The big picture
The tribes of Israel, the people settled through the land division, now have their lands and places of refuge. The Levites, the tribe assigned to sacred service, have no separate local share. Their family heads approach Eleazar, the priest, and Joshua, the national leader, at Shiloh, the place of worship. Moses, the former leader, passed on God's promise of homes for them. Now they ask for towns and grazing ground. The other tribes must give up towns and fields to make room for these families.
In this chapter
- The Tribes Provide Towns for Levi's Families Joshua 21:1-8
The Levite family heads remind the leaders that God commanded towns and nearby grazing land for them.
- Aaron's Descendants Receive Thirteen Towns Joshua 21:9-19
The first detailed list concerns Aaron's descendants, the priestly families within Levi.
- The Other Kohathites Receive Ten Towns Joshua 21:20-26
The remaining Kohathite families receive towns from Ephraim, Dan, and half of Manasseh, neighbouring tribal groups within Israel.
- Gershon and Merari Receive Their Towns Joshua 21:27-40
The Gershonite branch receives thirteen towns from four tribal areas, including land on the eastern side of Jordan.
- The Settlement Is Described as God's Kept Promise Joshua 21:41-45
The Levites' towns total forty-eight, each with nearby pasture.
Central truth
Israel gives towns and grazing ground to the Levites, so the tribe serving God has homes within the land others have received.
Scripture beside the summary
Joshua · King James Version · 45Joshua 21:1-8
The Tribes Provide Towns for Levi's Families
The Levite family heads remind the leaders that God commanded towns and nearby grazing land for them. Israel supplies these places from the tribes' own inheritances. Aaron's family of priests receives thirteen towns by lot. The rest of their family branch, the Kohathites, receives ten. The Gershonite families receive thirteen, and the Merarite families twelve. These are branches within the tribe of Levi, not additional land tribes. The towns lie within several tribal shares. Many tribes give land for these homes. The cost of care for those serving God does not fall on one group alone.
In everyday life
The district college caretaker checks a housing list supplied by several campuses. Workers and their families receive homes near several sites. Each home has storage and work space too. Each campus contributes from its own grounds. Levi's towns support a tribe's service to God, not staff hired to care for college sites.
Notice
Joshua 21:3 The towns come out of the other tribes' inheritances. Provision for Levi requires the landholders to give part of what they have received.
Joshua 21:1-8
King James Version1Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;
2And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle.
3And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.
4And the lot 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.
5And 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 cities.
6And 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.
7The 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.
8And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
Joshua 21:9-19
Aaron's Descendants Receive Thirteen Towns
The first detailed list concerns Aaron's descendants, the priestly families within Levi. Judah and Simeon provide nine towns, and Benjamin provides four more. Hebron is among them and also serves as a refuge city. Caleb keeps his nearby fields and villages as his own. The priests receive the city and its pasture instead. This gift does not take away all Caleb's earlier rights. The priests need homes and grazing ground. They receive these alongside families that already have their own claims.
In everyday life
The rectory trustee walks a village boundary with the farmer who owns the adjoining fields. A new caretaker receives the house and garden, while the farmer keeps the fields named in his earlier deed. They mark both rights on the plan. The priestly division is commanded for Aaron's descendants, rather than negotiated as a modern tenancy.
Notice
Joshua 21:12 Caleb keeps the city's fields and villages despite the priestly grant at Hebron. The priests do not receive every kind of land there. Caleb's earlier claim still holds.
Joshua 21:9-19
King James Version9And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name,
10Which 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.
11And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.
12But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
13Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs,
14And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs,
15And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs,
16And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, and Beth-shemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.
17And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs,
18Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities.
19All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
Joshua 21:20-26
The Other Kohathites Receive Ten Towns
The remaining Kohathite families receive towns from Ephraim, Dan, and half of Manasseh, neighbouring tribal groups within Israel. Four come from Ephraim, four from Dan, and two from Manasseh. Shechem is named as a refuge city within this grant. Every town comes with nearby pasture for livestock. The total of ten closes this family's portion of the list. These families are not priests from Aaron's line. Even so, the other tribes must provide them with homes. Their homes are provided through several tribes rather than one large region of their own.
In everyday life
A mobile repair technician checks ten service cottages on the utility company's route board. Several districts have supplied them, and one also houses an emergency shelter. He checks each cottage beside the job it supports. Every house has a use on the route. Kohath's towns belong to families set apart for sacred service, not to workers moving between short contracts.
Notice
Joshua 21:21 Shechem serves as both a Levite town and a refuge city. The same settlement can meet the needs of sacred service and safety after an accidental death.
Joshua 21:20-26
King James Version20And 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.
21For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs,
22And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her suburbs; four cities.
23And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs,
24Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; four cities.
25And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; two cities.
26All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.
Joshua 21:27-40
Gershon and Merari Receive Their Towns
The Gershonite branch receives thirteen towns from four tribal areas, including land on the eastern side of Jordan. Some of these places, such as Golan and Kedesh, also serve as cities of refuge. The Merarite branch receives twelve towns from three tribes, again with pasture around each. Each town has fields around it. Families will have ground for their animals as well as roofs over their heads. These final lists complete the named family groups within Levi. These homes are spread through the land. The families do not all move to one distant town apart from the rest of Israel.
In everyday life
The veterinary organiser checks homes for two teams serving scattered farms. The cottages lie in several districts. Each has room for household animals and gear. She counts both groups before closing the list. The Levite grants are inherited homes connected with worship, not lodging assigned for a short spell of work.
Notice
Joshua 21:40 The final family total includes its towns and pasture together. A place to live is not separated from the land needed to support daily household life.
Joshua 21:27-40
King James Version27And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beesh-terah with her suburbs; two cities.
28And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs,
29Jarmuth with her suburbs, En-gannim with her suburbs; four cities.
30And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs,
31Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs; four cities.
32And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammoth-dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.
33All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
34And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,
35Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four cities.
36And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,
37Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs; four cities.
38And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
39Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs; four cities in all.
40So 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.
Joshua 21:41-45
The Settlement Is Described as God's Kept Promise
The Levites' towns total forty-eight, each with nearby pasture. The account then turns from this last division to the whole settlement. God gave the promised land to Israel. The people now hold it and live in it. He has also given rest and defeated their enemies. No good promise is said to have failed. Earlier notices of places still untaken remain part of the account. Those limits do not erase the land, homes, and rest the tribes have now received.
In everyday life
The relocation officer ticks the last household on her register at a mobile flood-relief desk. Families now sleep under their own roofs, though repairs and local disputes still remain. She compares the fulfilled commitments with the promises made when they were displaced. Israel's settlement is credited to God's faithful word, not the performance of an agency.
Notice
Joshua 21:45 The closing statement measures the settlement against God's promises. Its claim is about his faithfulness in giving the people what he said he would give.
Joshua 21:41-45
King James Version41All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.
42These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.
43And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
44And the LORD gave 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.
45There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Joshua 21:1 begins with “Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the…”
Where the chapter turns
Joshua 21:12 forms a natural hinge: “But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.”
The final note
Joshua 21:45 leaves the reader with “There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words suburbs, cities, tribe, children, families, gave help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- suburbs
- Open pastureland around a town for livestock, rather than modern residential districts.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
