Era 5 · The Promised LandJoshua
Cities of Refuge
"That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither"
"Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither."
The one who flees "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," and they take him in. If the avenger of blood pursues, "they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly." He stays "until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days."
They set apart Kedesh in Galilee, Shechem in Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in Judah; and east of the Jordan, Bezer in the wilderness for Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead for Gad, and Golan in Bashan for Manasseh.
Three versions of one law
| Numbers 35 | Deuteronomy 19 | Joshua 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of cities | Six | Three in the land (and three more if it expands) | Six named |
| Who decides | The congregation | The elders of the killer's town | The elders at the gate, then the congregation |
| Release | At the high priest's death | Not mentioned | At the high priest's death |
A shorter Greek chapter
In the Septuagint, Joshua 20 lacks most of verses 4–6, the procedure at the gate and the release at the high priest's death (the library's Greek has no text for 20:4–5). Many scholars think the Hebrew was later expanded with wording from Deuteronomy 19 and Numbers 35; others think the Greek abbreviated. The exact Greek text should be checked in a critical edition.
The six cities are mapped in the site's atlas where identified: Kedesh (Tel Kedesh), Shechem (Tell Balata), Hebron (Tel Rumeida), Ramoth-gilead (probably Tell er-Rumeith), Golan (Sahem el-Jolan proposed) and Bezer (uncertain).
The Case for the Biblical Account
Scripture's account
Six cities of refuge are appointed (Joshua 20).
What evidence would we expect?
Identifiable cities; consistency with the Torah laws.
The discoveries
Most of the six cities are identified; the Greek's shorter chapter; Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19 for comparison.
Testing the discoveries
The institution is not attested outside the Bible. The textual difference suggests the chapter grew in transmission.
The strongest reconstruction
Joshua 20 implements the Torah's refuge law with real towns, in a text that developed over time.
What remains possible
How the system functioned historically.
What the evidence shows
- The Septuagint lacks most of Joshua 20:4–6. Consistent with the library's Greek; to be confirmed in a critical edition.
- The cities of refuge functioned as described.
Continue the journey
Journey of a PassageJoshua 20:1–9: Cities of refuge: a shorter Greek lawThe Hebrew of Joshua 20 explains the procedure at the city gate and the killer's release at the high priest's death.More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- The first law of refuge.
- The law repeated.
- Moses sets apart the eastern cities.
- "Who have fled for refuge."