Joshua 20:7
New International Version
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

New Living Translation
The following cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.

English Standard Version
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Berean Standard Bible
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

King James Bible
And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

New King James Version
So they appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in the mountains of Judah.

New American Standard Bible
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

NASB 1995
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

NASB 1977
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Legacy Standard Bible
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Amplified Bible
So they set apart and consecrated Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Christian Standard Bible
So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

American Standard Version
And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Then they set apart these cities for a place of refuge: Raqem which is in Galilee, which is on the Hill of Naphtali and Shekeem, that is on the Hill of Aphreim and Quryath Arba, which is Khebrun which is on the Hill of Yehuda

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Joshua separated Cades in Galilee in the mount Nephthali, and Sychem in the mount Ephraim, and the city of Arboc; this is Chebron, in the mountain of Juda.

Contemporary English Version
The Israelites decided that the following three towns west of the Jordan River would be Safe Towns: Kedesh in Galilee in Naphtali's hill country, Shechem in Ephraim's hill country, and Kiriath-Arba in Judah's hill country. Kiriath-Arba is now called Hebron.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they appointed Cedes in Galilee of mount Nephtali, and Sichem in mount Ephraim, and Cariath-Arbe, the same is Hebron in the mountain of Juda.

English Revised Version
And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Kedesh in Galilee in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (now called Hebron) in the mountains of Judah were chosen as cities of refuge.

Good News Translation
So, on the west side of the Jordan they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.

International Standard Version
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba--the same is Hebron--in the hill-country of Judah.

Literal Standard Version
And they sanctify Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kirjath-Arba (it [is] Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah;

Majority Standard Bible
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

New American Bible
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the mountain region of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountain region of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the mountain region of Judah.

NET Bible
So they selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

New Revised Standard Version
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

New Heart English Bible
They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, (which is Hebron) in the mountain of Judah.

World English Bible
They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Young's Literal Translation
And they sanctify Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kirjath-Arba (it is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Six Cities of Refuge
6He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.” 7So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.…

Cross References
Luke 1:39
In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,

Genesis 23:2
She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.

Numbers 35:6
Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.

Deuteronomy 4:41
Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east

Deuteronomy 19:9
and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

Joshua 12:22
the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;

Joshua 20:8
And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.


Treasury of Scripture

And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

appointed [heb] sanctified

Joshua 21:32
And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.

1 Chronicles 6:76
And out of the tribe of Naphtali; Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, and Hammon with her suburbs, and Kirjathaim with her suburbs.

Shechem

Joshua 21:21
For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs,

Genesis 33:18,19
And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city…

2 Chronicles 10:1
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king.

Kirjath-arba

Joshua 14:15
And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.

Joshua 21:11,13
And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it…

mountain

Luke 1:39
And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

Jump to Previous
Apart Appointed Arba Country Ephraim E'phraim Hallowed Hebron Hill Hill-Country Judah Kedesh Kiriath Kiriath-Arba Kir'iath-Ar'ba Kirjatharba Kirjath-Arba Mount Mountain Naphtali Naph'tali Sanctify Selection Shechem
Jump to Next
Apart Appointed Arba Country Ephraim E'phraim Hallowed Hebron Hill Hill-Country Judah Kedesh Kiriath Kiriath-Arba Kir'iath-Ar'ba Kirjatharba Kirjath-Arba Mount Mountain Naphtali Naph'tali Sanctify Selection Shechem
Joshua 20
1. God commands
7. and the children of Israel appoint the six cities of refuge














Verse 7. - And they appointed. The original, which, strange to say, the LXX. and Vulgate, as well as our version, have neglected to render, is sanctified (heiligten, Luther). The selection is itself a proof that our author knew well what he was writing about. It is not likely that in the later times of Jewish history, when the law had been forgotten (2 Kings 22:8) and its precepts had long been in abeyance, that the institution of the city of refuge remained in full force. But we find three cities selected on each side of Jordan. Those on the west were in the tribe of Naphtali on the north, of Ephraim in the centre, and of Judah in the south. The same is the case with those on the other side Jordan. Thus every little detail of the narrative, when closely scrutinised, does but show more entirely how free this narrative is from the reproach so hastily cast upon it of being a loose and inaccurate compilation, attempted by a man who had not the slightest literary fitness for the task he had undertaken. A corroboration of this view may be found in the fact that all these cities were Levitical cities. Thus, as the crime of homicide was looked upon under the Mosaic law as a crime apart from all other crimes, inasmuch as it was an offence against the life which was God's gift, and man, who was God's image, so the offender who pleaded extenuating circumstances for his offence was placed, until his trial could be held, under the special protection of the Divine law. For "the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and men should seek the law at his mouth." It was the special privilege of the tribe of Levi to possess the "key of knowledge." It was to them that the duty of ascertaining the wilt of God by Urim and Thummim was assigned (Numbers 27:21). Thus a special acquaintance with the law (Deuteronomy 33:8), and a special fitness for deciding the difficult questions sometimes arising out of it, would naturally be found in the elders of those cities which had been set apart as cities of refuge. In Galilee. Hebrew, Hag-Galil, the circle. Here we have the masculine, as in Joshua 13:2; 17:17; 22:10, 11, the feminine form. This is the first place in Scripture in which the word Galil, or Galilee, is applied to this region. Gesenius regards it as having been originally a district of twenty towns round Kedesh in Naphtali. Such a region of twenty towns is mentioned in 1 Kings 9:11 (see also Isaiah 8:23; or, Isaiah 9:1 in our version). Kedesh has already been noticed (see also Joshua 21:32).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So they set apart
וַיַּקְדִּ֜שׁוּ (way·yaq·di·šū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6942: To be set apart or consecrated

Kedesh
קֶ֤דֶשׁ (qe·ḏeš)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6943: Kedesh -- 'sanctuary', the name of several places in Israel

in Galilee
בַּגָּלִיל֙ (bag·gā·lîl)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1551: Galilee -- a cylinder, rod, circuit, district, also a district in Palestine

in the hill country
בְּהַ֣ר (bə·har)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

of Naphtali,
נַפְתָּלִ֔י (nap̄·tā·lî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5321: Naphtali -- a son of Jacob, also his descendants and the district settled by them

Shechem
שְׁכֶ֖ם (šə·ḵem)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7927: Shechem -- 'ridge', a district in Northern Palestine, also a son of Hamor

in the hill country
בְּהַ֣ר (bə·har)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

of Ephraim,
אֶפְרָ֑יִם (’ep̄·rā·yim)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory

and Kiriath-arba
אַרְבַּ֛ע (’ar·ba‘)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7153: Kiriath-arba -- 'city of the four', an older name of Hebron

(that is,
הִ֥יא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

Hebron)
חֶבְר֖וֹן (ḥeḇ·rō·wn)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 2275: Hebron -- 'association, league', a city in southern Judah

in the hill country
בְּהַ֥ר (bə·har)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

of Judah.
יְהוּדָֽה׃ (yə·hū·ḏāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites


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OT History: Joshua 20:7 They set apart Kedesh in Galilee (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 20:6
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