5 If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Joshua 20:5

Commentary on Joshua 20:1-6

(Read Joshua 20:1-6)

When the Israelites were settled in their promised inheritance, they were reminded to set apart the cities of refuge, whose use and typical meaning have been explained, Hebrews 6:18.