This page gives you Bible study questions for Joshua 20, the chapter where God tells Israel to set apart six cities of refuge. These questions are for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each section includes a short note on how to use it, along with a leader’s answer or discussion point for every question.
Joshua 20 at a Glance
The Lord speaks to Joshua and tells him to appoint the cities of refuge, which Moses had already described earlier. A person who kills someone by accident can flee to one of these cities and stand before the elders to state his case. He is protected there until the matter is judged by the congregation, and he remains until the death of the high priest in that era.
The chapter then lists the cities: three on the west side of the Jordan (Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron) and three on the east side (Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan). It closes by stating that these cities are for all Israelites and for the foreigner living among them, so that no one who kills unintentionally will be handed over to vengeance before a fair hearing.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first to make sure everyone has the facts of the chapter in view before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask group members to point to the text for each answer, and let the room correct any detail that is missed.
Joshua 20:1-2
1 The LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses…
(WEB)
Reading the opening lines together sets the context. It shows that God himself initiates this command, which frames everything that follows as a matter of obedience and trust.
Joshua 20:3
That the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
(WEB)
This verse states the purpose of the cities in plain words. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the central idea before they examine the details.
Joshua 20:4
He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live among them.
(WEB)
This verse describes the process of seeking refuge, including the declaration before the elders and the welcome into the city. It is the heart of the chapter’s picture of fair hearing and protection.
Joshua 20:5
If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before.
(WEB)
Here the protection is made explicit against the avenger of blood. Reading this verse slowly lets the group notice the emphasis on the lack of prior hatred, which underlines the justice of the arrangement.
Joshua 20:9
These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands trial before the congregation.
(WEB)
This closing verse gathers the whole chapter into one statement and includes the foreigner among those protected. It makes a fitting conclusion for the group’s reading and discussion.
Memory Verse for Joshua 20
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you care about justice and that you make room for mercy in the way you order our lives. Thank you for the places of refuge that point us toward your protection and fair judgment. Help us to listen before we judge, to offer shelter to those who are in danger, and to welcome the outsider among us as you have welcomed us. Teach us to be people who reflect your heart in our homes, our churches, and our work. Guide our discussion today so that we leave with clearer understanding and a readiness to live what we have read. Amen.
