Joshua 21:1-8

Preparation for the Assignment of the Levitical Cities Joshua 21:1-8

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.

1.

Who were the heads of the fathers of the Levites? Joshua 21:1

Every tribe was led by the respected elders who had been appointed and recognized. The leaders of the twelve tribes were listed in the first chapter of Numbers. Since the high priests were from the tribe of Levi, Eleazar would be recognized as the primary leader of these Israelites. Under him were the heads of the fathers-' houses (Numbers 1:4). At the time of the first numbering, the names of the heads of the three families of Levites were listed (Numbers 1:18-20). Their successors must have approached Eleazar and Joshua when they asked for the cities to be assigned to them.

2.

When did God command Moses to give cities to the Levites? Joshua 21:2

God spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, and commanded him to give an inheritance to the Levites. He stipulated that this inheritance was to be cities in which they might dwell. They were also to receive suburbs for the cities (Numbers 35:1-2). Such provision made it possible for them to have some cattle and other beasts. They could also erect their houses in which to live and perhaps have some small vegetable crops.

3.

Where were the cities given to the children of Aaron? Joshua 21:4

A total of thirteen cities were given to the children of Aaron. These lay within the borders of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon. Thus, all the cities given to the children of Aaron were on the west side of the Jordan and in the south part of the territory.

4.

Where were the cities given to the family of Kohath? Joshua 21:5

Since all the children of Aaron were also descendants of Kohath, only ten additional cities were given to the remaining families of the Kohathites. These cities were located within the borders of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who lived west of the Jordan. All of these cities were also west of the Jordan, but they were in the central part of the western territory.

5.

Where were the cities given to the families of the Gershonites? Joshua 21:6

Thirteen cities were given to the families of the Gershonites. These were located within the borders of the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh which lived east of the Jordan. These cities were, thus, located on both sides of the Jordan River, but were all in the extreme northern part of the Promised Land.

6.

Where were the cities given to the families of Merari? Joshua 21:7

Twelve cities were given to the descendants of Merari. These were located within the borders of the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. The cities assigned to these Levites were more scattered than any of the others. Some of them were east of the Jordan and some were west of the Jordan. Some of them were in the northin the tribe of Zebulun, and some were in the far southin the tribe of Reuben. Others were in the central part of the eastern territorywithin the borders of the tribe of Gad.