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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Joshua 21:20 - 21:45
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The Cities of the Kohathites, the Gershonites, and the Merabites
v. 20. And the families of the children of Kohath, the descendants of Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, and of Moses, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, namely, after the priests, the children of Aaron, had received their allotment, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
v. 21. For they gave them, the Levites,Shechem with her suburbs in Mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer, Jos_20:7; and Gezer with her suburbs,
v. 22. and Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her suburbs: four cities.
v. 23. And out of the tribe of Dan, El-tekeh with her suburbs, Gibbe-thon with her suburbs,
v. 24. Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs, four cities.
v. 25. And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, west of Jordan, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gath-rimmon, or, Bileam (Ibleam), with her suburbs, Jos_17:11 : two cities.
v. 26. All the cities were ten with their suburbs, their meadow-lands, for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.
v. 27. and unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh, east of Jordan, they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer, Jos_20:8; and Beesh-terah with her suburbs: two cities.
v. 28. And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs,
v. 29. Jarmuth with her suburbs, En-gan-nim with her suburbs, Jos_19:12-21 : four cities.
v. 30. And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs,
v. 31. Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs, Jos_19:25-28 : four cities.
v. 32. And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer, Jos_20:7; and Hammoth-dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs, Jos_19:35-37 : three cities.
v. 33. All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
v. 34. And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, the last family to be supplied, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs and Kartah with her suburbs,
v. 35. Dimnah, or Rimmono, with her suburbs, Nahalal, or Tabor, with her suburbs, Jos_19:11-15 : four cities.
v. 36. And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,
v. 37. Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs, Jos_20:8; Jos_13:18; Deu_4:43 : four cities.
v. 38. And out of the tribe of Gad, in Southern Gilead, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
v. 39. Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs, Jos_20:8; Jos_13:17-26 : four cities in all.
v. 40. So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
v. 41. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs, including the six cities set apart as cities of refuge.
v. 42. These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them, the meadow-land was distinctly included for the perpetual use of the Levites; thus were all these cities.
v. 43. And the Lord, by this distribution of the country, gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers, Gen_12:7; Gen_15:18; Num_11:12; Deu_21:12; and they possessed it and dwelt therein.
v. 44. And the Lord gave them rest round about, all the heathen nations being subdued for the time being, according to all that He sware unto their fathers; and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them, not one was able to offer a successful resistance; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Although not entirely subjugated, the enemies were in a condition where they dared no enterprise against the Israelites while Joshua lived.
v. 45. There failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. God is always faithful in His promises, but we, through unbelief and indifference, stand in His way. Perfection, true happiness, lasting joy, will be ours in the rest of yonder life, Hebrews 4.