Joshua 20:6
4 When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.
5 Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”
- KJV
- And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
- WEB
- 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.’”
- ASV
- And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the manslayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
- DARBY
- And he shall dwell in that city, until he have stood before the assembly in judgment, until the death of the high-priest that shall be in those days; then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
- BLB
- And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the face of the congregation for judgment, [and] until the death of the high priest who is in those days. Then the manslayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.”
- ÅB
- Og han skal bli boende der i byen, til han har stått til doms for menigheten, og til den yppersteprest som da lever, er død; deretter kan manndraperen vende tilbake til sin by og sitt hus, til den by som han rømte fra.
- OTB
- De skal bli i den byen til de har stått for retten for forsamlingen, og til ypperstepresten som tjenestegjør på den tiden, er død. Etter det kan de vende tilbake til sitt eget hjem i byen de flyktet fra."
- B1930
- Og han skal bli boende der i byen, til han har stått til doms for menigheten, og til den yppersteprest som da lever, er død; derefter kan manndraperen vende tilbake til sin by og sitt hus, til den by som han rømte fra.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Numbers 35:12
You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
Read in contextHebrews 9:26
Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Read in contextNumbers 35:24–25
then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
Read in context