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Joshua 20:1

WEBKJVBSBESVNKJVNASBNLT
Then the LORD said to Joshua,
Joshua 20:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying,
  • KJV The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
  • NKJV The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying,
  • NASB Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,
  • NLT The Lord said to Joshua,

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The LORD speaks to Joshua, introducing His command about the cities of refuge. God Himself initiates this provision of mercy and justice.

Overview

This brief verse marks a new word from Yahweh, turning from land distribution to the establishment of refuge cities. That God directly commands this provision shows His deep concern for justice and for protecting the innocent. The cities of refuge reveal a God who tempers law with mercy, anticipating the ultimate refuge found in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Josh 6:2And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.
  • Josh 7:10But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?
  • Josh 5:14“Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of the LORD’s army.” Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”
  • Josh 13:1–7Now Joshua was old and well along in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and well along in years, but very much of the land remains to be possessed.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)
AVENGER OF BLOODCOMMUNIONHOMICIDEREFUGE

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 20:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.

How Joshua 20:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.

The LORDיְהֹוָהalso spakeדָבַרunto Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַsayingאָמַר
Whole chapterJoshua 20:2 →