Joshua 21:43
in Joshua 21Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
KJV
And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
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This verse in Joshua 21
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
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.
): They possessed it, and dwelt therein. Though they had often forfeited the benefit of that promise, and God had long delayed the performance of it, yet at last all difficulties were conquered, and Canaan was their own. And the promise of the heavenly Canaan is as sure to all God's spiritual Israel, for it is the promise of him that cannot lie.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
All the promises made, whether to the people or to Joshua (Jos 1:5), had been, or were in the course of being fulfilled; and the recorded experience of the Israelites (Jos 21:45), is a ground of hope and confidence to the people of God in every age, that all other promises made to the Church will, in due time, be accomplished.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
All the promises made, whether to the people or to Joshua (Jos 1:5), had been, or were in the course of being fulfilled; and the recorded experience of the Israelites (Jos 21:45), is a ground of hope and confidence to the people of God in every age, that all other promises made to the Church will, in due time, be accomplished.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And the Lord gave - all the land which he sware - All was now divided by lot unto them, and their enemies were so completely discomfited that there was not a single army of the Canaanites remaining to make head against them; and those which were left in the land served under tribute, and the tribute that they paid was the amplest proof of their complete subjugation. Add to this, they had as much of the land in actual possession as they could occupy; and, as they increased, God enabled them to drive out the rest of the ancient inhabitants; but in consequence of the infidelity of the Israelites, God permitted their enemies often to straiten them, and sometimes to prevail against them. It should also be remembered, that God never promised to give them the land, or to maintain them in it, but on condition of obedience; and so punctually did he fulfill this intention, that there is not a single instance on record in which they were either straitened or subjugated, while obedient and faithful to their God. The cavil is as foolish as it is unprincipled which states, “The Israelites never did possess the whole of the land which was promised to them, and therefore that promise could not come by Divine revelation.” With as much reason might it be urged that Great Britain has not subdued the French West India Islands and Batavia, (Feb. 1812), because the ancient inhabitants still remain in them; but is not their serving under tribute an absolute proof that they are conquered, and under the British dominion? So was the whole land of Canaan conquered, and its inhabitants subdued, though the whole of the ground was not occupied by the Israelites till the days of David and Solomon. In the most correct and literal sense it might be said, There failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel: all came to pass. […]
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתֵּ֤ן | vaiyiten | and he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | leyisrael | to Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נִשְׁבַּ֖ע | nishba' | he had sworn | H7650 → | 186 times |
| לָתֵ֣ת | latet | to give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לַאֲבוֹתָ֑ם | laavotam | to ancestors their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וַיִּרָשׁ֖וּהָ | vaiyirashuha | and they took possession of it | H3423 → | 231 times |
| וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ | vaiyeshevu | and they dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בָֽהּ׃ | vah | in <the> it |
וַיִּתֵּ֤ןand he gave
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔לto Israel
leyisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נִשְׁבַּ֖עhe had sworn
nishba'H7650 →186 times
לָתֵ֣תto give
latetH5414 →2011 times
לַאֲבוֹתָ֑םto ancestors their
laavotamH1 →1212 times
וַיִּרָשׁ֖וּהָand they took possession of it
vaiyirashuhaH3423 →231 times
וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּand they dwelt
vaiyeshevuH3427 →1079 times
בָֽהּ׃in <the> it
vah
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
Psalms 44:3For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 7:7–8
The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
- Deuteronomy 8:17–18
You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.”
- Joshua 24:12
I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow.
- Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
- Deuteronomy 7:7–8
Through
Genesis 13:15for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.
it leads to
- Genesis 12:7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 20:7
Our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?
- Genesis 15:18
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- Psalms 37:22
Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.
- Genesis 12:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
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About Joshua
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 Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.