Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Joshua » Chapter 21

Joshua 21:1-45 King James Version (KJV)

1 Then 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;

2 And 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.

3 And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.

4 And 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.

5 And 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.

6 And 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 And 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.

10 Which 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.

11 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.

12 But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

13 Thus 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,

14 And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs,

15 And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs,

16 And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, and Bethshemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.

17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs,

18 Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities.

19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

20 And 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.

21 For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs,

22 And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs; four cities.

23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs,

24 Aijalon with her suburbs, Gathrimmon with her suburbs; four cities.

25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two cities.

26 All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.

27 And 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 Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities.

28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs,

29 Jarmuth with her suburbs, Engannim with her suburbs; four cities.

30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs,

31 Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs; four cities.

32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.

33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

34 And 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,

35 Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four cities.

36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,

37 Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs; four cities.

38 And 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,

39 Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs; four cities in all.

40 So 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.

41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.

42 These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.

43 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

44 And 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.

45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.


Joshua 21:1-45 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 Then came near H5066 the heads H7218 of the fathers H1 of the Levites H3881 unto Eleazar H499 the priest, H3548 and unto Joshua H3091 the son H1121 of Nun, H5126 and unto the heads H7218 of the fathers H1 of the tribes H4294 of the children H1121 of Israel; H3478

2 And they spake H1696 unto them at Shiloh H7887 in the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 saying, H559 The LORD H3068 commanded H6680 by the hand H3027 of Moses H4872 to give H5414 us cities H5892 to dwell in, H3427 with the suburbs H4054 thereof for our cattle. H929

3 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 gave H5414 unto the Levites H3881 out of their inheritance, H5159 at the commandment H6310 of the LORD, H3068 these cities H5892 and their suburbs. H4054

4 And the lot H1486 came out H3318 for the families H4940 of the Kohathites: H6956 and the children H1121 of Aaron H175 the priest, H3548 which were of the Levites, H3881 had by lot H1486 out of the tribe H4294 of Judah, H3063 and out of the tribe H4294 of Simeon, H8099 and out of the tribe H4294 of Benjamin, H1144 thirteen H7969 H6240 cities. H5892

5 And the rest H3498 of the children H1121 of Kohath H6955 had by lot H1486 out of the families H4940 of the tribe H4294 of Ephraim, H669 and out of the tribe H4294 of Dan, H1835 and out of the half H2677 tribe H4294 of Manasseh, H4519 ten H6235 cities. H5892

6 And the children H1121 of Gershon H1648 had by lot H1486 out of the families H4940 of the tribe H4294 of Issachar, H3485 and out of the tribe H4294 of Asher, H836 and out of the tribe H4294 of Naphtali, H5321 and out of the half H2677 tribe H4294 of Manasseh H4519 in Bashan, H1316 thirteen H7969 H6240 cities. H5892

7 The children H1121 of Merari H4847 by their families H4940 had out of the tribe H4294 of Reuben, H7205 and out of the tribe H4294 of Gad, H1410 and out of the tribe H4294 of Zebulun, H2074 twelve H8147 H6240 cities. H5892

8 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 gave H5414 by lot H1486 unto the Levites H3881 these cities H5892 with their suburbs, H4054 as the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 by the hand H3027 of Moses. H4872

9 And they gave H5414 out of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Judah, H3063 and out of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Simeon, H8095 these cities H5892 which are here mentioned H7121 by name, H8034

10 Which the children H1121 of Aaron, H175 being of the families H4940 of the Kohathites, H6956 who were of the children H1121 of Levi, H3878 had: for theirs was the first H7223 H7223 lot. H1486

11 And they gave H5414 them the city H7151 of Arba H704 H7153 the father H1 of Anak, H6061 which city is Hebron, H2275 in the hill H2022 country of Judah, H3063 with the suburbs H4054 thereof round about H5439 it.

12 But the fields H7704 of the city, H5892 and the villages H2691 thereof, gave H5414 they to Caleb H3612 the son H1121 of Jephunneh H3312 for his possession. H272

13 Thus they gave H5414 to the children H1121 of Aaron H175 the priest H3548 Hebron H2275 with her suburbs, H4054 to be a city H5892 of refuge H4733 for the slayer; H7523 and Libnah H3841 with her suburbs, H4054

14 And Jattir H3492 with her suburbs, H4054 and Eshtemoa H851 with her suburbs, H4054

15 And Holon H2473 with her suburbs, H4054 and Debir H1688 with her suburbs, H4054

16 And Ain H5871 with her suburbs, H4054 and Juttah H3194 with her suburbs, H4054 and Bethshemesh H1053 with her suburbs; H4054 nine H8672 cities H5892 out of those two H8147 tribes. H7626

17 And out of the tribe H4294 of Benjamin, H1144 Gibeon H1391 with her suburbs, H4054 Geba H1387 with her suburbs, H4054

18 Anathoth H6068 with her suburbs, H4054 and Almon H5960 with her suburbs; H4054 four H702 cities. H5892

19 All the cities H5892 of the children H1121 of Aaron, H175 the priests, H3548 were thirteen H7969 H6240 cities H5892 with their suburbs. H4054

20 And the families H4940 of the children H1121 of Kohath, H6955 the Levites H3881 which remained H3498 of the children H1121 of Kohath, H6955 even they had the cities H5892 of their lot H1486 out of the tribe H4294 of Ephraim. H669

21 For they gave H5414 them Shechem H7927 with her suburbs H4054 in mount H2022 Ephraim, H669 to be a city H5892 of refuge H4733 for the slayer; H7523 and Gezer H1507 with her suburbs, H4054

22 And Kibzaim H6911 with her suburbs, H4054 and Bethhoron H1032 with her suburbs; H4054 four H702 cities. H5892

23 And out of the tribe H4294 of Dan, H1835 Eltekeh H514 with her suburbs, H4054 Gibbethon H1405 with her suburbs, H4054

24 Aijalon H357 with her suburbs, H4054 Gathrimmon H1667 with her suburbs; H4054 four H702 cities. H5892

25 And out of the half H4276 tribe H4294 of Manasseh, H4519 Tanach H8590 with her suburbs, H4054 and Gathrimmon H1667 with her suburbs; H4054 two H8147 cities. H5892

26 All the cities H5892 were ten H6235 with their suburbs H4054 for the families H4940 of the children H1121 of Kohath H6955 that remained. H3498

27 And unto the children H1121 of Gershon, H1648 of the families H4940 of the Levites, H3881 out of the other half H2677 tribe H4294 of Manasseh H4519 they gave Golan H1474 in Bashan H1316 with her suburbs, H4054 to be a city H5892 of refuge H4733 for the slayer; H7523 and Beeshterah H1203 with her suburbs; H4054 two H8147 cities. H5892

28 And out of the tribe H4294 of Issachar, H3485 Kishon H7191 with her suburbs, H4054 Dabareh H1705 with her suburbs, H4054

29 Jarmuth H3412 with her suburbs, H4054 Engannim H5873 with her suburbs; H4054 four H702 cities. H5892

30 And out of the tribe H4294 of Asher, H836 Mishal H4861 with her suburbs, H4054 Abdon H5658 with her suburbs, H4054

31 Helkath H2520 with her suburbs, H4054 and Rehob H7340 with her suburbs; H4054 four H702 cities. H5892

32 And out of the tribe H4294 of Naphtali, H5321 Kedesh H6943 in Galilee H1551 with her suburbs, H4054 to be a city H5892 of refuge H4733 for the slayer; H7523 and Hammothdor H2576 with her suburbs, H4054 and Kartan H7178 with her suburbs; H4054 three H7969 cities. H5892

33 All the cities H5892 of the Gershonites H1649 according to their families H4940 were thirteen H7969 H6240 cities H5892 with their suburbs. H4054

34 And unto the families H4940 of the children H1121 of Merari, H4847 the rest H3498 of the Levites, H3881 out of the tribe H4294 of Zebulun, H2074 Jokneam H3362 with her suburbs, H4054 and Kartah H7177 with her suburbs, H4054

35 Dimnah H1829 with her suburbs, H4054 Nahalal H5096 with her suburbs; H4054 four H702 cities. H5892

36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, H7205 Bezer H1221 with her suburbs, and Jahazah H3096 with her suburbs,

37 Kedemoth H6932 with her suburbs, and Mephaath H4158 with her suburbs; four H702 cities. H5892

38 And out of the tribe H4294 of Gad, H1410 Ramoth H7433 in Gilead H1568 with her suburbs, H4054 to be a city H5892 of refuge H4733 for the slayer; H7523 and Mahanaim H4266 with her suburbs, H4054

39 Heshbon H2809 with her suburbs, H4054 Jazer H3270 with her suburbs; H4054 four H702 cities H5892 in all.

40 So all the cities H5892 for the children H1121 of Merari H4847 by their families, H4940 which were remaining H3498 of the families H4940 of the Levites, H3881 were by their lot H1486 twelve H8147 H6240 cities. H5892

41 All the cities H5892 of the Levites H3881 within H8432 the possession H272 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 were forty H705 and eight H8083 cities H5892 with their suburbs. H4054

42 These cities H5892 were every one H5892 H5892 with their suburbs H4054 round about H5439 them: thus were all these cities. H5892

43 And the LORD H3068 gave H5414 unto Israel H3478 all the land H776 which he sware H7650 to give H5414 unto their fathers; H1 and they possessed H3423 it, and dwelt H3427 therein.

44 And the LORD H3068 gave them rest H5117 round about, H5439 according to all that he sware H7650 unto their fathers: H1 and there stood H5975 not a man H376 of all their enemies H341 before H6440 them; the LORD H3068 delivered H5414 all their enemies H341 into their hand. H3027

45 There failed H5307 not ought H1697 of any good H2896 thing H1697 which the LORD H3068 had spoken H1696 unto the house H1004 of Israel; H3478 all came to pass. H935


Joshua 21:1-45 American Standard (ASV)

1 Then 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;

2 and 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.

3 And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Jehovah, these cities with their suburbs.

4 And 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.

5 And 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.

6 And 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.

7 The 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.

8 And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as Jehovah commanded by Moses.

9 And 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:

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 And 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.

12 But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

13 And 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,

14 and Jattir with its suburbs, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs,

15 and Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs,

16 and Ain with its suburbs, and Juttah with its suburbs, `and' Beth-shemesh with its suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.

17 And 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 And 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.

21 And 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,

22 and Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth-horon with its suburbs; four cities.

23 And 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 And 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 And 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.

28 And 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 And 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 And 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.

33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

34 And 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,

35 Dimnah with its suburbs, Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities.

36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, and Jahaz with its suburbs,

37 Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities.

38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, 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; and their lot was twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.

42 These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus it was with all these cities.

43 So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

44 And 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.

45 There failed not aught of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.


Joshua 21:1-45 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 And the heads of the fathers of the Levites draw nigh unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

2 and they speak unto them in Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, saying, `Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses to give to us cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for our cattle.'

3 And the sons of Israel give to the Levites, out of their inheritance, at the command of Jehovah, these cities and their suburbs:

4 And the lot goeth out for the families of the Kohathite, and there are for the sons of Aaron the priest (of the Levites), out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, by lot thirteen cities,

5 and for the sons of Kohath who are left, out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, by lot ten cities:

6 And for the sons of Gershon `are', 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, by lot, thirteen cities.

7 For the sons of Merari, for their families, `are', out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

8 And the sons of Israel give to the Levites these cities and their suburbs, as Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses, by lot.

9 And they give out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, these cities which are called by name;

10 and they are for the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathite, of the sons of Levi, for theirs hath been the first lot;

11 and they give to them the city of Arba father of Anak (it `is' Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah, and its suburbs round about it;

12 and the field of the city and its villages they have given to Caleb son of Jephunneh for his possession.

13 And to the sons of Aaron the priest they have given the city of refuge `for' the man-slayer, Hebron and its suburbs, and Libnah and its suburbs,

14 and Jattir and its suburbs, and Eshtemoa and its suburbs,

15 and Holon and its suburbs, and Debir and its suburbs,

16 and Ain and its suburbs, and Juttah and its suburbs, Beth-Shemesh and its suburbs; nine cities out of these two tribes.

17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its suburbs, Geba and its suburbs,

18 Anathoth and its suburbs, and Almon and its suburbs -- four cities;

19 all the cities of the sons of Aaron the priests, `are' thirteen cities and their suburbs.

20 And for the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites, who are left of the sons of Kohath, even the cities of their lot are of the tribe of Ephraim;

21 and they give to them the city of refuge `for' the man-slayer, Shechem and its suburbs, in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Gezer and its suburbs,

22 and Kibzaim and its suburbs, and Beth-Horon and its suburbs -- four cities.

23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its suburbs, Gibbethon and its suburbs,

24 Aijalon and its suburbs, Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs -- four cities.

25 And out of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its suburbs, and Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs -- two cities;

26 all the cities `are' ten and their suburbs, for the families of the sons of Kohath who are left.

27 And for the sons of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, the city of refuge `for' the man-slayer, Golan in Bashan and its suburbs, and Beeshterah and its suburbs -- two cities.

28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon and its suburbs, Dabarath and its suburbs,

29 Jarmuth and its suburbs, En-Gannim and its suburbs -- four cities.

30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its suburbs, Abdon and its suburbs,

31 Helkath and its suburbs, and Rehob and its suburbs -- four cities.

32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, the city of refuge `for' the man-slayer, Kedesh in Galilee and its suburbs, and Hammoth-Dor and its suburbs, and Kartan and its suburbs -- three cities;

33 all the cities of the Gershonite, for their families, `are' thirteen cities and their suburbs.

34 And for the families of the sons of Merari, the Levites, who are left, `are,' out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its suburbs, Kartah and its suburbs,

35 Dimnah and its suburbs, Nahalal and its suburbs -- four cities.

36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its suburbs, and Jahazah and its suburbs,

37 Kedemoth and its suburbs, and Mephaath and its suburbs -- four cities.

38 And out of the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge `for' the man-slayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs, and Mahanaim and its suburbs,

39 Heshbon and its suburbs, Jazer and its suburbs -- `in' all four cities.

40 All the cities for the sons of Merari, for their families, who are left of the families of the Levites -- their lot is twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel `are' forty and eight cities, and their suburbs.

42 These cities are each city and its suburbs round about it; so to all these cities.

43 And Jehovah giveth to Israel the whole of the land which He hath sworn to give to their fathers, and they possess it, and dwell in it;

44 and Jehovah giveth rest to them round about, according to all that which He hath sworn to their fathers, and there hath not stood a man in their presence of all their enemies, the whole of their enemies hath Jehovah given into their hand;

45 there hath not fallen a thing of all the good thing which Jehovah spake unto the house of Israel -- the whole hath come.


Joshua 21:1-45 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 Then the chief fathers of the Levites drew near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;

2 and they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, Jehovah commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for our cattle.

3 And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the word of Jehovah, these cities and their suburbs.

4 And the lot came forth for the families of the Kohathites. And the children of Aaron the priest, 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.

5 And the children of Kohath that remained 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.

6 And 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.

7 The children of Merari according to their families had by lot out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

8 And the children of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities and their suburbs, as Jehovah commanded through Moses.

9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which were mentioned by name,

10 and which the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, of the children of Levi had (for theirs was the first lot);

11 and they gave them Kirjath-Arba, [which Arba was] the father of Anak, that is, Hebron, in the mountain of Judah, with its suburbs round about it.

12 But the fields of the city and the hamlets thereof gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

13 And they gave to the children of Aaron the priest the city of refuge for the slayer, Hebron and its suburbs; and Libnah and its suburbs,

14 and Jattir and its suburbs, and Eshtemoa and its suburbs,

15 and Holon and its suburbs, and Debir and its suburbs,

16 and Ain and its suburbs, and Juttah and its suburbs, [and] Beth-shemesh and its suburbs: nine cities out of those two tribes;

17 and out of the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon and its suburbs, Geba and its suburbs,

18 Anathoth and its suburbs, and Almon and its suburbs; four cities.

19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities and their suburbs.

20 And to the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites that remained of the children of Kohath, [they gave cities]. And the cities of their lot were out of the tribe of Ephraim,

21 and they gave them the city of refuge for the slayer, Shechem and its suburbs in mount Ephraim; and Gezer and its suburbs,

22 and Kibzaim and its suburbs, and Beth-horon and its suburbs: four cities;

23 and out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its suburbs, Gibbethon and its suburbs,

24 Ajalon and its suburbs, Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs: four cities;

25 and out of half the tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its suburbs and Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs: two cities.

26 All the cities were ten and their suburbs, for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.

27 And to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of half the tribe of Manasseh, [they gave] the city of refuge for the slayer, Golan in Bashan and its suburbs; and Beeshterah and its suburbs: two cities;

28 and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion and its suburbs, Dabrath and its suburbs,

29 Jarmuth and its suburbs, En-gannim and its suburbs: four cities;

30 and out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its suburbs, Abdon and its suburbs,

31 Helkath and its suburbs, and Rehob and its suburbs: four cities;

32 and out of the tribe of Naphtali, the city of refuge for the slayer, Kedesh in Galilee, and its suburbs; and Hammoth-Dor and its suburbs, and Kartan and its suburbs: three cities.

33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities and their suburbs.

34 And to the families of the children of Merari, that remained of the Levites, [they gave] out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its suburbs, Kartah and its suburbs,

35 Dimnah and its suburbs, Nahalal and its suburbs: four cities;

36 and out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its suburbs, and Jahzah and its suburbs,

37 Kedemoth and its suburbs, and Mephaath and its suburbs: four cities;

38 and out of the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge for the slayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs; and Mahanaim and its suburbs,

39 Heshbon and its suburbs, Jaazer and its suburbs: four cities in all.

40 [These were] all the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, which remained of the families of the Levites, and their lot was twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities and their suburbs.

42 Each one of these cities had its suburbs round about it: thus were all these cities.

43 And Jehovah gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers; and they took possession of it, and dwelt in it.

44 And Jehovah gave them rest round about, according to all that he had sworn unto their fathers; and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them: Jehovah gave all their enemies into their hand.

45 There failed nothing of all the good things that Jehovah had spoken to the house of Israel: all came to pass.


Joshua 21:1-45 World English Bible (WEB)

1 Then came near the heads of fathers' [houses] of the Levites 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 and they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, Yahweh commanded Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs of it for our cattle.

3 The children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Yahweh, these cities with their suburbs.

4 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.

5 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.

6 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.

7 The 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.

8 The children of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as Yahweh 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 [here] 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, [which Arba was] the father of Anak (the same is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah, with the suburbs of it round about it.

12 But the fields of the city, and the villages of it, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

13 To the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Libnah with its suburbs,

14 and Jattir with its suburbs, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs,

15 and Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs,

16 and Ain with its suburbs, and 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, they 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 manslayer, and Gezer with its suburbs,

22 and 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 To 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.

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 manslayer, and 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, and Kartah with its suburbs,

35 Dimnah with its suburbs, Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities.

36 Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, and Jahaz with its suburbs,

37 Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities.

38 Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, 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; and their lot was twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs.

42 These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus it was with all these cities.

43 So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers; and they possessed it, and lived therein.

44 Yahweh gave them rest round about, according to all that he swore to their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; Yahweh delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45 There failed not anything of any good thing which Yahweh had spoken to the house of Israel; all came to pass.


Joshua 21:1-45 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 Then the heads of the families of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun, and to the heads of families of the tribes of the children of Israel;

2 And said to them in Shiloh in the land of Canaan, The Lord gave orders by Moses that we were to have towns for living in, with their grass-lands for our cattle.

3 And the children of Israel out of their heritage gave to the Levites these towns with their grass-lands, by the order of the Lord.

4 And the heritage came out for the families of the Kohathites: the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, were given thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

5 The rest of the children of Kohath by their families were given ten towns from the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

6 The children of Gershon by their families were given thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar and Asher and Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh which was in Bashan.

7 The children of Merari by their families were given twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Zebulun.

8 All these towns with their grass-lands the children of Israel gave by the decision of the Lord to the Levites, as the Lord had given orders by Moses.

9 From the tribes of the children of Judah and the children of Simeon they gave these towns, listed here by name:

10 These were for the children of Aaron among the families of the Kohathites, of the children of Levi: for they came first in the distribution.

11 They gave them Kiriath-arba, the town of Arba, the father of Anak, (which is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah, with its grass-lands.

12 But the open country round the town, and its unwalled places, they gave to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as his property.

13 And to the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its grass-lands, the town where the taker of life might be safe, and Libnah with its grass-lands;

14 And Jattir with its grass-lands, and Eshtemoa with its grass-lands;

15 And Holon with its grass-lands, and Debir with its grass-lands;

16 And Ain, and Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, with their grass-lands; nine towns from those two tribes.

17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave Gibeon and Geba with their grass-lands;

18 Anathoth and Almon with their grass-lands, four towns.

19 Thirteen towns with their grass-lands were given to the children of Aaron, the priests.

20 The rest of the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, were given towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

21 And they gave them Shechem with its grass-lands in the hill-country of Ephraim, the town where the taker of life might be safe, and Gezer with its grass-lands;

22 And Kibzaim and Beth-horon with their grass-lands, four towns.

23 And from the tribe of Dan, Elteke and Gibbethon with their grass-lands;

24 Aijalon and Gath-rimmon with their grass-lands, four towns.

25 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and Gath-rimmon with their grass-lands, two towns.

26 All the towns of the rest of the families of the children of Kohath were ten with their grass-lands.

27 And to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, they gave from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its grass-lands, the town where the taker of life might be safe, and Ashtaroth with its grass-lands, two towns.

28 And from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion and Daberath with their grass-lands;

29 Jarmuth and En-gannim with their grass-lands, four towns.

30 And from the tribe of Asher, Mishal and Abdon, with their grass-lands:

31 Helkath and Rehob with their grass-lands, four towns.

32 And from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its grass-lands, the town where the taker of life might be safe, and Hammoth-dor and Kartan with their grass-lands, three towns.

33 All the towns of the Gershonites with their families were thirteen with their grass-lands.

34 And to the rest of the Levites, that is, the families of the children of Merari, they gave from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and Kartah with their grass-lands;

35 Dimnah and Nahalal with their grass-lands, four towns.

36 And from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and Jahaz with their grass-lands;

37 Kedemoth and Mephaath with their grass-lands, four towns.

38 And from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead, the town where the taker of life might be safe, and Mahanaim with their grass-lands;

39 Heshbon and Jazer with their grass-lands, four towns.

40 All these towns were given to the children of Merari by their families, that is, the rest of the families of the Levites; and their heritage was twelve towns.

41 All the towns of the Levites, among the heritage of the children of Israel, were forty-eight towns with their grass-lands.

42 Every one of these towns had grass-lands round it.

43 So the Lord gave to Israel all the land which he gave by oath to their fathers; so it became their heritage and their living-place.

44 And the Lord gave them peace on every side, as he had said to their fathers: all those who were against them gave way before them, for the Lord gave them all up into their hands.

45 The Lord kept faith with the house of Israel about all the good which he said he would do for them, and all his words came true.

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 21

Commentary on Joshua 21 Matthew Henry Commentary


Chapter 21

It had been often said that the tribe of Levi should have "no inheritance with their brethren,' no particular part of the country assigned them, as the other tribes had, no, not the country about Shiloh, which one might have expected to be appropriated to them as the lands of the church; but, though they were not thus cast into a country by themselves, it appears, by the provision made for them in this chapter, that they were no losers, but the rest of the tribes were very much gainers, by their being dispersed. We have here,

  • I. The motion they made to have their cities assigned them, according to God's appointment (v. 1, 2).
  • II. The nomination of the cities accordingly out of the several tribes, and the distribution of them to the respective families of this tribe (v. 3-8).
  • III. A catalogue of the cities, forty-eight in all (v. 9-42).
  • IV. A receipt entered in full of all that God had promised to his people Israel (v. 43-45).

Jos 21:1-8

Here is,

  • I. The Levites' petition presented to this general convention of the states, now sitting at Shiloh, v. 1, 2. Observe,
    • 1. They had not their lot assigned them till they made their claim. There is an inheritance provided for all the saints, that royal priesthood, but then they must petition for it. Ask, and it shall be given you. Joshua had quickened the rest of the tribes who were slack to put in their claims, but the Levites, it may be supposed, knew their duty and interest better than the rest, and were therefore forward in this matter, when it came to their turn, without being called upon. They build their claim upon a very good foundation, not their own merits nor services, but the divine precept: "The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities, commanded you to grant them, which implied a command to us to ask them.' Note, The maintenance of ministers is not an arbitrary thing, left purely to the good-will of the people, who may let them starve if they please; no, as the God of Israel commanded that the Levites should be well provided for, so has the Lord Jesus, the King of the Christian church, ordained, and a perpetual ordinance it is that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel (1 Co. 9:14), and should live comfortably.
    • 2. They did not make their claim till all the rest of the tribes were provided for, and then they did it immediately. There was some reason for it; every tribe must first know their own, else they would not know what they gave the Levites, and so it could not be such a reasonable service as it ought to be. But it is also an instance of their humility, modesty, and patience (and Levites should be examples of these and other virtues), that they were willing to be served last, and they fared never the worse for it. Let not God's ministers complain if at any time they find themselves postponed in men's thoughts and cares, but let them make sure of the favour of God and the honour that comes from him, and then they may well enough afford to bear the slights and neglects of men.
  • II. The Levites' petition granted immediately, without any dispute, the princes of Israel being perhaps ashamed that they needed to be called upon in this matter, and that the motion had not been made among themselves for the settling of the Levites.
    • 1. The children of Israel are said to give the cities for the Levites. God had appointed how many they should be in all, forty-eight. It is probable that Joshua and the princes, upon consideration of the extent and value of the lot of each tribe as it was laid before them, had appointed how many cities should be taken out of each; and then the fathers of the several tribes themselves agreed which they should be, and therefore are said to give them, as an offering, to the Lord; so God had appointed. Num. 35:8, Every one shall give of his cities to the Levites. Here God tried their generosity, and it was found to praise and honour, for it appears by the following catalogue that the cities they gave to the Levites were generally some of the best and most considerable in each tribe. And it is probable that they had an eye to the situation of them, taking care they should be so dispersed as that no part of the country should be too far distant from a Levites' city.
    • 2. They gave them at the commandment of the Lord, that is, with an eye to the command and in obedience to it, which was it that sanctified the grant. They gave the number that God commanded, and it was well this matter was settled that the Levites might not ask more nor the Israelites offer less. They gave them also with their suburbs, or glebe-lands, belonging to them, so many cubits by measure from the walls of the city, as God had commanded (Num. 35:4, 5), and did not go about to cut them short.
    • 3. When the forty-eight cities were pitched upon, they were divided into four lots, as they lay next together, and then by lot were determined to the four several families of the tribe of Levi. When the Israelites had surrendered the cities into the hand of God, he would himself have the distributing of them among his servants.
      • (1.) The family of Aaron, who were the only priests, had for their share the thirteen cities that were given by the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, v. 4. God in wisdom ordered it thus, that though Jerusalem itself was not one of their cities, it being as yet in the possession of the Jebusites (and those generous tribes would not mock the Levites, who had another warfare to mind, with a city that must be recovered by the sword before it could be enjoyed), yet the cities that fell to their lot were those which lay next to Jerusalem, because that was to be, in process of time, the holy city, where their business would chiefly lie.
      • (2.) The Kohathite-Levites (among whom were the posterity of Moses, though never distinguished from them) had the cities that lay in the lot of Dan, which lay next to Judah, and in that of Ephraim, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, which lay next to Benjamin. So those who descended from Aaron's father joined nearest to Aaron's sons.
      • (3.) Gershon was the eldest son of Levi, and therefore, though the younger house of the Kohathites was preferred before his, yet his children had the precedency of the other family of Merari, v. 6.
      • (4.) The Merarites, the youngest house, had their lot last, and it lay furthest off, v. 7. The rest of the sons of Jacob had a lot for every tribe only, but Levi, God's tribe, had a lot for each of its families; for there is a particular providence directing and attending the removals and settlements of ministers, and appointing where those shall fix who are to be the lights of the world.

Jos 21:9-42

We have here a particular account of the cities which were given to the children of Levi out of the several tribes, not only to be occupied and inhabited by them, as tenants to the several tribes in which they lay-no, their interest in them was not dependent and precarious, but to be owned and possessed by them as lords and proprietors, and as having the same title to them that the rest of the tribes had to their cities or lands, as appears by the law which preserved the house in the Levites' cities from being alienated any longer than till the year of jubilee, Lev. 25:32, 33. Yet it is probable that the Levites having only the cities and suburbs, while the land about pertained to the tribes in which they lay, those of that tribe, for the convenience of occupying that land, might commonly rent houses of the Levites, as they could spare them in their cities, and so live among them as their tenants. Several things may be observed in this account, besides what was observed in the law concerning it, Num. 35.

  • I. That the Levites were dispersed into all the tribes, and not suffered to live all together in any one part of the country. This would find them all with work, and employ them all for the good of others; for ministers, of all people, must neither be idle nor live to themselves or to one another only. Christ left his twelve disciples together in a body, but left orders that they should in due time disperse themselves, that they might preach the gospel to every creature. The mixing of the Levites thus with the other tribes would be an obligation upon them to walk circumspectly, and as became their sacred function, and to avoid every thing that might disgrace it. Had they lived all together, they would have been tempted to wink at one another's faults, and to excuse one another when they did amiss; but by this means they were made to see the eyes of all Israel upon them, and therefore saw it their concern to walk so as that their ministry might in nothing be blamed nor their high character suffer by their ill carriage.
  • II. That every tribe of Israel was adorned and enriched with its share of Levites' cities in proportion to its compass, even those that lay most remote. They were all God's people, and therefore they all had Levites among them.
    • 1. To show kindness to, as God appointed them, Deu. 12:19; 14:29. They were God's receivers, to whom the people might give their grateful acknowledgments of God's goodness, as the occasion and disposition were.
    • 2. To receive advice and instruction from; when they could not go up to the tabernacle, to consult those who attended there, they might go to a Levites' city, and be taught the good knowledge of the Lord. Thus God set up a candle in every room of his house, to give light to all his family; as those that attended the altar kept the charge of the Lord, to see that no divine appointment was neglected there, so those that were scattered in the country had their charge too, which was to see that no idolatrous superstitious usages were introduced at a distance and to watch for the souls of God's Israel. Thus did God graciously provide for the keeping up of religion among them, and that they might have the word nigh them; yet, blessed be God, we, under the gospel, have it yet nigher, not only Levites in every county, but Levites in every parish, whose office it is still to teach the people knowledge, and to go before them in the things of God.
  • III. That there were thirteen cities, and those some of the best, appointed for the priests, the sons of Aaron, v. 19. Aaron left but two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, yet his family was now so much increased, and it was foreseen that it would in process of time grow so numerous, as to replenish all these cities, though a considerable number must of necessity be resident wherever the ark and the altar were. We read in both Testaments of such numbers of priests that we may suppose none of all the families of Israel that came out of Egypt increased afterwards so much as that of Aaron did; and the promise afterwards to the house of Aaron is, God shall increase you more and more, you and your children, Ps. 115:12, 14. He will raise up a seed to serve him.
  • IV. That some of the Levites' cities were afterwards famous upon other accounts. Hebron was the city in which David began his reign, and in Manhanaim, another Levites' city (v. 38), he lay, and had his headquarters when he fled from Absalom. The first Israelite that ever wore the title of king (namely, Abimelech, the son of Gideon) reigned in Shechem, another Levites' city, v. 21.
  • V. That the number of them in all was more than of most of the tribes, except Judah, though the tribe of Levi was one of the least of the tribes, to show how liberal God is, and his people should be, to his ministers; yet the disproportion will not appear so great as at first it seems, if we consider that the Levites had cities only with their suburbs to dwell in, but the rest of the tribes, besides their cities (and those perhaps were many more than are named in the account of their lot), had many unwalled towns and villages which they inhabited, besides country houses.

Upon the whole, it appears that effectual care was taken that the Levites should live both comfortably and usefully: and those, whether ministers or others, for whom Providence has done well, must look upon themselves as obliged thereby to do good, and, according as their capacity and opportunity are, to serve their generation.

Jos 21:43-45

We have here the conclusion of this whole matter, the foregoing history summed up, and, to make it appear the more bright, compared with the promise of which it was the full accomplishment. God's word and his works mutually illustrate each other. The performance makes the promise appear very true and the promise makes the performance appear very kind.

  • I. God had promised to give the seed of Abraham the land of Canaan for a possession, and now at last he performed this promise (v. 43): They possessed it, and dwelt therein. Though they had often forfeited the benefit of that promise, and God had long delayed the performance of it, yet at last all difficulties were conquered, and Canaan was their own. And the promise of the heavenly Canaan is as sure to all God's spiritual Israel, for it is the promise of him that cannot lie.
  • II. God had promised to give them rest in that land, and now they had rest round about, rest from the fatigues of their travel through the wilderness (which tedious march, perhaps, was long in their bones), rest from their wars in Canaan, and the insults which their enemies there had at first offered them. They now dwelt, not only in habitations of their own, but those quiet and peaceable ones; though there were Canaanites that remained, yet none that had either strength or spirit to attack them, nor so much as give them an alarm. This rest continued till they by their own sin and folly put thorns into their own beds and their own eyes.
  • III. God had promised to give them victory and success in their wars, and this promise likewise was fulfilled: There stood not a man before them, v. 44. They had the better in every battle, and which way soever they turned their forces they prospered. It is true there were Canaanites now remaining in many parts of the land, and such as afterwards made head against them, and became very formidable. But,
    • 1. As to the present remains of the Canaanites, they were no contradiction to the promise, for God had said he would not drive them out all at once, but by little and little, Ex. 23:30. They had now as much in their full possession as they had occasion for and as they had hands to manage, so that the Canaanites only kept possession of some of the less cultivated parts of the country against the beasts of the field, till Israel, in process of time, should become numerous enough to replenish them.
    • 2. As to the after prevalency of the Canaanites, that was purely the effect of Israel's cowardice and slothfulness, and the punishment of their sinful inclination to the idolatries and other abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord would have cast out before them but that they harboured and indulged them. So that the foundation of God stands sure. Israel's experience of God's fidelity is here upon record, and is an acquittance under their hands to the honour of God, the vindication of his promise which had been so often distrusted, and the encouragement of all believers to the end of the world: There failed not any good thing, no, nor aught of any good thing (so full is it expressed), which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel, but in due time all came to pass, v. 45. Such an acknowledgment as this, here subscribed by Joshua in the name of all Israel, we afterwards find made by Solomon, and all Israel did in effect say Amen to it, 1 Ki. 8:56. The inviolable truth of God's promise, and the performance of it to the utmost, are what all the saints have been ready to bear their testimony to; and, if in any thing the performance has seemed to come short, they have been as ready to own that they themselves must bear all the blame.