John Calvin Commentary Joshua 20:1

"And Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying," — Joshua 20:1 (ASV)

The Lord also spoke unto Joshua, etc. In the fact that it had not occurred to their own minds to designate the cities of refuge until they were again reminded of it, their sluggishness appears to be indirectly criticized. The divine command to that effect had been given beyond the Jordan.

When the reason for it always remained equally valid, why do they wait? Why do they not give full effect to what they had rightly begun?

We may add how important it was for there to be places of refuge for the innocent, so that the land might not be polluted with blood. For if that remedy had not been provided, the relatives of those who had been killed would have doubled the evil by proceeding indiscriminately to avenge their death. It was certainly not fitting for the people to be idle in guarding the land from stain and taint.

Thus we see how slow people are, not only to perform their duty but also to provide for their own safety, unless the Lord frequently urges them and prods them forward with the stimulus of exhortation. But that they sinned only from thoughtlessness is apparent from the fact that they were immediately ready to obey, neither procrastinating nor creating obstacles or delays to a necessary matter by disputing its appropriateness.

The nature of the asylum afforded by the cities of refuge has already been explained. It offered no impunity for intentional murder, but if anyone, by mistake, had killed a man with whom he was not at enmity, he found a safe refuge by fleeing to one of these cities designated for that purpose.

In this way, God assisted the unfortunate and prevented them from suffering the punishment for an atrocious deed when they had not been guilty of it. Meanwhile, respect was paid to the feelings of the brothers and relatives of the deceased to such an extent that their sorrow was not increased by the constant presence of the persons who had caused their bereavement.

Lastly, the people were taught to detest murder, since homicide, even when not culpable, was followed by exile from their country and home until the death of the high priest. For that temporary exile clearly showed how precious human blood is in the sight of God. Thus the law was just, equitable, and useful, both from a public and a private perspective.

But it should be briefly noted that not everything is mentioned here in order. For one who had accidentally killed a man might have remained in safety by presenting himself before the court to plead his case and obtaining an acquittal after due and thorough investigation, as we explained more fully in the books of Moses when discussing this matter.