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Text -- Joshua 21:1-45 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Levitical Cities
21:1 The tribal leaders of the Levites went before Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the Israelite tribal leaders
21:2 in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said , “The Lord told Moses to assign us cities in which to live along with the grazing areas for our cattle .”
21:3 So the Israelites assigned these cities and their grazing areas to the Levites from their own holdings , as the Lord had instructed .
21:4 The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans . The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah , Simeon , and Benjamin .
21:5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten cities from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim , and from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh .
21:6 Gershon’s descendants were allotted thirteen cities from the clans of the tribe of Issachar , and from the tribes of Asher and Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan .
21:7 Merari’s descendants by their clans were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben , Gad , and Zebulun .
21:8 So the Israelites assigned to the Levites by lot these cities and their grazing areas , as the Lord had instructed Moses .
21:9 They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below.
21:10 They were assigned to the Kohathite clans of the Levites who were descendants of Aaron , for the first lot belonged to them .
21:11 They assigned them Kiriath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak ), that is, Hebron , in the hill country of Judah , along with its surrounding grazing areas .
21:12 (Now the city’s fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property .)
21:13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they assigned Hebron (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter ), Libnah ,
21:14 Jattir , Eshtemoa ,
21:15 Holon , Debir ,
21:16 Ain , Juttah , and Beth Shemesh , along with the grazing areas of each– a total of nine cities taken from these two tribes .
21:17 From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned Gibeon , Geba ,
21:18 Anathoth , and Almon , along with the grazing areas of each– a total of four cities .
21:19 The priests descended from Aaron received thirteen cities and their grazing areas .
21:20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted cities from the tribe of Ephraim .
21:21 They assigned them Shechem (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter ) in the hill country of Ephraim , Gezer ,
21:22 Kibzaim , and Beth Horon , along with the grazing areas of each– a total of four cities .
21:23 From the tribe of Dan they assigned Eltekeh , Gibbethon ,
21:24 Aijalon , and Gath Rimmon , along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities .
21:25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh they assigned Taanach and Gath Rimmon , along with the grazing areas of each– a total of two cities .
21:26 The rest of the Kohathite clans received ten cities and their grazing areas .
21:27 They assigned to the Gershonite clans of the Levites the following cities: from the half-tribe of Manasseh : Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter ) and Beeshtarah , along with the grazing areas of each– a total of two cities ;
21:28 from the tribe of Issachar : Kishon , Daberath ,
21:29 Jarmuth , and En Gannim , along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities ;
21:30 from the tribe of Asher : Mishal , Abdon ,
21:31 Helkath , and Rehob , along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities ;
21:32 from the tribe of Naphtali : Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter ), Hammoth Dor , and Kartan , along with the grazing areas of each– a total of three cities .
21:33 The Gershonite clans received thirteen cities and their grazing areas .
21:34 They assigned to the Merarite clans (the remaining Levites ) the following cities : from the tribe of Zebulun : Jokneam , Kartah ,
21:35 Dimnah , and Nahalal , along with the grazing areas of each– a total of four cities ;
21:36 from the tribe of Reuben : Bezer , Jahaz ,
21:37 Kedemoth , and Mephaath , along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities ;
21:38 from the tribe of Gad : Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter ), Mahanaim ,
21:39 Heshbon , and Jazer , along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities .
21:40 The Merarite clans (the remaining Levites ) were allotted twelve cities .
21:41 The Levites received within the land owned by the Israelites forty-eight cities in all and their grazing areas .
21:42 Each of these cities had grazing areas around it; they were alike in this regard.
21:43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had solemnly promised to their ancestors , and they conquered it and lived in it.
21:44 The Lord made them secure , in fulfillment of all he had solemnly promised their ancestors . None of their enemies could resist them.
21:45 Not one of the Lord’s faithful promises to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled ; every one was realized .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Levites |
TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT |
LEVITICAL CITIES |
MERARI |
Israel |
Lot |
Joshua |
Levite |
EZEKIEL, 2 |
PALESTINE, 2 |
Priest |
Judah, Tribe of |
Gershon |
GERSHON; GERSHONITES |
Merarites |
Gath-rimmon |
CRITICISM |
Mahanaim |
ASSASSINATION |
CITIES OF REFUGE |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
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NET Notes: Jos 21:10 Heb “and it belonged to the sons of Aaron, from the Kohathite clans, from the sons of Levi.”
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NET Notes: Jos 21:25 The name “Gath Rimmon” is problematic here, for it appears in the preceding list of Danite cities. The LXX reads “Iebatha”; 1 ...
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NET Notes: Jos 21:27 The words “they assigned” and “the following cities” are supplied for clarification (also in v. 34).
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NET Notes: Jos 21:36 21:36-37 are accidentally omitted from a number of significant Hebrew mss. They are, however, found in some Hebrew mss, the LXX and Vulgate.
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NET Notes: Jos 21:42 Heb “these cities were city [by] city, and its grazing areas [were] around it; so [it was] for all these cities.”
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