‘ And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriatharba, the same is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.'
Three cities were set aside (see Deuteronomy 19:2), a complete number, one in each part of the land. Notice that all were in the hill country, a sign of genuineness and early date, for this was where at that stage the people were mainly settled. They were all ancient sanctuaries, Kedesh in the north, Shechem more central and Hebron in the south, which would more impress hot-headed avengers of blood. Kedesh is described exactly as there were a number of cities called Kedesh. For Galilee (meaning ‘region, district') compare 1 Kings 9:11, ‘the land of Galilee'. This was an ancient name for an area in northern Israel. ‘The hill country of Ephraim' covered the northern part of the central range including Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh, where Shechem was.
These cities of refuge stressed God's strong concern for justice. Those who were innocent should be given a chance to prove it and not be subject to mob law and family vengeance. They were not strictly a type of Christ for Christ is a refuge for the penitent guilty whereas these were for the innocent. No man will be expelled from Christ. But they did stress mercy as well as justice.
Kiriath-arba (Hebron) was a city given to Caleb (see on Joshua 14:14-15), but like the man he was he was clearly willing for it to become a city of refuge, and indeed a Levitical city (Joshua 21:11). He believed in giving God the very best. Note again the prominence of the ancient name indicating early date.
The word for ‘set aside' is ‘sanctified' (the same root as Kedesh). The cities were set apart by God for the purposes of justice and mercy (the name of the city may have influenced the verb used).