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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》