Joshua 21:10
in Joshua 21to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Joshua 21
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
they designated these cities by name
on Joshua 21:9-19
Hebron goes to the priests as a city of refuge, and verse 12 keeps Caleb's grant of 14:13 by leaving him the fields and villages. Anathoth at verse 18 is where Solomon banishes Abiathar at 1 Kings 2:26 and Jeremiah's home at Jeremiah 1:1. The parallel list at 1 Chronicles 6:54-81 differs in several names, which Barnes treats as variant forms and copyists' slips rather than a different grant.
This site's exposition
because the first lot fell
Aaron's line at this time ran through Eleazar and Ithamar and their sons, a small household for thirteen towns. The grant looked ahead. By David's day 1 Chronicles 24:4 counts twenty-four heads of priestly families, sixteen from Eleazar and eight from Ithamar.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Families - That is, of the family, the plural number for the singular, which is not unusual.
Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
they gave . . . these cities which are here mentioned by name--It was overruled by the unerring providence of the Divine Lawgiver that the cities of the priests lay within the territories of Judah and Benjamin. This was a provision, the admirable wisdom and propriety of which were fully manifested on the schism that took place in the reign of Rehoboam.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיְהִי֙ | vayhi | and it belonged | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לִבְנֵ֣י | livnei | to [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אַהֲרֹ֔ן | ʾaharon | Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| מִמִּשְׁפְּח֥וֹת | mimishpechot | one of [the] clans of | H4940 → | 303 times |
| הַקְּהָתִ֖י | hakehati | the Kohathite[s] | H6956 → | |
| מִבְּנֵ֣י | mibenei | from [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| לֵוִ֑י | levi | Levi | H3878 → | 59 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לָהֶ֛ם | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| הָיָ֥ה | hayah | it belonged | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| הַגּוֹרָ֖ל | hagoral | the lot | H1486 → | 78 times |
| רִיאשֹׁנָֽה׃ | rishonah | first | H7223 → | 182 times |
וַֽיְהִי֙and it belonged
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
לִבְנֵ֣יto [the] descendants of
livneiH1121 →4930 times
אַהֲרֹ֔ןAaron
ʾaharonH175 →347 times
מִמִּשְׁפְּח֥וֹתone of [the] clans of
mimishpechotH4940 →303 times
הַקְּהָתִ֖יthe Kohathite[s]
hakehatiH6956 →
מִבְּנֵ֣יfrom [the] descendants of
mibeneiH1121 →4930 times
לֵוִ֑יLevi
leviH3878 →59 times
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לָהֶ֛םto <the> them
lahem
הָיָ֥הit belonged
hayahH1961 →3559 times
הַגּוֹרָ֖לthe lot
hagoralH1486 →78 times
רִיאשֹׁנָֽה׃first
rishonahH7223 →182 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 6:18The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
it leads to
- Numbers 3:19
The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- 1 Chronicles 6:18
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
- 1 Chronicles 6:2
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
- Numbers 26:57
Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari.
- Numbers 3:19
Through
Numbers 3:27From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 26:23
From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:
- 1 Chronicles 23:12
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.
- 1 Chronicles 26:23
Through
Numbers 4:2“Take a census of the Kohathites among the Levites by their clans and families,
it leads to
- Numbers 3:27
From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.
- Numbers 3:27
Through
Joshua 21:4The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
it leads to
- Joshua 24:33
Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
- Joshua 24:33
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
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About Joshua
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth.