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Joshua 21:4

in Joshua 21

The 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.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

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.

KJV

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.

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This verse in Joshua 21

Commentary

10 notes on this verse

A commentator

Origen of Alexandria

HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 25.2 · Written before 253.

"First," it says, "the lot fell out for Kohath, and it came to pass for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were among the Levites." Whose lot was it suitable to be the first to fall out? To whom was it fitting to be given first place, if not to Aaron, the first high priest, first in life, in merits, first in honors and power? Is it resolved among you now at least that this casting of lots is not accidental but that a heavenly power is present, governing it according to the judgment of divine providence?

This site's exposition

The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans

on Joshua 21:4-8

Four lots fall and the counts run thirteen, ten, thirteen and twelve, filling the forty-eight cities of Numbers 35:7 exactly. Aaron's sons draw first, into Judah, Simeon and Benjamin, the tribes holding the ground where the temple would stand, so the priesthood is settled around Jerusalem generations before David takes the city. Numbers 35:8 had ruled that large tribes give many cities and small tribes few.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Origen of Alexandria

HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 25.1 · Written before 253.

proposed

It was fitting that there be a drawing of lots even regarding the suburbs and cities so that perhaps the renowned division among the Levites might not seem perhaps indiscriminate and accidental. Therefore, the distribution by lot that took place among the sons of Israel was characterized by reason, by which someone was considered worthy of the first lot, and someone else the second, as we have already previously examined to the extent we were able.

A commentator

Origen of Alexandria

HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 25.4 · Written before 253.

proposed

Who will explain the diverse sites of the encampments, how this distribution must be retained in the resurrection for each priestly or levitical order of the saints, so that, just as the apostle says, nothing is done haphazardly in the resurrection, but everyone comes "in his own order, Christ first, then those who belong to Christ who have believed in his coming, when he will hand the kingdom over to our God and Father, when he will subject to him every principality and power"?On that occasion, without doubt, there will be some such observances of encampments and priestly distributions and ranks and signals of trumpets.

The Reformation1 voice

A commentator

John Calvin

1509–1564

Commentaries (1554)

Moreover, Jerusalem was not then subjugated, as it continued under the power of the Jebusites. In short, it would have been absurd to assign a royal seat to priests. And their religion and faith was the better proved by this, that they migrated of their own accord from their native soil to devote their attention to sacred things.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And the lot came out for the family of the Kohathites,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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,
3 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Out of the tribe of Judah - Simeon, and - Benjamin, thirteen cities - These tribes furnished more habitations to the Levites in proportion than any of the other tribes, because they possessed a more extensive inheritance; and Moses had commanded, Num 35:8, From them that have many, ye shall give many; and from them that have few, ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites, according to his inheritance.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

The first lot was drawn by the Kohathites; and the first of theirs again by the priests, to whom thirteen cities were granted, and ten to the rest of the Kohathites (Jos 21:5); thirteen to the Gershonites (Jos 21:6), and twelve to the Merarites (Jos 21:7).
Thirteen cities - This number is said to be too great for the single family of Aaron. But it appears 1 Chr. 24 that the two surviving sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, had together 24 sons, the heads of the priestly families. Since Aaron was 123 years old when he died Num 33:39, his sons’ grandchildren and great grandchildren were no doubt living in the elapsing years of Joshua’s course, and had to he provided with dwellings. They might altogether number several thousands. The “cities” of Canaan were for the most part small; as is manifest from the astonishing number of them in proportion to the area of the land, more particularly in the south, where the portion of the priests was situated. The priests or Levites would not occupy the whole of the dwellings in any city, nor all its “fields,” nor necessarily and always all its “villages” (compare Jos 21:12). Non-Levites, to whom the cultivation of their land, and other secular concerns, were entrusted, no doubt resided in the Levitical cities or their precincts. It appears, further, that several of the cities here enumerated were only wrested from the Canaanites at a later date.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

And the remaining descendants of Kehos. They were the descendants of Moshe, the descendants of Yitzhar, Chevron and Uzziel. 1 Shemos:18.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Joshua 21:5:1, via Sefaria, The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 7 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

20 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיֵּצֵ֥אand it came out

    vaiyetze'H3318 →1067 times

  • הַגּוֹרָ֖לthe lot

    hagoralH1486 →78 times

  • לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣תof [the] clans of

    lemishpechotH4940 →303 times

  • הַקְּהָתִ֑יthe Kohathite[s]

    hakehatiH6956 →

  • וַיְהִ֡יand it belonged

    vayhiH1961 →3559 times

  • לִבְנֵי֩to [the] descendants of

    livneiH1121 →4930 times

  • אַהֲרֹ֨ןAaron

    ʾaharonH175 →347 times

  • הַכֹּהֵ֜ןthe priest

    hakohenH3548 →750 times

  • מִן־of

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • הַלְוִיִּ֗םthe Levites

    halviyimH3881 →291 times

  • מִמַּטֵּ֣הfrom [the] tribe of

    mimatehH4294 →252 times

  • יְ֠הוּדָהJudah

    yehudahH3063 →819 times

  • וּמִמַּטֵּ֨הand from [the] tribe of

    umimatehH4294 →252 times

  • הַשִּׁמְעֹנִ֜יthe Simeonite[s]

    hashimoniH8099 →

  • וּמִמַּטֵּ֤הand from [the] tribe of

    umimatehH4294 →252 times

  • בִנְיָמִן֙Benjamin

    vinyaminH1144 →166 times

  • בַּגּוֹרָ֔לby the lot

    bagoralH1486 →78 times

  • עָרִ֖יםcities

    ʾarimH5892 →1090 times

  • שְׁלֹ֥שׁthir-

    sheloshH7969 →432 times

  • עֶשְׂרֵֽה׃ סteen

    ʾesrehH6240 →338 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

4 in all, six open

The walk

5 stops

Each 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

    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.

    it leads to

    • Joshua 22:13

      The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

    • Exodus 6:25

      Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families by their clans.

    • Job 30:23

      Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.

    • Acts 13:36

      For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.

    • Hebrews 7:24

      But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies3

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About Joshua

Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon, John Martin, 1816, National Gallery of Art. Public domain.
Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon, John Martin, 1816, National Gallery of Art. Public domain.
Joshua: the study guide →Read Joshua 21 →
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 25.2; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 25.1 and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 25.4.

Read on in Joshua 21 →