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Joshua Chapter
Twenty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 21
This
chapter contains the address of the Levites to the court, to have the cities
and suburbs given them according to the command of God by Moses, Joshua 21:1; the
grant of them by lot out of the several tribes, Joshua 21:3; the
particular cities out of the tribes of Judah and Simeon are mentioned by name, Joshua 21:9; then
those out of the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 21:17; next
those out of the tribe of Ephraim, Joshua 21:20;
afterwards those out of the tribe of Dan, Joshua 21:23; then
those out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Joshua 21:27; and
out of the tribe of Issachar, Joshua 21:28; and
out of the tribe of Asher, Joshua 21:30; and
of Naphtali, Joshua 21:32; and
of Zebulun, Joshua 21:34; and
of Reuben, Joshua 21:36; and
of Gad, Joshua 21:38; which
in all made forty eight, Joshua 21:41; and
the chapter is concluded with observing, that God gave Israel all the land of
Canaan, and rest in it, according to his promise, very faithfully and
punctually, Joshua 21:43.
Joshua 21:1 Then
the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the
priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ houses
of the tribes of the children of Israel.
YLT
1And the heads of the
fathers of the Levites draw nigh unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua son
of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel,
Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites,.... When the
land was divided to the several tribes, and everyone knew the cities that
belonged to them, and what they could and should part with to the Levites, and
when the six cities of refuge were fixed; the Levites came to put in their
claim for cities of habitation, they having no share in the division of the
land; and yet it was necessary they should have habitations; the persons that
undertook to put in a claim for them were the principal men among them; the
fathers of them were Kohath, Gershon, and Merari; the heads of those were the
chief men that were then living: these came
unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun; the high
priest and chief magistrate:
and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of
Israel; the princes appointed to divide the land with the two great
personages before mentioned, Numbers 34:17.
Joshua 21:2 2 And they spoke to them at
Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The Lord commanded
through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for our
livestock.”
YLT
2and they speak unto them in
Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, saying, `Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses
to give to us cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for our cattle.'
And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan,.... Where the
tabernacle was fixed, at or near which the above persons met to cast lots for
the division of the land to the seven tribes that had not received their
inheritance:
saying, the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities
to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle; this command
is extant in Numbers 35:2.
Joshua 21:3 3 So the children of Israel
gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord, these cities
and their common-lands:
YLT
3And the sons of Israel give
to the Levites, out of their inheritance, at the command of Jehovah, these
cities and their suburbs:
And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their
inheritance,.... Knowing full well there was such a command, made no
objection to their motion, but freely gave them cities out of the portion of
inheritance allotted to them; this they did
at the commandment of the Lord, and in obedience to it, even gave
these cities and suburbs; after mentioned: this was done by the tribes themselves; as
there were a certain number fixed by the commandment of God, they agreed among
themselves how many and what cities should be given out of each tribe; and then
lots were cast for them by Joshua, what and which cities should be appropriated
to their several divisions, as the Kohathites that sprang from Aaron, and the
rest of them that did not, and the Gershonites and Merarites, as follows.
Joshua 21:4 4 Now the lot came out for
the families of the Kohathites. And the children of Aaron the priest, who
were of the Levites, had thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah,
from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.
YLT
4And the lot goeth out for
the families of the Kohathite, and there are for the sons of Aaron the priest
(of the Levites), out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon,
and out of the tribe of Benjamin, by lot thirteen cities,
And the lot came out for the family of the Kohathites,.... The first
lot that was drawn out of the pot or urn was for the descendants of Kohath, a
son of Levi:
and the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the
Levites; who descended from Amram, the eldest son of Kohath, and these
were not only Levites, but priests: these
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; which are
after mentioned by name; and as these were priests, whose business was to serve
in the temple, and at the altar, the cities assigned them by the lot, were, by
the wise disposal of divine Providence, ordered them out of those tribes which
lay nearest to Jerusalem; the place God had chosen to put his name in, where
the temple would be built, and the altars erected for sacrifices and incense.
Joshua 21:5 5 The rest of the children
of Kohath had ten cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, from
the tribe of Dan, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
YLT
5and for the sons of Kohath
who are left, out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe
of Dan, and out of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, by lot ten cities:
And the rest of the children of Kohath,.... Which did
not descend from him in the line of Amram and Aaron, but of Izhar, Hebron, and
Uzziel, who were not priests, but Levites:
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; these other sort of
Kohathites had their cities in tribes next to the other three where the Kohathites
that were priests had theirs.
Joshua 21:6 6 And the children of
Gershon had thirteen cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar,
from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of
Manasseh in Bashan.
YLT
6And for the sons of Gershon
[are], 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, by lot, thirteen cities.
And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families
of the tribe of Issachar,.... These were Levites who descended from Gershon, the eldest
son of Levi, and had their cities by lot assigned them in tribes at a greater
distance, not only out of Issachar, but
out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and
out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan; which was the other half
of the tribe beyond Jordan:
thirteen cities; as many as were given out of the tribes of
Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Joshua 21:7 7 The children of Merari
according to their families had twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from
the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.
YLT
7For the sons of Merari, for
their families, [are], out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad,
and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
The children of Merari by their families,.... The
descendants of Merari, the third son of Levi:
had out of the tribe of
Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad; which were both on the
other side Jordan:
and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities; in all forty
eight, as the Lord commanded, Numbers 35:7.
Joshua 21:8 8 And the children of Israel
gave these cities with their common-lands by lot to the Levites, as the Lord had commanded
by the hand of Moses.
YLT
8And the sons of Israel give
to the Levites these cities and their suburbs, as Jehovah commanded by the hand
of Moses, by lot.
And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these
cities with their suburbs,.... Reaching two thousand cubits from the
cities all around: these cities did not lie all together, and so could not be
described by their coasts; but in the several tribes, and intermixed with their
cities; which fulfilled Jacob's prophecy, that they should be divided and
scattered in Israel, Genesis 49:7; as
well as it was so ordered for the benefit of the several tribes, that they
might have the assistance of the priests and Levites, to instruct them in the
knowledge of the laws and commandments of God, and all divine things:
as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses; Numbers 35:2.
Joshua 21:9 9 So they gave from the
tribe of the children of Judah and from the tribe of the children of Simeon
these cities which are designated by name,
YLT
9And they give out of the
tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, these
cities which are called by name;
And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah,.... Here
follows a particular account of the several cities which were given out of each
tribe, and first out of this:
and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon; which is
joined with that of Judah, because the cities of it lay within it, Joshua 19:1,
these cities which are here mentioned by name; Joshua 21:13.
Joshua 21:10 10 which were for the
children of Aaron, one of the families of the Kohathites, who were of
the children of Levi; for the lot was theirs first.
YLT
10and they are for the sons
of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathite, of the sons of Levi, for theirs
hath been the first lot;
Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the
Kohathites,.... Who descending from Kohath, in the line of Aaron, were
priests:
who were of the
children of Levi, had; they were Levites, as descending from Levi, but were priests
also, as being of the stock of Aaron, and the cities hereafter mentioned in the
said tribe fell to their portion:
for theirs was the first lot; for being of the line of
Aaron, and priests, they had the honour and privilege to have the first lot
drawn for them, and out of the tribe for which the first lot was also drawn,
the tribe of Judah; here they had their cities allotted them, for a reason
before given.
Joshua 21:11 11 And they gave them Kirjath
Arba (Arba was the father of Anak), which is Hebron, in the
mountains of Judah, with the common-land surrounding it.
YLT
11and they give to them the
city of Arba father of Anak (it [is] Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah, and
its suburbs round about it;
And they gave them the city of Arba, the father of Anak,.... Which
from him was called Kirjatharba, Joshua 14:15; and
Anak, according to Kimchi, is not the name of a man, but a general name,
comprehending the Anakims, a race of giants, among whom Arba was the chief and
principal man, a prince and ruler over them, as Ben Melech:
which city is Hebron in the hill country of Judah; as in Joshua 14:15; see Luke 1:39,
with the suburbs thereof round about it; as far as two
thousand cubits, which were to put their cattle in, and provision for them.
Joshua 21:12 12 But the fields of the city
and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession.
YLT
12and the field of the city
and its villages they have given to Caleb son of Jephunneh for his possession.
But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof,.... Which lay
beyond the two thousand cubits:
gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh, for his possession; as Moses had
promised, and Joshua had confirmed to him; and now the children of Israel gave
them to him, and put him in the possession of, Joshua 14:6; and
the same is to be observed of all the other cities given to the Levites, that
they and their suburbs, extending to such a distance only, were given to them;
but the fields and villages, which belonged to them, continued the inheritance
of the tribes in which they were.
Joshua 21:13 13 Thus to the children of
Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its common-land (a city of refuge for
the slayer), Libnah with its common-land,
YLT
13And to the sons of Aaron
the priest they have given the city of refuge [for] the man-slayer, Hebron and
its suburbs, and Libnah and its suburbs,
Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest,.... The
families of the Kohathites, that part of them which descended from him, and
were priests:
Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the
slayer; that had slain a person unawares, and without design; see on Joshua 20:3,
and Libnah with her suburbs; a royal city, of which
see Joshua 10:29.
Joshua 21:14 14 Jattir with its
common-land, Eshtemoa with its common-land,
YLT
14and Jattir and its suburbs,
and Eshtemoa and its suburbs,
And Jattir with her suburbs,.... See Gill on Joshua 15:48,
and Eshtemoa with her suburbs; See Gill on Joshua 15:50.
Joshua 21:15 15 Holon with its
common-land, Debir with its common-land,
YLT
15and Holon and its suburbs, and
Debir and its suburbs,
And Holon with her suburbs,.... See Gill on Joshua 15:51,
and Debir with her suburbs; See Gill on Joshua 15:49.
Joshua 21:16 16 Ain with its common-land,
Juttah with its common-land, and Beth Shemesh with its common-land: nine cities
from those two tribes;
YLT
16and Ain and its suburbs, and
Juttah and its suburbs, Beth-Shemesh and its suburbs; nine cities out of these
two tribes.
And Ain with her suburbs,.... See Gill on Joshua 15:32,
and Juttah with her suburbs; See Gill on Joshua 15:55,
and Bethshemesh with her
suburbs; which is not mentioned among the cities of Judah, Joshua 15:21; only
as in the borders of it, Joshua 21:10; and
perhaps is the same Bethshemesh to which the ark was directed by the
Philistines from Ashdod, 1 Samuel 6:9; in it
formerly was a temple dedicated to the sun, from whence it had its name:
nine cities out of those two tribes; and they seem all but
one, which is Ain, to be of the tribe of Judah, and that originally belonged to
it; and as that tribe had the largest number of cities in its lot, the more
were given out of it to the Levites, according to a rule prescribed, Numbers 35:8.
Joshua 21:17 17 and from the tribe of
Benjamin, Gibeon with its common-land, Geba with its common-land,
YLT
17And out of the tribe of
Benjamin, Gibeon and its suburbs, Geba and its suburbs,
And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs,.... See Gill
on Joshua 18:25; from
which came the Gibeonites.
Geba with her suburbs. Of which See Gill on Joshua 18:24.
Joshua 21:18 18 Anathoth with its
common-land, and Almon with its common-land: four cities.
YLT
18Anathoth and its suburbs,
and Almon and its suburbs -- four cities;
Anathoth with her suburbs,.... This is not
mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, Joshua 18:11; it
was the native place of the Prophet Jeremiah; see Gill on Jeremiah 1:1; it
lay about two or three miles north of Jerusalem; three, says, JeromF11De
loc. Heb. fol. 88. H. . RauwolffF12Travels, par. 3. c. 2. p. 216.
speaks of it as a small village, when he travelled into those parts, and as
lying on a height or eminence, and which was within twenty furlongs of
Jerusalem, as Josephus writesF13Antiqu. l. 10. c. 7. sect. 3. :
and Almon with her suburbs; this also is not
mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, Joshua 18:11; it is
called Alemeth, 1 Chronicles 6:60.
Jarchi and Kimchi say it is the same with Bahurim, 2 Samuel 3:16;
where the Targum renders it by Almeth, and both words signify the same thing,
"youth":
four cities; which were a large number for so small a tribe as little
Benjamin to give.
Joshua 21:19 19 All the cities of the children
of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their common-lands.
YLT
19all the cities of the sons
of Aaron the priests, [are] thirteen cities and their suburbs.
All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests,.... Those of
the Kohathites that came from him:
were thirteen
cities with their suburbs; and just so many are mentioned by name in Joshua 21:11.
Joshua 21:20 20 And the families of the
children of Kohath, the Levites, the rest of the children of Kohath, even they
had the cities of their lot from the tribe of Ephraim.
YLT
20And for the families of the
sons of Kohath, the Levites, who are left of the sons of Kohath, even the
cities of their lot are of the tribe of Ephraim;
And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites,.... Who were
not priests:
which remained of the children of Kohath; these are the
children of Moses, as Jarchi says, and those that descended from Kohath in the
lines of Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel:
even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim; and were as
follow.
Joshua 21:21 21 For they gave them Shechem
with its common-land in the mountains of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the
slayer), Gezer with its common-land,
YLT
21and they give to them the
city of refuge [for] the man-slayer, Shechem and its suburbs, in the
hill-country of Ephraim, and Gezer and its suburbs,
For they gave them Shechem, with her suburbs, in Mount Ephraim,.... Of which
see Joshua 20:7,
to be a city of
refuge for the slayer; which being on a mountain, was the more conspicuous, and the
fitter for this purpose, as was Hebron in the hill country of Judea, Joshua 21:11; this
is the second; city of refuge mentioned:
and Gezer with her suburbs: a place from whence the
Canaanites were not expelled; See Gill on Joshua 16:10.
Joshua 21:22 22 Kibzaim with its
common-land, and Beth Horon with its common-land: four cities;
YLT
22and Kibzaim and its
suburbs, and Beth-Horon and its suburbs -- four cities.
And Kibzaim with her suburbs,.... Which seems to, be
the same with Jokneam, 1 Chronicles 6:68;
of it we read nowhere else:
and Bethhoron with her suburbs; upper Bethhoron, for
there were two, an upper and a nether: see Joshua 16:3,
four cities; as mentioned by name.
Joshua 21:23 23 and from the tribe of Dan,
Eltekeh with its common-land, Gibbethon with its common-land,
YLT
23And out of the tribe of
Dan, Eltekeh and its suburbs, Gibbethon and its suburbs,
And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs,.... See Gill
on Joshua 19:44,
Gibbethon with her suburbs; see Gill on Joshua 19:44.
Joshua 21:24 24 Aijalon with its
common-land, and Gath Rimmon with its common-land: four cities;
YLT
24Aijalon and its suburbs,
Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs -- four cities.
Aijalon with her suburbs,.... See Gill on Joshua 19:42,
Gathrimmon with her suburbs, four cities; See Gill on Joshua 19:45.
Joshua 21:25 25 and from the half-tribe of
Manasseh, Tanach with its common-land and Gath Rimmon with its common-land: two
cities.
YLT
25And out of the half of the
tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its suburbs, and Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs --
two cities;
And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with her suburbs,.... Of which
see Joshua 17:10,
and Gathrimmon with her suburbs, there was a city of this
name in Dan, as in Joshua 21:24; nor
was it unusual for cities to be called by the same name in different tribes:
two cities; these are called Aner and Bilean in 1 Chronicles 6:70;
in process of time cities changed their names; two cities were a proper
proportion for this half tribe; two more were given out of the other half tribe
on the other side Jordan, as appears by what follows.
Joshua 21:26 26 All the ten cities with
their common-lands were for the rest of the families of the children of Kohath.
YLT
26all the cities [are] ten
and their suburbs, for the families of the sons of Kohath who are left.
All the cities were ten, with their suburbs,.... Four out
of Ephraim, four out of Dan, and two out of the half tribe of Manasseh: which
were
for the families of the children of Kohath that remained: who were of
the other branch of the Kohathites, and who did not descend from Aaron, and
were only Levites, and not priests; See Gill on Joshua 21:20.
Joshua 21:27 27 Also to the children of
Gershon, of the families of the Levites, from the other half-tribe of
Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its common-land (a city of
refuge for the slayer), and Be Eshterah with its common-land: two cities;
YLT
27And for the sons of
Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half of the tribe of
Manasseh, the city of refuge [for] the man-slayer, Golan in Bashan and its
suburbs, and Beeshterah and its suburbs -- two cities.
And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites,.... The
descendants of the second son of Levi:
out of the other half tribe of Manasseh; that which
was settled beyond Jordan:
they gave Golan in
Bashan, with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; see Joshua 20:8; this
is the third city of refuge mentioned:
and Beeshterah with her suburbs; called Ashtaroth, 1 Chronicles 6:71;
which had been the royal city of Og, king of Bashan, where he had his palace, Deuteronomy 1:4.
Here seems to have been formerly a temple dedicated to the goddess Astarte; for
Beeshterah is a compound of "Beth" and "Ashterah", or
Astarte; that is, the house or temple of Astarte, but now become a city of the
Levites:
two cities; two more having been before given out of the other half tribe.
Joshua 21:28 28 and from the tribe of
Issachar, Kishion with its common-land, Daberath with its common-land,
YLT
28And out of the tribe of
Issachar, Kishon and its suburbs, Dabarath and its suburbs,
And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs,.... From
whence the river Kishon probably had its name, or the city from that; it is the
same with Kishion, Joshua 19:20; and
called Kedesh, 1 Chronicles 6:72.
Dabareh with her suburbs; the same with Daberath
on the border of Zebulun; see Gill on Joshua 19:12.
Joshua 21:29 29 Jarmuth with its
common-land, and En Gannim with its common-land: four cities;
YLT
29Jarmuth and its suburbs,
En-Gannim and its suburbs -- four cities.
Jarmuth with her suburbs,.... Called Ramoth, 1 Chronicles 6:73;
very probably the same with Remeth, Joshua 19:21,
Engannim with her suburbs; called Anem, 1 Chronicles 6:73,
four cities; so many are mentioned by name.
Joshua 21:30 30 and from the tribe of
Asher, Mishal with its common-land, Abdon with its common-land,
YLT
30And out of the tribe of
Asher, Mishal and its suburbs, Abdon and its suburbs,
And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs,.... The same
with Misheal, Joshua 19:26;
called Mashal, 1 Chronicles 6:74,
Abdon with her suburbs; not mentioned among the
cities of Asher, unless the same with Hebron, Joshua 19:28.
Joshua 21:31 31 Helkath with its
common-land, and Rehob with its common-land: four cities;
YLT
31Helkath and its suburbs,
and Rehob and its suburbs -- four cities.
Helkath with her suburbs,.... See Gill on Joshua 19:25; the
same with Hukok in 1 Chronicles 6:75,
and Rehob with her suburbs, four cities; See Gill on Joshua 19:28.
Joshua 21:32 32 and from the tribe of
Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its common-land (a city of refuge for the
slayer), Hammoth Dor with its common-land, and Kartan with its common-land:
three cities.
YLT
32And out of the tribe of
Naphtali, the city of refuge [for] the man-slayer, Kedesh in Galilee and its
suburbs, and Hammoth-Dor and its suburbs, and Kartan and its suburbs -- three
cities;
And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her
suburbs,.... Of which see Joshua 20:7,
to be a city of
refuge for the slayer; this is the fourth city of refuge mentioned:
and Hammothdor with her suburbs; the same with Hammon, 1 Chronicles 6:76;
and with Hammath, Joshua 19:35; and
is thought by some to be Tiberias, so called from the hot baths in or near it:
and Kartan with her suburbs; called Kirjathaim, 1 Chronicles 6:76;
but cannot be the Kirjathaim in Numbers 32:37; for
that belonged to the tribe of Reuben, and was on the other side Jordan:
three cities; this being a lesser tribe than some others
gave fewer cities, according to the rule in Numbers 35:8.
Joshua 21:33 33 All the cities of the Gershonites
according to their families were thirteen cities with their
common-lands.
YLT
33all the cities of the
Gershonite, for their families, [are] thirteen cities and their suburbs.
All the cities of the Gershonites, according to their families,.... Which
were divided among them, according to the number of their families:
were thirteen
cities with their suburbs; two out of the half tribe of Manasseh
beyond Jordan, four out of Issachar, four out of Asher, and three out of
Naphtali.
Joshua 21:34 34 And to the families of the
children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam
with its common-land, Kartah with its common-land,
YLT
34And for the families of the
sons of Merari, the Levites, who are left, [are,] out of the tribe of Zebulun,
Jokneam and its suburbs, Kartah and its suburbs,
And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the
Levites,.... The descendants of the youngest son of Levi, who were all
that remained of the Levites unprovided of cities:
out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs; which lay
near Carmel, and was a royal city; See Gill on Joshua 12:22,
and Kartah with her suburbs; perhaps the same with
Kattath, Joshua 19:15.
Joshua 21:35 35 Dimnah with its
common-land, and Nahalal with its common-land: four cities;
YLT
35Dimnah and its suburbs,
Nahalal and its suburbs -- four cities.
Dimnah with her suburbs,.... Nowhere mentioned,
unless the same with Rimmon, 1 Chronicles 6:77,
Nahalal with her suburbs; see Joshua 19:15,
four cities; only two are mentioned, 1 Chronicles 6:77;
and they by different names; the one is Rimmon, before observed, and the other
Tabor; perhaps the same with Chislothtabor, Joshua 19:12.
Joshua 21:36 36 and from the tribe of
Reuben, Bezer with its common-land, Jahaz with its common-land,
YLT
36And out of the tribe of
Reuben, Bezer and its suburbs, and Jahazah and its suburbs,
And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs,.... Which was
a city of refuge, and the fifth of them in this account, though not observed as
such here, but is in the Greek version; see Joshua 20:8,
and Jahazah with her suburbs; called Jahaz; see Gill
on Numbers 21:23.
Joshua 21:37 37 Kedemoth with its
common-land, and Mephaath with its common-land: four cities;[a]
YLT
37Kedemoth and its suburbs,
and Mephaath and its suburbs -- four cities.
Kedemoth with her suburbs,.... Near to which was a
wilderness of that name; see Deuteronomy 2:26,
and Mephaath with her suburbs; of which See Gill on Joshua 13:18; where
the two preceding cities are mentioned along with it:
four cities, Joshua 21:35, are
not in some ancient copies of the Hebrew Bible, as is noted by the Masorites;
but are in some others, as Kimchi owns, and stand in the Targum, in the
Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and in a manuscript referred to by
HottingerF5Thesaur. Philolog. l. 1. c. 2. p. 181, &c. ; and the
same words are to be, found in 1 Chronicles 6:78,
and are absolutely necessary to be retained, since without them there would be
but eight cities for the Merarites, whereas they are expressly said to be
twelve, Joshua 21:40.
Joshua 21:38 38 and from the tribe of Gad,
Ramoth in Gilead with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer),
Mahanaim with its common-land,
YLT
38And out of the tribe of
Gad, the city of refuge [for] the man-slayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs,
and Mahanaim and its suburbs,
And out of the tribe of Gad,.... Which also, as that
of Reuben, lay on the other side Jordan:
Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs; of which see Joshua 20:8,
to be a city of
refuge for the slayer; and is the sixth and last city of refuge in this account:
and Mahanaim with her suburbs; here it was the angels
met Jacob, which gave rise to the name of the place, Genesis 32:1;
afterwards a city was built here, and was on the borders of the tribe of Gad,
and belonged to it, Joshua 13:26;
mention is made of it in other places, 2 Samuel 2:8 1 Kings 2:8.
Joshua 21:39 39 Heshbon with its
common-land, and Jazer with its common-land: four cities in all.
YLT
39Heshbon and its suburbs,
Jazer and its suburbs -- [in] all four cities.
Heshbon with her suburbs,.... Which was formerly
the royal city of Sihon king of the Amorites, and was first given to and
rebuilt by the Reubenites, but was upon the border of the tribe of Gad; and
appears from hence to have been one of their cities, Numbers 21:26,
Jazer with her suburbs; sometimes called Jaazer,
another city in the same country, and near Heshbon; see Numbers 21:32,
four cities in all: which were Ramothgilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon,
and Jazer.
Joshua 21:40 40 So all the cities for the
children of Merari according to their families, the rest of the families of the
Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
YLT
40All the cities for the sons
of Merari, for their families, who are left of the families of the Levites --
their lot is twelve cities.
So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families,.... Which
were distributed by lot to them, according to the number of their families, and
were sufficient for them:
which were remaining of the families of the Levites; the last
division of them, besides those of the Kohathites, Levites, and the
Gershonites:
were by their lot twelve cities; four out of
the tribe of Zebulun, four out of the tribe of Reuben, and four out of the
tribe of Gad, whose names are before given,
Joshua 21:41 41 All the cities of the
Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight
cities with their common-lands.
YLT
41All the cities of the Levites
in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel [are] forty and eight
cities, and their suburbs.
All the cities of the Levites, within the possession of the
children of Israel,.... As comprised in one sum total:
were forty and
eight cities with their suburbs; which is just the number that Moses from
the mouth of God ordered to be given unto them, before they entered into the
land, and before they were in possession of one city in it, Numbers 35:7;
which, as it is a proof of the omniscience, prescience, and predetermination of
God; so of the sure and true prediction of Moses, who could not be otherwise
certain than from the Lord of the Israelites being able to give so many cities
to them, out of each of their tribes: and it is to be observed, that this tribe
of Levi, though it had no share in the division of the land, yet had more
cities by lot given to it than any other, excepting the tribe of Judah; though
indeed, in the account of some of the tribes, all the cities in them are not
mentioned; and besides, they had only the cities they had with their suburbs
round about them, but not the lands belonging to them, nor the villages;
however this shows that a large and liberal maintenance of the ministers of the
Lord, that serve in his sanctuary should be allowed and made for them, as in
the legal, so under the Gospel dispensation.
Joshua 21:42 42 Every one of these cities
had its common-land surrounding it; thus were all these cities.
YLT
42These cities are each city
and its suburbs round about it; so to all these cities.
These cities were everyone with their suburbs round about them,.... Which
reached to the space of two thousand cubits on every side; and such a space was
assigned to everyone of the above cities for their cattle, to keep them in and
lay up provision for them:
thus were all their cities; six of them cities of
refuge, and forty two for the priests and Levites to dwell in, and for the
commodious use of their herds and flocks.
Joshua 21:43 43 So the Lord gave to Israel
all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took
possession of it and dwelt in it.
YLT
43And Jehovah giveth to
Israel the whole of the land which He hath sworn to give to their fathers, and
they possess it, and dwell in it;
And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give
unto their fathers,.... It was all given them by lot, whether subdued or not
subdued, and the far greater part was actually put into their hands, and they
had as much as they could for the present occupy and cultivate; and such as
were in the hands of the Canaanites, were subject to pay tribute to them; and
it was owing to their own slothfulness and sluggishness that they did not
possess more hereafter; though it was the will of God that their enemies should
be driven out by little and little, until the Israelites were so increased as
to occupy the whole, lest any part of the land should lie waste and become
barren, and lest the wild beasts of the field should multiply upon them:
and they possessed it, and dwelt therein; each
according to their lot in the several places assigned them, as many cities as
they could at present people, and as much land as they could now manage.
Joshua 21:44 44 The Lord gave them rest
all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man
of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all
their enemies into their hand.
YLT
44and Jehovah giveth rest to
them round about, according to all that which He hath sworn to their fathers,
and there hath not stood a man in their presence of all their enemies, the
whole of their enemies hath Jehovah given into their hand;
And the Lord gave them rest round about,.... Not only
from their travels, with which they had been fatigued forty years in the
wilderness, but from wars with the Canaanites they had been engaged in for some
years past:
according to all that he sware unto their fathers; not only to
give them the land, but peace, rest, and safety in it:
and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; for whenever
any rose up to oppose them, they were immediately cut off: this is to be
understood while Joshua was living; for afterwards, sinning against God, they
were again and again delivered up into the hands of their enemies:
the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands; that is, that
made war with them.
Joshua 21:45 45 Not a word failed of any
good thing which the Lord
had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
YLT
45there hath not fallen a
thing of all the good thing which Jehovah spake unto the house of Israel -- the
whole hath come.
There failed not ought of any good thing,.... Not only
every good thing in general, but every part and particular of that good thing;
that, with all that was included in it, or were appendages to it, or
circumstances of it:
which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel; as of their
deliverance out of Egypt, and passage through the Red sea and wilderness, with
all conveniences for them therein; so of their passage through Jordan, success
of their arms, the conquest of their enemies, possession of their land, a land
flowing with milk and honey:
all came to pass; exactly, precisely, and punctually, even
everything relative to their temporal and spiritual good: so all that God
promises to his spiritual Israel, with respect to their present comfort or
everlasting happiness, all is exactly fulfilled, all his promises in Christ are
yea and amen.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)