O˛ P 1,2. Levites. Application made.
Q 3. Cities granted. Collectively.
Q 4-40. Cities granted. Severally.
P 41,42. Levites. Application granted.1444-1443 B.C.
Joshua 21)
1: Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites to Eleazar the priest (see 14:1), and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel;
2: And they spoke to them at Shiloh (see 18:1) in the land of Canaan, saying, “The Lord commanded (cp. Num. 35:1-4. Lev. 25:33) by the hand (Fig., put for what is effected by it) of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs (= common lands, or pasture lands; and so throughout the chapter, 57 times) thereof for our cattle.”
3: And the sons of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs.
Q o p 4,5. Kohath. Severally.
q 6. Gershon. "
r 7,8. Merari. "
o p 9-26. Kohath. In detail, and sum.
q 27-33. Gershon. "
r 34-40. Merari. "
4: And the lot came out (i.e. out of the bag containing the Urim and Thummim. See Ex.28:30. Num.26:55) for the families of the Kohathites: and the sons of Aaron the priest, which were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen (= rebellion) cities.
5: And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten (= testimony-Law and responsibility) cities.
6: And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
7: The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve (= governmental perfection) cities.
8: And the sons of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their pasture lands, according as Yehovah commanded by the hand of Moses.
9: And they gave out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name,
10: Which the sons of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the sons of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot.
11: And they gave them the city of Arba (cp. 14:12-15. 1 Chron. 6:55) the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the pasture lands thereof round about it.
12: But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb (cp. 14:14. 1 Chron. 6:56) the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
13: Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her pasture lands, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her pasture lands,
14: And Jattir with her pasture lands, and Eshtemoa with her pasture lands,
15: And Holon (See 1 Chron. 6:58 = Hilon) with her pasture lands, and Debir with her pasture lands,
16: And Ain with her pasture lands, and Juttah with her pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with her pasture lands; nine (= fruit of the Spirit, Divine completeness from Yahaveh, finality of judgment) cities out of those two tribes.
17: And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her pasture lands, Geba with her pasture lands,
18: Anathoth with her pasture lands, and Almon with her pasture lands; four cities.
19: All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
20: And the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the sons of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21: For they gave them Shechem with her pasture lands in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her pasture lands,
22: And Kibzaim with her pasture lands, and Beth-horon with her pasture lands; four cities.
23: And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her pasture lands, Gibbethon with her pasture lands,
24: Aijalon with her pasture lands, Gath-rimmon with her pasture lands; four cities.
25: And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with her pasture lands; two cities.
26: All the cities were ten with their pasture lands for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.
27: And to the sons of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her pasture lands, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beesh-terah with her pasture lands; two cities.
28: And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her pasture lands, Dabareh with her pasture lands,
29: Jarmuth with her pasture lands, En-gannim with her pasture lands; four cities.
30: And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her pasture lands, Abdon with her pasture lands,
31: Helkath with her pasture lands, and Rehob with her pasture lands; four cities.
32: And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her pasture lands, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammoth-dor with her pasture lands, and Kartan with her pasture lands; three cities.
33: All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
34: And to the families of the sons of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her pasture lands, and Kartah with her pasture lands,
35: Dimnah with her pasture lands, Nahalal with her pasture lands; four cities.
36: And out of the tribe of Reuben (see v.38), Bezer [in the desert] with her pasture lands, and Jahazah with her pasture lands,
37: Kedemoth with her pasture lands, and Mephaath with her pasture lands; four cities.
38: (By an Homśoteleuton [Fig.], some scribe, writing as far as "four cities" at the end of v.35, went back with his eye to the same words at the end of v.27, and so omitted, by an accident, the two verses 36 and 37, and continued at 38, which commences with the same words which end v.35. Hence they are not contained in the current text of the Hebrew Bible. The A.V. puts these verses in, however, without a note; the R.V. also, but with a note. The two verses are contained in all the early printed Hebrew Bibles, the Sept.and Vulg., and very many codices. They were first omitted by Jacob ben Chayim [1524,1525], and the current Hebrew printed texts have followed him) And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her pasture lands, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her pasture lands,
39: Heshbon with her pasture lands, Jazer with her pasture lands; four cities in all.
40: So all the cities for the sons of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
41: All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the sons of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.
42: These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.
43: And the Lord gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
44: And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he swore to their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45: There failed not any of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel; all came to pass.