Joshua 20:2-4

Amplified Bible

²“Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge (asylum), of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³so that the person (manslayer) who kills any person unintentionally, ^[a]without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall be your refuge from the ^[b]blood avenger.^(A) ⁴He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and ^[c]explain his case to the elders of that city; and they shall take him into [the protection of] the city and give him a place [to stay], so that he may live among them.

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Footnotes

Joshua 20:3 Lit without knowledge. The Hebrew terminology is not very precise, but adequate nonetheless to distinguish involuntary manslaughter from murder. In modern terms, the person who is guilty only of manslaughter must not have been aware at the time that he was actually killing a human being (like the hunter who mistakes a man for an animal of prey); or if he knew that his actions were affecting another human, he must not have been aware that those actions could result in the death of the other person. In v 5, it is also stated that the perpetrator must not have had hatred for the victim, and it is implied that if hatred was a factor, the killer is automatically ruled a murderer (cf Num 35:20, 21).
Joshua 20:3 Lit redeemer of blood, the idea being that the one who kills the murderer of a relative redeems the guilt of the crime. The avenger was ordinarily a male next-of-kin, and he had the right, or even the responsibility, to execute the guilty party.
Joshua 20:4 Lit speak his word in the hearing of.