3 And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the word of Jehovah, these cities and their suburbs.
And of Levi he said, Thy Thummim and thy Urim are for thy godly one, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said to his father and to his mother, I see him not, And he acknowledged not his brethren, And knew not his own children; For they have observed thy word, And kept thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thine ordinances, And Israel thy law: They shall put incense before thy nostrils, And whole burnt-offering upon thine altar.
And these are their dwelling-places according to their encampments, within their borders. For the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites, for theirs was the lot; and they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and its suburbs round about it; but the fields of the city, and the hamlets thereof gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. And to the children of Aaron they gave the city of refuge, Hebron; and Libnah and its suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa and its suburbs, and Hilen and its suburbs, Debir and its suburbs, and Ashan and its suburbs, and Beth-shemesh and its suburbs; and, out of the tribe of Benjamin, Geba and its suburbs, and Allemeth and its suburbs, and Anathoth and its suburbs: all their cities, thirteen cities, according to their families. And to the children of Kohath that remained [were given] by lot out of the families of the tribe [of Ephraim and of the tribe of Dan and] of the half tribe, half Manasseh, ten cities. And to the children of Gershom according to their families out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. To the children of Merari [were given] by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their suburbs. And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities which were mentioned by name. And to the families of the children of Kohath who had the cities of their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim, they gave the city of refuge, Shechem and its suburbs in mount Ephraim; and Gezer and its suburbs, and Jokmeam and its suburbs, and Beth-horon and its suburbs, and Ajalon and its suburbs, and Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs; and out of the half tribe of Manasseh: Aner and its suburbs, and Bileam and its suburbs, -- for the families of the children of Kohath that remained. To the children of Gershom [were given] out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan and its suburbs, and Ashtaroth and its suburbs; and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and its suburbs, Dobrath and its suburbs, and Ramoth and its suburbs, and Anem and its suburbs; and out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal and its suburbs, and Abdon and its suburbs, and Hukok and its suburbs, and Rehob and its suburbs; and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee and its suburbs, and Hammon and its suburbs, and Kirjathaim and its suburbs. To the children of Merari that remained [were given] out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono and its suburbs, [and] Tabor and its suburbs; and on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness and its suburbs, and Jahzah and its suburbs, and Kedemoth and its suburbs, and Mephaath and its suburbs; and out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs, and Mahanaim and its suburbs, and Heshbon and its suburbs, and Jaazer and its suburbs.
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Commentary on Joshua 21 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 21
Jos 21:1-8. Eight and Forty Cities Given by Lot Out of the Other Tribes unto the Levites.
1-3. Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites—The most venerable and distinguished members of the three Levitical families, on behalf of their tribe, applied for the special provision that had been promised them to be now awarded (see on Nu 35:2). Their inheritance lay within the territory of every tribe. It was assigned in the same place and manner, and by the same commissioners as the other allotments. While the people, knowing the important duties they were to perform, are described (Jos 21:3) as readily conceding this "peculiar" to them, it had most probably been specified and reserved for their use while the distribution of the land was in progress.
4-8. the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites—The Levites were divided into Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites. Among the former the family of Aaron were exclusively appointed to the priesthood, and all the rest were ranked in the common order of Levites. The first lot was drawn by the Kohathites; and the first of theirs again by the priests, to whom thirteen cities were granted, and ten to the rest of the Kohathites (Jos 21:5); thirteen to the Gershonites (Jos 21:6), and twelve to the Merarites (Jos 21:7).
Jos 21:9-42. The Cities of the Priests.
9-40. they gave … these cities which are here mentioned by name—It was overruled by the unerring providence of the Divine Lawgiver that the cities of the priests lay within the territories of Judah and Benjamin. This was a provision, the admirable wisdom and propriety of which were fully manifested on the schism that took place in the reign of Rehoboam.
41. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs—This may appear too great a proportion compared with those of the other tribes. But it must be borne in mind that the list given here contains the names of every Levitical city (see on 1Ch 6:39-66); whereas only those cities of the other tribes are mentioned which lay on the frontier or along the boundary line. Besides, the Levites were not the exclusive inhabitants of those forty-eight cities; for there must have been also a considerable number of people kept there to cultivate the glebe lands and tend the cattle. Still further, the Levitical cities had nothing but "their suburbs round about them" [Jos 21:42]; whereas the other cities in Israel possessed a group of independent villages (see Jos 17:1-19:51).
Jos 21:43-45. God Gave Them Rest.
43-45. the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers—This is a general winding up of the history from the thirteenth chapter, which narrates the occupation of the land by the Israelites. All the promises made, whether to the people or to Joshua (Jos 1:5), had been, or were in the course of being fulfilled; and the recorded experience of the Israelites (Jos 21:45), is a ground of hope and confidence to the people of God in every age, that all other promises made to the Church will, in due time, be accomplished.