Jos. 20: Cities of Refuge

Joshua 20:6 "He is to stay in that city until he has stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he fled."

I've read about the cities of refuge before. God commanded Moses to have these towns distributed in the promised land back in Numbers 35. Six towns were to be given. In fulfillment of that command, the following towns were designated refuge cities:

In Naphtali - Kedesh
In Ephraim - Shechem
In Judah - Kiriath Arba
In Reuben - Bezer
In Gad - Ramoth
In Manasseh - Golan

In review, these cities are places where a person who accidentally kills another could flee to in order to escape the avenger of blood. Blood had to be shed for murder. Its a horrifying thing to have a family member killed, and maybe the first thought is vengeance. That's the way it is. So if it is done unintentionally and without malice aforethought, that's something the family of the departed will have to live with...it was an accident.

So this person needed to flee and go somewhere else. Find another place to live to escape their own death. To refuge. And there is a new caveat here in Joshua 20. They must stay there in the city of refuge, not only until they have stood trial before the assembly, but until the high priest dies. Once the high priest dies, they are set free to return to the way things were meant to be.

Justice would be done, and the avenger of blood had to accept it.