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Joshua 21

Joshua 21:8

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

Translations

Modern
So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
Traditional
And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.
Literal
And the sons of Israel gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands, as YHWH had commanded by the hand of Moses by lot.
Latin
Dederuntque filii Israël Levitis civitates et suburbana earum, sicut præcepit Dominus per manum Moysi, singulis sorte tribuentes.

Original

Hebrew
English
So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

Notes

Joshua 21:8

The pasturelands were areas for feeding flocks or cattle around the cities. The repeated use of this word in the list made the land allowance seem like a legal record (21:8–42). It guaranteed the Levites had access to lands right next to each city given to the Levites (Numbers 35:4–5).

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

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes Levi: Son of Jacob; progenitor of the Levites Moses: Prophet who led Israel out of Egypt

Glossary

Asher (Tribe) 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