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Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ houses among the tribes of the children of Israel
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and spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The LORD commanded through Moses that cities be given to us to dwell in, together with pasturelands for our livestock.”
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So the children of Israel gave from their inheritance these cities and their pasturelands to the Levites, as the LORD had commanded.
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Then the lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites. And among the Levites, the sons of Aaron the priest received by lot thirteen cities from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.
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The rest of the clans of the sons of Kohath received by lot ten cities from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
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The sons of Gershon received by lot thirteen cities from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
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The sons of Merari received by lot twelve cities according to their clans, from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.
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So the children of Israel gave these cities with their pasturelands to the Levites by lot, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
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From the tribe of the children of Judah and from the tribe of the children of Simeon they gave these cities, which are named here:
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to the sons of Aaron, of the clans of the Kohathites, who were among the sons of Levi, because the first lot was for them,
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they gave Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron — Arba was the father of the Anakim — in the hill country of Judah, with the pasturelands around it;
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but the fields of the city and its villages they had given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession.
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To the sons of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, and Libnah with its pasturelands,
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Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,
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Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands,
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Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands: nine cities from these two tribes.
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And from the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,
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Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands: four cities.
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All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasturelands.
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The clans of the sons of Kohath, the Levites who remained of the sons of Kohath, received by lot cities from the tribe of Ephraim.
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They were given Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands,
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Kibzaim with its pasturelands, and Beth-Horon with its pasturelands: four cities.
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And from the tribe of Dan: Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands,
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Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath-Rimmon with its pasturelands: four cities.
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And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Taanach with its pasturelands, and Gath-Rimmon with its pasturelands: two cities.
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All the cities were ten, with their pasturelands, assigned to the clans of the remaining sons of Kohath.
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The sons of Gershon, of the clans of the Levites, received from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan, the city of refuge for the manslayer, in Bashan, with its pasturelands, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands: two cities.
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And from the tribe of Issachar: Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands,
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Jarmuth with its pasturelands, and En-gannim with its pasturelands: four cities.
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And from the tribe of Asher: Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands,
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Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands: four cities.
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And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh, the city of refuge for the manslayer, in Galilee, with its pasturelands, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands: three cities.
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All the cities of Gershon according to their clans were thirteen cities with their pasturelands.
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The clans of the sons of Merari, the remaining Levites, received from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands,
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Dimnah with its pasturelands, and Nahalal with its pasturelands: four cities.
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And from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahaz with its pasturelands,
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Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands: four cities.
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And from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth, a city of refuge for the manslayer, in Gilead, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,
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Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands: all the cities were four.
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All these cities were assigned to the descendants of Merari according to their clans, that is, the rest of the clans of the Levites. Their allotted portion was twelve cities.
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All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the Israelites were forty-eight cities with their pasturelands.
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Each of these cities had its pasturelands around it; thus were all these cities.
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So the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he had sworn to give to their fathers. They took possession of it and settled there.
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And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies could stand against them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand.
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Of all the good things that the LORD had promised to the house of Israel, not one failed; all came to pass.
🏙️🎙️🎁 Summary of Joshua 21 – Cities for the Levites and the Promise Fulfilled
Joshua 21 explains how the tribe of Levi — which did not receive a large share of land — was given cities to live in and to serve God among the people of Israel. In all there were 48 cities, spread throughout Israel. At the end of the chapter, the Bible declares that all of God’s promises were fulfilled, not one of them failing.
📌 1. Request for Cities for the Tribe of Levi (verses 1–3)
- The Levite leaders came to Joshua and the leaders of Israel, reminding them that the LORD had commanded through Moses that they be given cities to live in and pasturelands for their livestock.
- So the people of Israel gave these cities from their inheritance, according to the LORD’s command.
🎯 The LORD faithfully cares for His servants and ensures they are provided for.
📌 2. Distribution of Cities for the Three Levite Families (verses 4–42)
The tribe of Levi was divided into three major groups:
🟩 Kohath (Levite priests) – 13 cities:
- Received cities in Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
- Including Hebron, a city of refuge.
🟦 Gershon – 13 cities:
- Received cities in Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
🟨 Merari – 12 cities:
- Cities from Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
🔢 Total: 48 cities, including 6 cities of refuge.
🎯 These cities placed the Levites throughout Israel, so that spiritual ministry would reach all the people.
📌 3. Conclusion and Fulfillment of the Promise (verses 43–45)
“So the LORD gave to Israel all the land… and they took possession of it.” (verse 43)
“Not one of all His promises failed.” (verse 45)
🎯 God’s promise never fails — all was fulfilled exactly as He had spoken.
📖 Main Lessons
- God cares for His spiritual servants — those who labor for the Lord are not forgotten.
- Ministry should be spread evenly — not centered in one place, so all the people may be strengthened in faith.
- The whole people share responsibility for meeting the needs of God’s servants.
- God is faithful to fulfill every promise He makes — both for individuals and for the whole nation.
- The Levitical cities also stand as a sign that ministry and worship are at the center of the life of God’s people.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“The Lord has ordained that those who proclaim the Gospel should live from the Gospel.”
“And God is able to make all grace abound…”
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
🎯 If we put the Lord’s service first, the Lord will meet every need.
“The LORD gave Israel the whole land…” – Joshua 21:43
“Not one of his promises failed…” – Joshua 21:45
