Joshua — Chapter 21
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1Then 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.
9And 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 Beth-shemesh 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 Beth-horon with her suburbs; four cities.
23And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs,
24Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; four cities.
25And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gath-rimmon 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 Beesh-terah with her suburbs; two cities.
28And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs,
29Jarmuth with her suburbs, En-gannim 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 Hammoth-dor 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.
43And 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.
1Then came near the heads of fathers` [houses] of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of fathers` [houses] of the tribes of the children of Israel;
2and they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, Jehovah commanded 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, according to the commandment of Jehovah, these cities with their suburbs.
4And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, 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 according to 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 Jehovah commanded by Moses.
9And 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:
10and 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.
11And they gave them Kiriath-arba, [which Arba was] the father of Anak (the same 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.
13And unto the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Libnah with its suburbs,
14and Jattir with its suburbs, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs,
15and Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs,
16and Ain with its suburbs, and Juttah with its suburbs, [and] Beth-shemesh with its suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.
17And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its suburbs, Geba with its suburbs,
18Anathoth with its suburbs, and Almon with its 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, even the rest of the children of Kohath, they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21And they gave them Shechem with its suburbs in the hill-country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Gezer with its suburbs,
22and Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth-horon with its suburbs; four cities.
23And out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs,
24Aijalon with its suburbs, Gath-rimmon with its suburbs; four cities.
25And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with its suburbs; two cities.
26All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbs.
27And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh [they gave] Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Be-eshterah with its suburbs; two cities.
28And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs,
29Jarmuth with its suburbs, En-gannim with its suburbs; four cities.
30And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs,
31Helkath with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs; four cities.
32And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Hammoth-dor with its suburbs, and Kartan with its 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 its suburbs, and Kartah with its suburbs,
35Dimnah with its suburbs, Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities.
36And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, and Jahaz with its suburbs,
37Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities.
38And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,
39Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs; four cities in all.
40All [these were] the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites; and their lot was twelve cities.
41All the cities of the Levites in the midst of 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 it was with all these cities.
43So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
44And Jehovah 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; Jehovah delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45There failed not aught of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
1The tribal leaders of the Levites went before Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the Israelite tribal leaders
2in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The Lord told Moses to assign us cities in which to live along with the grazing areas for our cattle.”
3So the Israelites assigned these cities and their grazing areas to the Levites from their own holdings, as the Lord had instructed.
4The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted 13 cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted 10 cities from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, and from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6Gershon’s descendants were allotted 13 cities from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, and from the tribes of Asher and Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7Merari’s descendants by their clans were allotted 12 cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8So the Israelites assigned to the Levites by lot these cities and their grazing areas, as the Lord had instructed Moses.
9They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below.
10(They were assigned to the Kohathite clans of the Levites who were descendants of Aaron, for the first lot fell to them.)
11They assigned them Kiriath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak), that is, Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding grazing areas.
12(Now the city’s fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.)
13So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they assigned Hebron (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Libnah,
14Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15Holon, Debir,
16Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of nine cities taken from these two tribes.
17From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned Gibeon, Geba,
18Anathoth, and Almon, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities.
19The priests descended from Aaron received 13 cities and their grazing areas.
20The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted cities from the tribe of Ephraim.
21They assigned them Shechem (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter) in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer,
22Kibzaim, and Beth Horon, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities.
23From the tribe of Dan they assigned Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
24Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities.
25From the half-tribe of Manasseh they assigned Taanach and Gath Rimmon, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of two cities.
26The rest of the Kohathite clans received 10 cities and their grazing areas.
27They assigned to the Gershonite clans of the Levites the following cities: from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter) and Beeshtarah, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of two cities;
28from the tribe of Issachar: Kishon, Daberath,
29Jarmuth, and En Gannim, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities;
30from the tribe of Asher: Mishal, Abdon,
31Helkath, and Rehob, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities;
32from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of three cities.
33The Gershonite clans received 13 cities and their grazing areas.
34They assigned to the Merarite clans (the remaining Levites) the following cities: from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah,
35Dimnah, and Nahalal, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities;
36from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer, Jahaz,
37Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities;
38from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Mahanaim,
39Heshbon, and Jazer, along with the grazing areas of each—a total of four cities.
40The Merarite clans (the remaining Levites) were allotted 12 cities.
41The Levites received within the land owned by the Israelites 48 cities in all and their grazing areas.
42Each of these cities had grazing areas around it; they were alike in this regard.
43So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had solemnly promised to their ancestors, and they conquered it and lived in it.
44The Lord made them secure, in fulfillment of all he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could resist them. The Lord handed all their enemies over to them.
45Not one of the Lord’s faithful promises to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; every one was realized.
1Then 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.
2They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “Yahweh commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for our livestock.”
3The children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Yahweh, these cities with their suburbs.
4The 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.
5The 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.
6The 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.
7The 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.
8The children of Israel gave these cities with their suburbs by lot to the Levites, as Yahweh commanded by Moses.
9They 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:
10and 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.
11They gave them Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (also called Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, with its suburbs around it.
12But they gave the fields of the city and its villages to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
13To the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the man slayer, Libnah with its suburbs,
14Jattir with its suburbs, Eshtemoa with its suburbs,
15Holon with its suburbs, Debir with its suburbs,
16Ain with its suburbs, Juttah with its suburbs, and Beth Shemesh with its suburbs: nine cities out of those two tribes.
17Out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its suburbs, Geba with its suburbs,
18Anathoth with its suburbs, and Almon with its suburbs: four cities.
19All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
20The 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.
21They 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,
22Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth Horon with its suburbs: four cities.
23Out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs,
24Aijalon with its suburbs, Gath Rimmon with its suburbs: four cities.
25Out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its suburbs, and Gath Rimmon with its suburbs: two cities.
26All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbs.
27They 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.
28Out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs,
29Jarmuth with its suburbs, En Gannim with its suburbs: four cities.
30Out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs,
31Helkath with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs: four cities.
32Out 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.
33All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
34To 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,
35Dimnah with its suburbs, and Nahalal with its suburbs: four cities.
36Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, Jahaz with its suburbs,
37Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs: four cities.
38Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,
39Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs: four cities in all.
40All 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.
41All the cities of the Levites among the possessions of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs.
42Each of these cities included their suburbs around them. It was this way with all these cities.
43So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers. They possessed it, and lived in it.
44Yahweh gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers. Not a man of all their enemies stood before them. Yahweh delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45Nothing failed of any good thing which Yahweh had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
Summary
The Levites receive forty-eight cities scattered throughout all the tribes, since the LORD Himself is their inheritance. The chapter concludes: not one word of God's promises has failed—all came to pass.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- 48 Levitical cities distributed throughout all tribal territories — Levites had no single tribal allotment
- Kohathites received cities in Judah, Simeon, Benjamin, Ephraim, Dan, and west Manasseh
- Gershonites received cities in Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and east Manasseh; Merarites in Zebulun, Reuben, and Gad
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes vv.43-45 as the theological heart of the book of Joshua. God's faithfulness is absolute — not one promise failed. He notes that this does not mean every individual Canaanite was expelled (chapters 15-17 show otherwise), but that God fulfilled His covenant obligations. Israel's incomplete possession was their failure, not God's. The promise was kept; the appropriation was partial.
- Charles Spurgeon: "'There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken.' Not one thing! Can you find a single promise of God that has fallen to the ground? Search the Scriptures — has He ever failed you? Has He ever spoken and not done it? Let this verse be your anchor: ALL came to pass. What He has promised for your future, He will perform with the same perfection. Not one word shall fail."
Reflection
- 1. "There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken; all came to pass" (v.45). This is the Bible's own testimony about God's faithfulness. Not one promise failed. Not one word fell. What God says, He does. What He promises, He performs. This is the foundation of all faith: God keeps His word — perfectly, completely, without exception.
- 2. Levites scattered as teachers (v.41). What began as a curse (Genesis 49:7) became a blessing. The Levites' scattering meant every tribe had access to God's teachers. God transforms our curses into blessings. What seems like judgment may become our greatest ministry.
- 3. Shared responsibility (v.3). Every tribe gave cities to the Levites. Supporting those in full-time ministry is not optional — it is commanded. The body of Christ supports its teachers, pastors, and missionaries as Israel supported its Levites.
- 4. God gives rest (v.44). The conquest's goal was not merely territory but rest — peace on every side. God's ultimate gift to His people is rest (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:9). Have you entered His rest? Or are you still striving in your own strength?
- 5. Promise and possession (v.43). God gave the land AND they possessed it AND they dwelt in it. Three stages: God's gift, human appropriation, settled enjoyment. God gives — we must receive and inhabit. Salvation is a gift, but we must live in it daily.