Keraia
Joshua 21

Joshua 21:11

Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites · Joshua 21:1–45
Read Joshua 21

Translations

Modern
They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)
Traditional
And 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.
Literal
And they gave to them Kiriath-arba (the father of Anak) that is, Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, and with its pasturelands surrounding it.
Latin
Cariatharbe patris Enac, quæ vocatur Hebron, in monte Juda, et suburbana ejus per circuitum.

Original

Hebrew
English
They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)

Notes

Joshua 21:9–42

The descendants of Aaron received thirteen cities, the rest of the Kohathite clan received ten, the descendants of Gershon received thirteen, and the Merari clan received twelve. There were a total of forty-eight Levitical cities. Each tribe had four Levitical cities, except Judah had eight, Simeon had one, and Naphtali had three. Six of the Levitical cities were also cities of refuge (20:7–8).

Joshua 20:1–21:45

Before they fully divided the land, Joshua had to establish six cities of refuge and assign cities in which the Levites would live.

Joshua 13:1–21:45

  • As he had promised, God brought Israel into the land. Joshua then focused on dividing the land among Israel's tribes.

  • The tribal allowances made the covenant of the Israelites with God real. It showed the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since God owned the land, giving it to the tribes was a gift. God gave them the land to live in and guided its distribution.

  • In these lists of tribal allowances, the author describes some borders in great detail, allowing them to be mapped. With others, they are less plainly defined.

Theme notes and profiles

Joshua Inheriting the Land

Parallels

Numbers 35:1–8 1 Chronicles 6:54–81

People

Anak: Ancestor of giant people in Canaan Arba: Father of Anak, former name of Hebron Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province

Places

Hebron: An important city in Judah; burial place of patriarchs

Glossary

Anak, Anakim, Anakites Arba Asher (Tribe) Joshua (Person) Joshua, Book of Judges, Book of Kohath, Kohathites Levitical Cities Merari, Merarite Priests and Levites Shiloh Simeon, Tribe of Tribe of Dan Tribe of Levi

Topics

Anak: Father of Three Giants Anathoth: City of Refuge in Benjamin Hebron: A City of the Tribe of Judah, South of Jerusalem: A City of Refuge Levites: Assigned To, by Families The Anakim: Hebron, Chief City of