Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua records the final geographic allocation of the cities of refuge to the tribes east of the Jordan River. The narrative concludes the asylum distribution immediately after listing the western hill country assignments and just before stating the legal purpose of these locations.
The words — The verb נָתְנ֞וּ (na.te.Nu) translates literally as "they assigned," marking an official and completed act of distribution. The phrase בַּ/מִּדְבָּ֛ר (ba./mid.Bar) specifies the wilderness plateau, anchoring Bezer to a distinct, arid terrain rather than a settled agricultural zone.
The thread — The identical triad of cities and their tribal assignments appears in Joshua 21:36, 1 Chronicles 6:78, and Joshua 21:27. These passages function as parallel administrative records that verify the geographic boundaries established in Joshua 20.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge that legal asylum depends on precise, named locations and formal assembly trials rather than personal discretion. It establishes that justice is administered through fixed boundaries and procedural limits, not immediate retaliation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
Cross-references
- Joshua 21:36 From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz,
- 1 Chronicles 6:78 From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah,
- Joshua 21:27 This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.
- Joshua 21:38 And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,
- Deuteronomy 4:43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.
- 1 Kings 22:3 who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”
- 1 Kings 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
- 1 Chronicles 6:80 And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,