Commentary on Joshua

1And the princes of the fathers of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the princes of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

2And spoke to them in Silo, in the land of Canaan, saying, Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses, that you should give us cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for our cattle.

3Therefore the children of Israel gave to the Levites of their inheritance, according to the word of Jehovah, those cities and their suburbs.

4And the lot fell out by the families of the Ceathites, and there were to the children of Aaron the priest, of the Levites, of the tribe of Judah, and of the tribe of Simeon, and of the tribe of Benjamin, by lot, thirteen cities.

5And to the remaining sons of Ceath, of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and of the tribe of Dan, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities.

6But to the sons of Gerson, of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and of the tribe of Aser, and of the tribe of Naphtali, and of the half tribe of Manasseh in Basan, by lot, thirteen cities.

7To the children of Merari by their families, of the tribe of Reuben, and of the tribe of Gad, and of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve cities.

8The children of Israel, I say, gave to the Levites those cities and their suburbs, by lot, as Jehovah had commanded by the hand of Moses.

9They gave therefore of the tribe of the children of Judah, and of the tribe of the children of Simeon, those cities which he called by name.

10And they were to the sons of Aaron, of the families of Ceath, of the sons of Levi; for theirs was the first lot:

11And they gave to them Ciriath-arba of the father of Anac, (the same is Hebron,) in mount Judah, and its suburbs round about it.

12But the field of that city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh, for his possession.

13To the sons of Aaron the priest, I say, they gave the city of refuge, for the homicide, Hebron and its suburbs, and Libna and its suburbs.

14And Jathir and its suburbs, and Esthemoa and its suburbs,

15Holon and its suburbs, and Debir and its suburbs,

16And Ain and its suburbs, and Juttah and its suburbs, and Beth-semes and its suburbs: nine cities of those two tribes.

17And of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its suburbs, and Geba and its suburbs,

18Anathoth and its suburbs, Almon and its suburbs: four cities.

19All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities and their suburbs.

20But to the families of the sons of Cahath, Levites who remained of the sons of Cahath, (now the cities of their lot were of the tribe of Ephraim.)

21They gave to them, I say, as a city of refuge for the homicide, Sechem and its suburbs, in mount Ephraim, and Geser and its suburbs,

22And Cibsaim and its suburbs, and Beth-boron and its suburbs: four cities.

23And of the tribe of Dan, Elthece and its suburbs, and Gibbethon and its suburbs,

24And Ajalon and its suburbs, and Gath-rimmon and its suburbs: four cities.

25And of the half tribe of Manasseh, Thaanach and its suburbs, Gath-rimmon and its suburbs: two cities.

26All the ten cities and their suburbs, to the remaining families of the sons of Cahath.

27Moreover, to the sons of Gerson of the families of the Levites, from the half tribe of Manasseh, as a city of refuge for the homicide, Golan in Basan and its suburbs, Beesthera and its suburbs: two cities.

28Of the tribe of Issachar, Cision and its suburbs, Dabrath and its suburbs,

29Jarmuth and its suburbs, Engannim and its suburbs: four cities.

30And of the tribe of Aser, Misal and its suburbs, Abdon and its suburbs,

31Helcath and its suburbs, and Rehob and its suburbs: four cities.

32And of the tribe of Naphtali, as a city of refuge for the homicide, Cedes in Galilee and its suburbs, and Hamath-Dor and its suburbs, and Carthan and its suburbs: three cities.

33All the cities of the Gersonites, by their families, were thirteen cities and their suburbs.

34And to the families of the sons of Merari remaining of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zabulon, Jocnea and its suburbs, Cartha and its suburbs,

35Dimnah and its suburbs, Nahalal and its suburbs: four cities.

36And of the tribe of Reuben, Beser and its suburbs, and Jehasa and its suburbs,

37Cedemoth and its suburbs, Mephaath and its suburbs: four cities.

38And of the tribe of Gad, as a city of refuge from the homicide, Ramoth in Gileath and its suburbs,

39Hesbon and its suburbs, Jazer and its suburbs: four cities.

40All the cities of the sons of Merari by their families which remained of the families of the Levites, as was their lot, were twelve cities.

41All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel, were eighty-four cities and their suburbs.

42Those were single cities, and their suburbs were round about them; so was it with all those cities,

43Jehovah, therefore, gave to Israel the whole land, of which he had sworn that he would give it to their fathers; and they possessed it and dwelt in it.

44Jehovah also gave them rest round about, exactly as Jehovah had sworn to their fathers; nor was there any one of all their enemies who could resist them; Jehovah delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45Not a word failed of all the good word which Jehovah had spoken to the house of Israel; all things were fulfilled.