1
Then the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites came near to
Eleazar the priest, and to
Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.
+2
They spoke to them at
Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "The LORD commanded through
Moses to give us cities to
dwell in, with their
suburbs for our livestock."
3
The children of
Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of The LORD, these cities with their suburbs.
4
The lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. The children of
Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had thirteen cities by lot out of the
tribe of Judah, out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin.
+5
The rest of the children of
Kohath had ten cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6
The children of
Gershon had thirteen cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, out of the tribe of Asher, out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half-tribe of
Manasseh in Bashan.
7
The children of
Merari according to their families had twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun.
8
The children of Israel gave these cities with their suburbs by lot to the Levites, as the LORD commanded by Moses.
9
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 mentioned by name: +
10
and they were for the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for theirs was the first lot.
11
They gave them Kiriath Arba, named after the
father of Anak (also called Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, with its suburbs around it.
13
To the children of Aaron the
priest they gave
Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the man slayer,
Libnah with its suburbs,
15
Holon with its suburbs,
Debir with its suburbs,
16
Ain with its suburbs,
Juttah with its suburbs, and Beth Shemesh with its suburbs: nine cities out of those two tribes.
17
Out of the tribe of Benjamin,
Gibeon with its suburbs, Geba with its suburbs,
18
Anathoth with its suburbs, and
Almon with its suburbs: four cities.
19
All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
20
The families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, even the rest of the children of Kohath, had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21
They gave them
Shechem with its suburbs in the hill country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and
Gezer with its suburbs,
22
Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth Horon with its suburbs: four cities.
23
Out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its suburbs,
Gibbethon with its suburbs,
24
Aijalon with its suburbs, Gath
Rimmon with its suburbs: four cities.
25
Out of the half-tribe of Manasseh,
Taanach with its suburbs, and Gath Rimmon with its suburbs: two cities.
26
All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbs.
27
They gave to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh
Golan in
Bashan with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Be Eshterah with its suburbs: two cities.
28
Out of the tribe of Issachar,
Kishion with its suburbs,
Daberath with its suburbs,
29
Jarmuth with its suburbs, En Gannim with its suburbs: four cities.
30
Out of the tribe of Asher,
Mishal with its suburbs,
Abdon with its suburbs,
31
Helkath with its suburbs, and
Rehob with its suburbs: four cities.
32
Out of the tribe of Naphtali,
Kedesh in
Galilee with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the man slayer, Hammothdor with its suburbs, and
Kartan with its suburbs: three cities.
33
All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
34
To the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun,
Jokneam with its suburbs,
Kartah with its suburbs,
35
Dimnah with its suburbs, and Nahalal with its suburbs: four cities.
36
Out of the tribe of Reuben,
Bezer with its suburbs,
Jahaz with its suburbs,
38
Out of the tribe of Gad,
Ramoth in
Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and
Mahanaim with its suburbs,
39
Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs: four cities in all.
40
All these were the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites. Their lot was twelve cities.
41
All the cities of the Levites among the possessions of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs. +
42
Each of these cities included their suburbs around them. It was this way with all these cities.
43
So the LORD gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers. They possessed it, and lived in it. +
44
The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers. Not a man of all their enemies stood before them. the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45
Nothing failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the
house of Israel. All came to pass.
Jos 21:1-8. EIGHT AND FORTY CITIES GIVEN BY LOT OUT OF THE OTHER TRIBES UNTO THE LEVITES.
1-3. Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites--The most venerable and distinguished members of the three Levitical families, on behalf of their tribe, applied for the special provision that had been promised them to be now awarded (see on Nu 35:2). Their inheritance lay within the territory of every tribe. It was assigned in the same place and manner, and by the same commissioners as the other allotments. While the people, knowing the important duties they were to perform, are described (Jos 21:3) as readily conceding this "peculiar" to them, it had most probably been specified and reserved for their use while the distribution of the land was in progress.