The Book of Joshua
Joshua 21
Chapter XXI · Vol. I, pp. 571–572
1 Eight and forty cities given by lot, out of the other tribes, unto the Levites. 43 God gave the land, and rest unto the Israelites, according to his promise.
1 Then came near the heads1 of the fathers of the Levites unto aEleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;
1 The chief persons of the three families of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, which constituted the tribe.—I.
a Nu.34.17-29. ch.14.1.
2 And they spake unto them at bShiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, cThe LORD commanded, by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle.
b ch.18.1.
c Nu.35.2-10. Ro.15.2. 1 Co.9.7-14. Mat.10.10. Ga.6.6. 1 Ti.5.17.
3 And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites dout of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.
d Ge.49.7. De.33.10. Nu.35.7. 1 Ch.6.54-81.
4 And the elot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children 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 cities.2
e Nu.35.8. ver.8-19. 1 Ch.6.54-60. Ge.46.11.
2 These three tribes furnish a greater number of cities for the Levites than any equal number of the other tribes; and that, both because their territory, especially that of Judah, was larger than that of the others, and because being near to Jerusalem, where God purposed finally to organize his church, his providence allotted to the servants of his sanctuary habitations near to the scene of their duties. Of these thirteen cities, Judah and Benjamin furnished twelve, and in them the whole sacerdotal family resided, even though at this time the tabernacle was in Shiloh, which was in the tribe of Ephraim. By this prospective arrangement, God provided for the future preservation of Judah and Benjamin from the apostasy of the other tribes, and for the consequent preservation of his word and ordinances.—C.
5 And fthe 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 cities.
f Nu.3.27; 16.9; 26.11; 35.8. ver.20-26. 1 Ch.6.61,66-70.
6 And gthe 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.
g ver.27-33. 1 Ch.6.62,70-76.
7 Theh 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 cities.
h ver.34-40. 1 Ch.6.63,77-81.
8 And the children of Israel igave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, kthese cities which are here mentioned3 by name,
k ver.11,13-16. 1 Ch.6.64,65.
3 Heb. called.
10 Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot.
11 And they gave them lthe city of Arba, the father of Anak, (which city is Hebron,) in the hill-country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.4
12 But mthe fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
m ch.14.6,14; 15.13. 1 Ch.6.56.
13 Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest nHebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer, and oLibnah with her suburbs,
n ch.15.54; 20.7. 1 Ch.6.57.
o ch.10.29; 15.42,48,50. 1 Sa.30.27,28. 1 Ch.6.57.
14 And Jattir5 with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs,
5 Called also Jethir or Jethira, situated in the south of Judah, about eighteen miles from Eleutheropolis.—I.
16 And qAin with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, and Beth-shemesh6 with her suburbs: nine cities out of those two tribes.
q ch.15.32,55. 1 Sa.6.9,12. 1 Ch.6.59.
6 This city was about ten miles from Eleutheropolis. On a future occasion, when the Philistines, plagued by the judgments of Heaven, put the ark, which they had taken, upon a cart, leaving the kine which drew the cart to take whatever direction they should themselves follow, the providence of God conducted the animals to this Levitical city. It was here that the men were smitten who presumed to look into the ark of the Lord. See 1 Sa. vi.—I.
17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, rGibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs,
r 1 Ch.6.60. ch.18.24,25; 9.3,17.
18 sAnathoth7 with her suburbs, and tAlmon with her suburbs: four cities.
s Je.1.1. Is.10.30. 1 Ki.2.26.
7 Anathoth, being so emphatically mentioned by the prophet Isaiah, Is 10.30. Je.11.23; 29.27; 32.7, is entitled to some more special notice than those other cities of which we know little but the name. According to Eusebius it was situate about three miles north of Jerusalem, and twenty furlongs according to Josephus; a discrepancy easy to be accounted for by the difference of the points from which each calculated the measurement: say one from the temple, another from the north city wall.—Note, Though great cities often attain an infamous celebrity for their luxury and wickedness, villages have no patent of exemption from a proportionate share of the same character. Anathoth stands a sad example of religious privileges abused, poverty endured, wickedness practised, and judgment inflicted.—C.
t Alemeth, 1 Ch.6.60,64,65.
19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
20 And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21 For they gave them uShechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs,
22 And xKibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her suburbs: four cities.
x 1 Ch.6.68. ch.16.3,5.
23 And out of the tribe of Dan, yEltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs,
y ch.19.42,44,45. 1 Ch.6.69.
24 Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs: four cities.
25 And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, zTaanach with her suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbs: two cities.
z ch.17.11. 1 Ch.6.70.
26 All the cities were ten, with their suburbs, for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.
27 And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave aGolan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beeshterah9 with her suburbs: two cities.
A.M. 2560. B.C. 1444.
9 Or, Ashtaroth.—[It is by no means uncommon for a town to be called by two names. Every country in Europe could furnish examples; as an instance, Brighthelmstone, Brighton, in England. So in this verse, it is evident, from 1 Ch. 6. 71, that Beeshterah is but a second name for Ashtaroth, being probably a contraction of two Hebrew words, signifying 'the house of Ashtaroth.'—C.]
28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, bKishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs:
b ch.19.12,20. Kedesh, 1 Ch.6.72.
30 And out of the tribe of Asher, dMishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs,
d ch.19.25,26,28. 1 Ch.6.74,75.
31 Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs: four cities.
32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, eKedesh in Galilee1 with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hamoth-dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs: three cities.
e ch.20.7; 19.35. 1 Ch.6.76.
1 This is the first mention of Galilee, a district which became so celebrated in the days of our Lord on earth. The word signifies a wheel or a heap, probably from its many mountains, heaped up beside or as it were upon one another. More particular notice will be given, if the Lord will, in the notes of the New Testament. C.——In the Old Testament the name Galilee is given to a small territory, or 'circuit,' among the mountains of Naphtali; and in the New Testament to a large province embracing the whole of Northern Palestine. Its limited extent originally is indicated in 2 Ki. 15. 29. It lay on the top of a broad mountain ridge. Afterwards the name was extended to the country south of Naphtali. Portions of it had a large heathen population, and it was therefore called 'Galilee of the Gentiles.'—P.
33 All the cities of the Gershonites, according to their families, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
34 And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, fJokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,
f ch.12.22; 19.11,15. 1 Ch.6.77
35 Dimnah2 with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs: four cities.
2 Ver. 35, 36 are omitted in the Masora and several of the best Hebrew Bibles; the general enumeration of the cities cannot be made up without them. Their genuineness however is attested, not merely by their being necessary to the consistency of the narrative, but also by a triumphant array of MSS. collated by Kennicott and De Rossi.—C.
36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, gBezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,
g ch.20.8; 13.18. Nu.21.23. 1 Ch.6.78,79. De.4.43.
37 Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs: four cities.
38 And out of the tribe of Gad, hRamoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
39 Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs: four cities in all.
40 So all the cities for the children 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, iwithin the possession of the children of Israel, were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.3
42 These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.
43 And the LORD kgave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers;4 and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
k Ge.12.7; 13.15,17; 15.18-21; 26.3,4; 28.13,14; 35.12. Ex.3.8; 23.23-31; 34.11,24. De.4.1. ch.1.15; 3.10. Lu.21.33. Tit.1.2.
4 How had he given the land, since it certainly appears, from the subsequent statements by Joshua, that many of the Canaanites were unexpelled? The answer is plain: the Lord had given the land, either into the actual occupation of the tribes, or into such possession that they received rents or tribute from the Canaanite occupiers.—C.
44 And the LORD lgave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
l ch.11.23; 23.9; 1.15. Ps.44.3. Ex.23.23,27-31; 34.11. De.7.2,22,23; 31.3-5.
Notes
[Ver. 41. Forty and eight cities with their suburbs. This would seem a large number of cities and a great extent of ground for so small a tribe, which, when the census was taken on the plains of Moab, had only 23,000 males, including children. And it would seem a contradiction to the statement so frequently made both by Moses and Joshua, that the Levite had 'no inheritance' in Israel. But let it be remembered, that though what in modern phrase may be called the lordship of those cities was granted to the Levites, yet whether it was exclusive, does not appear. David dwelt in Hebron with all his court, and it is not likely a king would be a mere tenant in his own monarchy; Saul not merely dwelt in Gibeah, but it is called 'Gibeah of Saul.' These considerations will lead to such deductions as will reduce the possessions of the Levites to very moderate bounds. But the best answer to any cavil upon the subject is, that the Israelites themselves—a people that seldom overlooked grievances—never made any complaint, but gave the cities cheerfully for the service of the tabernacle and the temple. C.]
Reflections.—Those pleadings are ever successful at a throne of grace which are founded on God's promises. God largely provides for his ministers, that they may attend on his service disentangled from the cares of this life. And yet it becomes them to be modest and reserved in seeking for themselves. It is prudent, indeed, that ministers' incomes should be connected with the welfare of the church; but it is likewise proper that all such as are taught should communicate to their teachers in all good things. God can easily turn a well-deserved curse into a distinguished honour and blessing: and make the scattering of the Levites in Israel an honour to themselves and a certain mean of instruction to the other tribes. How commodiously the priests are settled for their future attendance at Jerusalem, where God did not place his name till about four hundred years after! But inviolable are the promises of God, who cannot lie; and it is pleasant, profitable, and dutiful to trace out in providence the exact fulfilment thereof.—But was not this Canaan, now disposed of to the Hebrew tribes, a figure of the gospel rest in the New Testament church; a figure of a spiritual state, and of our better country above? These are the lands which are chosen and provided by God for us: remarkably, under his inspection and care, watered with his heavenly rains and dews, and fertile of the choicest blessings, flowing with milk and honey. How holy! how pleasant! how inhabited by God and his children! And by what marvellous grace, wisdom, and power are we brought into them, through much tribulation! Not our bow, nor our sword, but Jehovah's arm, favour, and countenance, get us the land: and he that truly enters it shall in no wise, nor ever, be cast out.