Joshua 20:3

3 That whosoever shall kill a person unawares may flee to them, and may escape the wrath of the kinsman, who is the avenger of blood.

Joshua 20:3 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 20:3

That the slayer that killeth [any] person unawares, [and]
unwittingly, may flee thither
Who through mere accident, and without design, killed a person, friend or foe, one of his own kindred, or a stranger, without any malice against him, or intention to take away his life:

and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood;
from any of the relations of the deceased, who might be stirred up to avenge the blood of his kinsman on the slayer; see ( Numbers 35:12 ) .

Joshua 20:3 In-Context

1 And the Lord spoke to Josue, saying: Speak to children of Israel and say to them:

2 Appoint cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses:

3 That whosoever shall kill a person unawares may flee to them, and may escape the wrath of the kinsman, who is the avenger of blood.

4 And when he shall flee to one of these cities: he shall stand before the gate of the city, and shall speak to the ancients of that city, such things as prove him innocent: and so shall they receive him, and give him a place to dwell in.

5 And when the avenger of blood shall pursue him, they shall not deliver him into his hands, because he slew his neighbour unawares, and is not proved to have been his enemy two or three days before,