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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Joshua 21

Joshua 21:1

Joshua 21:1-3. The Demand of the Levites 1. _Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites_ "The princes of the meynees of Leuy," Wyclif. All the descendants of Jacob had now been provided for save the sons of Levi. The dying patriarch had spoken solemnly and sadly of this tribe, as also o... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:2

_The Lord commanded_ They reminded them of the command of Jehovah respecting themselves, which is found in Numbers 35, and where directions had been given that 48 cities (Numbers 35:6-7), with outlying suburbs of meadow-land for the pasturage of their flocks and herds, should be assigned them.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:3

_And the children of Israel gave_ The successor of Moses did not fail to carry out faithfully the Divine Command, and preparations were made for assigning to them certain cities for their possession. _out of their inheritance_ "Distinctness and diffusion" were the great points to be attained in the... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:4-8

General Description of the Levitical Cities 4. _the lot came out_ As in the case of the inheritance of the other tribes, so in the apportioning of their cities to the Levites, recourse was had to the sacred lot. "It had probably been decided beforehand what cities each tribe was to give up, and the... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:5

_And the rest of the children of Kohath_ i.e. those who sprang from Moses, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, and formed the non-priestly portion, shared ten cities in the land of Ephraim, Dan, and half Manasseh west of the Jordan.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:6

_And the children of Gershon_ The eldest of the three sons of Levi during the march through the wilderness had been stationed behind the Tabernacle, on the west side (Numbers 3:23). It had been their duty to take charge of the tapestry of the Tabernacle, all its curtains, hangings, and coverings, th... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:7

_The children of Merari_ The descendants of the third son of Levi, had been stationed during the encampment to the north of the Tabernacle, being placed together with the Gershonites "under the hand" of Ithamar "the son of Aaron." They had been entrusted with the heavier portions of the Tabernacle f... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:9-19

The Cities of the Descendants of Aaron 9. _And they gave_ We have now first a list of the cities _of the priests_of the line of Aaron. _out of the tribe of the children of Judah_ The list now given divides itself into two parts: (_a_) The nine cities which the sons of Aaron received in the countr... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:12

_But the fields of the city_ of Hebron and its villages, i.e. the arable land had been already assigned to Caleb (see above ch. Joshua 14:13). Whence we may conclude "that the Levites only received as many houses in the cities assigned them, as their numerical strength required, and that it was thes... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:18

_Anathoth_ lay on or near the great road from the north to Jerusalem. Its modern name is _Anâta_, on a broad ridge 1¼ hours N.N.E. of the Holy City, (_a_) Hither Abiathar was banished by Solomon, after the failure of his attempt to raise Adonijah to the throne (1 Kings 2:26); (_b_) here Jeremiah the... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:20-26

Cities of the rest of the Kohathites 20. _And the families of the children of Kohath_ i. e. those who were not of the priestly order, received (_a_) Four cities in _Ephraim_, (_b_) Four in _Dan_, (_c_) Two in _Western Manasseh_.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:27-33

The Cities of the Gershonites 27. _And unto the children of Gershon_ were assigned thirteen cities, (_a_) Two in _Eastern Manasseh_, (_b_) Four in _Issachar_, (_c_) Four in _Asher_, (_d_) Three in _Naphtali_. _Golan in Bashan_ See ch. Joshua 20:8; _Beesh-terah_or _Beeshterah_, without any divi... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:32

_Kedesh in Galilee_ See ch. Joshua 19:37; _Hammoth-dor_, Joshua 19:35; _Kartan_= _Rakkath_, ch. Joshua 19:35, and written Kirjathaim, 1 Chronicles 6:76.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:34-42

The Cities of the Merarites 34. _And unto the families of the children of Merari_ were assigned twelve cities, viz., (_a_) Four in _Zebulun_, (_b_) Four in _Reuben_, (_c_) Four in _Gad_. _Jokneam_ See Joshua 19:11; _Kartah_and _Dimnah_unknown.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:41

_All the cities of the Levites … were forty and eight cities_ As will be clear from the following table: tribes. cities. i. KOHATHITES (a) _Priests_ Judah and Simeon = 9 Benjamin = 4 (b) _Not priests_ Ephraim = 4 Dan = 4 Half Manasseh (West) = 2 ii. GERSHONITES Half Manasseh (East)... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:43-45

Conclusion 43. _And_ These verses conclude the history of the division of the land, and connect the two halves of the Book (_a_) chapter 1 12; (_b_) chapter 13 21. _the Lord gave unto Israel_ By the distribution of the land amongst the tribes, the promise which Joshua had received after the death... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:44

_And the Lord gave them rest_ Moreover He gave them rest round about, in accordance with His promise to their forefathers. Comp. (_a_) Exodus 33:14, "And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and _I will give thee rest._" (_b_) Deuteronomy 3:20, "Until the Lord _have given rest_unto your brethren... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 21:45

_There failed not_ Comp. ch. Joshua 23:14-15. None of the gracious promises of God to Israel remained unfulfilled. _any good thing_ Or, AUGHT OF ALL THE GOOD WORD = the sum of the reiterated assurances which God had made to the nation. Of these the possession of the land of Canaan was regarded as t... [ Continue Reading ]

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