[[Josh-20]] Prev: [[Prophecies in Josh-19]] | Next: [[Prophecies in Josh-21]] --- ### Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses... *Type*: fulfillment *Summary*: Joshua designates specific cities of refuge (Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan), fulfilling the divine command and prediction given to Moses in the wilderness that such a system would be established once Israel possessed the land. *Historical context*: Archaeological excavations at sites like Shechem (Tell Balata), Hebron (Tell er-Rumeide), and Kedesh (Tel Kedesh) confirm these were significant urban centers during the Late Bronze and Iron Age. Extra-biblical sources and rabbinic literature (Mishnah [[Mak-02#v5|Makkot 2:5]]) corroborate the historical existence and specialized legal status of these cities in ancient Israelite jurisprudence. *Related to*: [[Num-35#v9|Numbers 35:9]]-15 and [[Deut-19#v1|Deuteronomy 19:1]]-13, where God first instructed Moses to appoint six cities for asylum. ### He shall dwell in that city... until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the man slayer shall return, and come to his own city... *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: The text establishes a legal condition where the death of the High Priest provides atonement or release for the manslayer, which is widely interpreted by theologians as a prophetic type or foreshadowing of the ultimate atonement provided by the death of Jesus Christ. *Historical context*: Theological analysis in the New Testament (specifically [[Heb-06#v18|Hebrews 6:18]] and 9:11-15) identifies Jesus as the 'Great High Priest' whose death provides a permanent refuge and liberation for sinners, fulfilling the symbolic pattern established by the cities of refuge where the death of a priest brought legal freedom to the exiled. *Related to*: The ultimate fulfillment of the High Priest's role in the New Testament (Christ's Atonement). --- #ai_prophecy