, for the fleeing thither of any one smiting life inadvertently, and
he doth not die by the hand of the redeemer of blood till his standing before
the company.
These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel,.... For the
common use of them all, and not for that tribe only in which they stood:
and for the stranger that sojourneth among them; not only for
the proselytes of righteousness, but for the proselytes of the gate also, as
well as for the natives of Israel; Christ is a refuge for Jews and Gentiles,
for all sinners that flee to him:
that whosoever killeth any person unawares might flee thither; and find
shelter and safety:
and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood; getting
thither before he could overtake him:
until he stood before the congregation: either before
the congregation, the elders of the city, or court of judicature in the city of
refuge, or before the court of his own city, from whence he fled, if summoned
thither.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》