Keraia
Joshua 21

Joshua 21:7

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

Modern
And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
Traditional
The 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.
Literal
…for the sons of Merari by their clans, from the tribe of Reuben, and from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
Latin
Et filiis Merari per cognationes suas de tribubus Ruben et Gad et Zabulon urbes duodecim.

Original

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

Notes

Joshua 21:7

The clan of Merari did not stay together as other Levitical clans did.

Joshua 21:1–8

Israel's leaders assigned towns to the tribe of Levi by casting lots (see study note on 7:16–18).

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

Gad: Israelite tribe; descended from Gad, son of Jacob Merari: The third son of Levi and founder of the Merarites Reuben: Firstborn son of Jacob and Leah Zebulun: Israelite tribe, son of Jacob and Leah

Glossary

Asher (Tribe) Gershon, Gershonites Joshua (Person) Joshua, Book of Judges, Book of Kohath, Kohathites Levitical Cities Merari, Merarite Priests and Levites Shiloh Tribe of Dan Tribe of Levi

Topics

Levites: Assigned To, by Families