Joshua 21

King James Version

Full text for Joshua Chapter 21

1¶ 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 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.

9¶ And 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] Bethshemesh 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.

20And 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 Bethhoron with her suburbs; four cities.

23And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs,

24Aijalon with her suburbs, Gathrimmon with her suburbs; four cities.

25And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two cities.

26All the cities [were] ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.

27And 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 Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities.

28And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs,

29Jarmuth with her suburbs, Engannim 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 Hammothdor 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.

41All 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.

43¶ And 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Joshua 21 details the fulfillment of God's command to provide cities for the Levites throughout the land of Israel. The Levites received a total of forty-eight cities with their suburbs, allocated by lot to the families of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, including six cities of refuge. The chapter concludes by affirming that the LORD had given Israel all the promised land, granting them rest and delivering their enemies, thus fulfilling every good word He had spoken.

Medium Summary

Chapter 21 of Joshua records the allocation of cities to the tribe of Levi, as commanded by the LORD through Moses. The heads of the Levite fathers approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua, requesting their designated dwelling places. By lot, the children of Aaron received thirteen cities, the remaining Kohathites ten, the Gershonites thirteen, and the Merarites twelve, totaling forty-eight cities with their suburbs. These cities were distributed among the inheritances of the other Israelite tribes. Notably, six of these cities were designated as cities of refuge for unintentional slayers, spread across the various Levitical portions. The chapter concludes with a powerful declaration of God's faithfulness, stating that the LORD had given Israel all the land He swore to their fathers, granted them rest from their enemies, and fulfilled every promise He had made to the house of Israel.

Long Summary

Joshua chapter 21 describes the fulfillment of the divine command regarding the provision of cities for the Levites within the inherited territories of the other Israelite tribes. The leaders of the Levitical families approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua, reminding them of the LORD's instruction through Moses to grant them cities and their surrounding suburbs for their cattle. In response, the children of Israel, acting according to divine commandment, allocated these cities by lot. The distribution began with the Kohathites; the children of Aaron, who were priests, received thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, with Hebron being a notable city of refuge among them. The rest of the Kohathites were allotted ten cities from Ephraim, Dan, and half of Manasseh, including Shechem as another city of refuge. The Gershonites received thirteen cities from Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the other half of Manasseh, with Golan and Kedesh designated as cities of refuge. Finally, the Merarites were given twelve cities from Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, including Bezer and Ramoth in Gilead as cities of refuge. In total, the Levites received forty-eight cities, each with its suburbs, dispersed throughout the land. These cities served not only as dwelling places for the Levites, who had no tribal land inheritance, but also as centers for their priestly and teaching duties. The chapter concludes with a profound affirmation of God's unwavering faithfulness to His covenant promises. It declares that the LORD had indeed given Israel all the land He swore to their fathers, and they possessed and dwelt therein. Furthermore, the LORD granted them rest from all their surrounding enemies, ensuring that no adversary could stand before them. This final passage emphasizes that not a single good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel failed, but all came to pass, demonstrating the complete fulfillment of His word.

Core Concepts

  • Levitical CitiesThe allocation of forty-eight cities with their suburbs to the tribe of Levi, as commanded by God through Moses, ensuring their dwelling places and support throughout Israel.
  • Cities of RefugeSix specific cities (Hebron, Shechem, Golan, Kedesh, Bezer, Ramoth in Gilead) designated within the Levitical cities, providing sanctuary for those who unintentionally killed another.
  • Divine CommandmentThe central theme of the chapter, highlighting Israel's obedience in fulfilling God's specific instructions regarding the Levites' inheritance, despite their lack of tribal land.
  • Distribution by LotThe method used to fairly allocate the cities to the various Levitical families (Kohathites, Gershonites, Merarites) from the territories of the other tribes, emphasizing divine guidance in the process.
  • God's FaithfulnessThe concluding declaration that the LORD fulfilled all His promises to Israel, giving them the land, rest from enemies, and ensuring that nothing He had spoken failed.
  • Inheritance of IsraelThe completion of the land distribution to the tribes, with the Levites receiving cities rather than a contiguous territory, signifying the full establishment of Israel in the promised land.