Joshua21chapter 21

Joshua 21:9

“The thirteen priestly cities (see the marginal references) were all in the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. Thus, as Calvin remarks, God so overruled it that the priestly families were placed upon the spot which He had determined before hand to choose as the site of His temple.”

Joshua 21:12

“The fields of the city - gave they to Caleb - This was an exclusive privilege to him and his family, with which the grant to the Levites did not interfere. See the notes on Jos 14:14.”

Joshua 21:16

“And Ain - Ain and Gibeon, and some others here named are not named, 1 Chron. vi, 59. Either they were destroyed in some of those invasions wherewith their land was grievously wasted before that time; or they appear there under other names.”

Joshua 21:18

“Anathoth with her suburbs,.... This is not mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, Jos 18:11; it was the native place of the Prophet Jeremiah; see Gill on Jer 1:1; it lay about two or three miles north of Jerusalem; three, says, Jerom (k).”

Joshua 21:19

“Thirteen cities with their suburbs - At the time mentioned here certainly thirteen cities were too large a proportion for the priests, as they and their families amounted to a very small number: but this ample provision was made in reference to their great increase in after times, when they formed twenty-four courses, as in the days of David.”

Joshua 21:19

“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. cxv.”

Joshua 21:20

“And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites,.... Who were not priests: which remained of the children of Kohath; these are the children of Moses, as Jarchi says, and those that descended from Kohath in the lines of Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel: even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim; and were as follow.”

Joshua 21:20

“Of the cities of the non-priestly Kohathites, for Kibzaim we find Jokmeam in 1Ch 6:68. This is perhaps another name for the same place, since both names may be derived from roots having a similar meaning; and for Gath-rimmon in 1Ch 6:70, Bileam is given, and probably correctly; Gath-rimmon having apparently been repeated inadvertently from the preceding verse. Bileam is but another form of Ibleam Jos 17:11.”

Joshua 21:21

“For they gave them Shechem, with her suburbs, in Mount Ephraim,.... Of which see Jos 20:7, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; which being on a mountain, was the more conspicuous, and the fitter for this purpose, as was Hebron in the hill country of Judea, Jos 21:11; this is the second; city of refuge mentioned: and Gezer with her suburbs: a place from whence the Canaanites were not expelled; See Gill on Jos 16:10.”

Joshua 21:22

“Beth-horon - There were two cities of this name, the upper and the nether; but which is intended here, cannot be ascertained.”

Joshua 21:25

“And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with her suburbs,.... Of which see Jos 17:10, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs, there was a city of this name in Dan, as in Jos 21:24; nor was it unusual for cities to be called by the same name in different tribes: two cities; these are called Aner and Bilean in 1Ch 6:70; in process of time cities changed their names; two cities were a proper proportion for this half tribe; two more were given out of the other half tribe on the other side Jordan, as appears by what follows.”

Joshua 21:27

“Compare Jos 19:18, etc. Of the cities of the Gershonites, for Beesh-terah read (Beeshterah.) The name is a contraction of Beth-Ashterah (“house of Ashterah”) and the city is undoubtedly the Ashtaroth or Astaroth of Og Jos 12:4; Deu 1:4; 1Ch 6:71.”

Joshua 21:28

“And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs,.... From whence the river Kishon probably had its name, or the city from that; it is the same with Kishion, Jos 19:20; and called Kedesh, 1Ch 6:72. Dabareh with her suburbs; the same with Daberath on the border of Zebulun; see Gill on Jos 19:12.”

Joshua 21:30

“And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs,.... The same with Misheal, Jos 19:26; called Mashal, 1Ch 6:74, Abdon with her suburbs; not mentioned among the cities of Asher, unless the same with Hebron, Jos 19:28.”

Joshua 21:34

“Merarite cities. Some of these places are not found in the list of Zebulonite cities in Jos 19:10-16. The text is considered corrupt.”

Joshua 21:35

“Dimnah with her suburbs,.... Nowhere mentioned, unless the same with Rimmon, 1Ch 6:77, Nahalal with her suburbs; see Jos 19:15, four cities; only two are mentioned, 1Ch 6:77; and they by different names; the one is Rimmon, before observed, and the other Tabor; perhaps the same with Chislothtabor, Jos 19:12.”

Joshua 21:35

“Dimnah with her suburbs, etc. - It is well known to every Hebrew scholar that the two following verses are wholly omitted by the Masora; and are left out in some of the most correct and authentic Hebrew Bibles. Between critics there is no small controversy relative to the authenticity of these verses; and those who wish to see the arguments at large on both sides, must consult the Variae Lectiones of De Rossi on this place.”

Joshua 21:36

“And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs,.... Which was a city of refuge, and the fifth of them in this account, though not observed as such here, but is in the Greek version; see Jos 20:8, and Jahazah with her suburbs; called Jahaz; see Gill on Num 21:23.”

Joshua 21:39

“Heshbon with her suburbs,.... Which was formerly the royal city of Sihon king of the Amorites, and was first given to and rebuilt by the Reubenites, but was upon the border of the tribe of Gad; and appears from hence to have been one of their cities, Num 21:26, Jazer with her suburbs; sometimes called Jaazer, another city in the same country, and near Heshbon; see Num 21:32, four cities in all: which were Ramothgilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer.”

Joshua 21:41

“Forty and eight cities - At the last census of the Hebrew people, related Numbers 26, we find from Num 26:62 that the tribe of Levi amounted only to 23,000; and it is supposed that forty-eight cities were too great a proportion for this tribe, the other tribes having so very few. But, 1. All the cities of the other tribes are not enumerated. 2. They had the circumjacent country as well as the cities. 3. The Levites had no other cities than those enumerated.”

Joshua 21:42

“These cities were everyone with their suburbs round about them,.... Which reached to the space of two thousand cubits on every side; and such a space was assigned to everyone of the above cities for their cattle, to keep them in and lay up provision for them: thus were all their cities; six of them cities of refuge, and forty two for the priests and Levites to dwell in, and for the commodious use of their herds and flocks.”

Joshua 21:42

“After this verse, the Septuagint introduces a passage (in part a repetition from Jos 19:49-50), recording the grant of a special inheritance to Joshua, and also that he buried at Timnath-serah the flint-knives with which he had circumcised (Jos 5:2 note) the people after the passage of Jordan. The latter statement, which has the authority of the Septuagint only, is a Jewish legend of early date.”

Joshua 21:43

“There is no real inconsistency between the declarations of these verses and the fact that the Israelites had not as yet possessed themselves of all the cities allotted to the various tribes Judg. 1:21-36 - nor did at any time, subdue the whole extent of country promised to them Num 34:1-12. God had fulfilled all His part of the covenant.”

Joshua 21:43

“All the land - He gave them the right to all, and the actual possession of the greatest part of it, and power to possess the rest, as soon as it was needful for them, which was when their numbers were increased, and the absolute dominion of all the people remaining in it.”

Joshua 21:44

“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. 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, Exod. xxiii.”

Joshua 21:45

“All came to pass - Such an acknowledgment as this, here subscribed by Joshua, in the name of all Israel, we afterward find made by Solomon; and all Israel did in effect say amen to it, 1 Kings viii, 56. The inviolable truth of God's promise, and the performance of it to the uttermost, is what all believers in Christ have been always ready to bear their testimony to.”

Joshua 21:45

“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.”