Joshua 21

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 1397 BC – 1394 BC · Conquest & the judges · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

45 verses · 755 words · ~4 min read · ~5 min listen

Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites

Numbers 35:1–8; 1 Chronicles 6:54–81

¹Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel ²at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.”

³So by the command of the Lord, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

⁴The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

⁵The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁶The descendants of Gershon received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

⁸So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they designated these cities by name ¹⁰to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them:

¹¹They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) ¹²But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

¹³So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah, ¹⁴Jattir, Eshtemoa, ¹⁵Holon, Debir, ¹⁶Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine cities from these two tribes, together with their pasturelands.

¹⁷And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, ¹⁸Anathoth, and Almon—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

¹⁹In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

²⁰The remaining Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted these cities:

From the tribe of Ephraim

²¹they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer, ²²Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

²³From the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke, Gibbethon, ²⁴Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

²⁵And from the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two cities, together with their pasturelands.

²⁶In all, ten cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

²⁷This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.

²⁸From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion, Daberath, ²⁹Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³⁰From the tribe of Asher they were given Mishal, Abdon, ³¹Helkath, and Rehob—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³²And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands.

³³In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the Gershonite clans.

³⁴This is what the Merarite clan (the rest of the Levites) were given:

From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Jokneam, Kartah,

³⁵Dimnah, and Nahalal—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³⁶From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz, ³⁷Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³⁸And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim, ³⁹Heshbon, and Jazer—four cities in all, together with their pasturelands.

⁴⁰In all, twelve cities were allotted to the clans of Merari, the remaining Levite clans.

⁴¹For the Levites, then, there were forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasturelands, within the territory of the Israelites. ⁴²Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities.

⁴³Thus the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it.

⁴⁴And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

⁴⁵Not one of all the Lordʼs good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

The land promised and the land possessed

God promised Abraham's descendants the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. Joshua says that not one of all the good promises had failed, and Solomon's kingdom extended across that region. Christians disagree about whether the promise has been completely fulfilled, is still awaiting fulfillment, or has been transformed in Christ.

When: Abraham (traditionally c. 2000 BC); Joshua, c. 1400 BC; Solomon, c. 960 BC.

Original passageGenesis 15:18–21

Where the New Testament applies itJoshua 21:43–451 Kings 4:20–21

Echoed inRomans 4:13

Ways people read this (4)

The land promise was completely fulfilled under Joshua and Solomon (Joshua 21:43-45; 1 Kings 4:20-21).
Land promises remain to be fulfilled in a future for the Jewish people.
The promise expands in Christ to include the whole world (Romans 4:13) and the new creation.
Jewish tradition holds that the land promise is an enduring covenant.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

Simeon and Levi scattered in Israel

Jacob says that because of Simeon and Levi's violence at Shechem, he will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. Levi received no tribal territory but 48 towns across the tribes, and Simeon's inheritance lay within Judah's.

When: Genesis (traditionally c. 1800 BC); the land allotment, c. 1400 BC.

Original passageGenesis 49:5–7

Where the New Testament applies itJoshua 19:1–9Joshua 21:1–3