JOSHUA LESSON 21
We will begin this lesson in Joshua 21:1 "Then came near the
heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto
Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes
of the children of Israel;"
The Levites were to have cities to live in, but their real
inheritance was the LORD. They were to live of the offerings on the
altar. Their inheritance was not of things of the world, but of the
things of God. It was planned from the beginning that, the Levites
would have cities with suburbs to live in. The last lesson spoke of
some of them, because each city of refuge had to be a Levitical city.
Joshua 21:2 "And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of
Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us
cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle."
The cities have always belonged to them, they have just not been
designated yet. Shiloh was the place of the sanctuary at this time.
Numbers 35:2 "Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the
Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and
ye shall give [also] unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round
about them."
Joshua 21:3 "And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out
of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and
their suburbs."
The number of the cities is 48. The number 4 means universal, and
12 is a representative of the whole. We see from this that, this is
for all the people. 48 would mean that all of the twelve tribes are
represented in this gift of the cities to the Levites. Numbers 35:7
"[So] all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites [shall be]
forty and eight cities: them [shall ye give] with their suburbs."
Joshua 21:4 "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."
The Kohathites were out of the tribe of Levi. Gershon, Kohath,
and Merari, were the sons of Levi. The priests and high priest were
from the Kohathites. Moses and Joshua were not interested in earthly
wealth. They did not leave great fortunes to their children of things
on this earth. Their wealth was in heavenly things. Moses' family
would receive with the rest of the Kohathites, not of the priestly
family. The children of Aaron, which included the priesthood,
received 13 cities out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
It is interesting that the priests' and high priest's family would
live in the vicinity of Jerusalem. God knew, even at this early date,
that Jerusalem would be the place of the temple.
Joshua 21:5 "And the rest of the children of Kohath [had] by lot
out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of
Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities."
These were the Kohathites, who God had chosen for service to Him,
but not the priesthood. Their cities were received from the tribes of
Ephraim, Dan, and Manasseh, and they received 10 cities. Moses'
descendents inherited with this group.
Joshua 21:6 "And the children of Gershon [had] by lot out of the
families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and
out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in
Bashan, thirteen cities."
Gershon was the firstborn son, but did not receive the first
cities, because the priests needed to be near Jerusalem. It was not
necessary for them to be near the temple, since they did not serve
daily in the temple. Their thirteen cities were the furthest away from
Jerusalem.
Joshua 21:7 "The children of Merari by their families [had] out
of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the
tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities."
Reuben and Gad had their land on the east side of the Jordan
River, and the land of Zebulun was in the northern area. These twelve
cities added to the 13 for the priests' families, the 10 for the other
Kohathite families, and the 13 for the family of Gershon, add up to
48.
Joshua 21:8 "And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the
Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the
hand of Moses."
The fact that this was done by lot shows that, God chose the
cities. The Israelites did not argue with the lot, because they
believed it was the will of God.
Joshua 21:9 "And they gave out of the tribe of the children of
Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities
which are [here] mentioned by name,"
This is the beginning of the listing by name each of the cities
given to each family by the various tribes. This will begin with Judah
and Simeon.
Joshua 21:10 Which the children of Aaron, [being] of the families
of the Kohathites, [who were] of the children of Levi, had: for theirs
was the first lot.
This particular group is not for all of the Kohathites. This is
for the priests' and the high priest's cities. They had to be near to
Jerusalem, so they are out of the tribes of Judah and Simeon.
Joshua 21:11 "And they gave them the city of Arba the father of
Anak, which [city is] Hebron, in the hill [country] of Judah, with the
suburbs thereof round about it."
The name of the city had been changed to Hebron. "Hebron", means
fellowship, or alliance.
Joshua 21:12 "But the fields of the city, and the villages
thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession."
The city of Hebron, and the area around it, belonged to Caleb. We
see from this that, Caleb has given up the city to the priests and
high priest, and now, Caleb has the area around it. Hebron is about 20
miles out of Jerusalem. The city had been named Kirjath-arba, and was
changed to Hebron. Joshua took Hebron, and Caleb re-took it.
Joshua 21:13 "Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest
Hebron with her suburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; and
Libnah with her suburbs,"
"Libnah" means whiteness. The priests and high priest lived in
Hebron, but it was also a place of refuge for the slayer.
Joshua 21:14 "And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her
suburbs," Joshua 21:15 "And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her
suburbs," Joshua 21:16 "And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her
suburbs, [and] Beth-shemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of those
two tribes."
The Ain, in the Scripture above, is spoken of in 1 Chronicles as
Ashan. I Chronicles 6:59 "And Ashan with her suburbs, and Beth-shemesh
with her suburbs:"
Joshua 21:17 "And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her
suburbs, Geba with her suburbs," Joshua 21:18 "Anathoth with her
suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities."
We must remember that, all of these are cities for the priests
and the high priest. They are of the family of Kohath, but a specific
group of them. Anathoth is the birthplace of Jeremiah.
Joshua 21:19 "All the cities of the children of Aaron, the
priests, [were] thirteen cities with their suburbs."
These thirteen cities were near Jerusalem, because Jerusalem will
be the sight for the temple to be built. The priests and the high
priest work in the temple of the holy things. We can easily see why it
would be important for them to be near the temple.
Joshua 21:20 "And the families of the children of Kohath, the
Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the
cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim."
This will, now, list the cities of the rest of the tribe of
Kohath. They are of the Levitical tribe, and they are in service of
the LORD, but they are not in daily services in the temple. The
following are cities in the land of Ephraim, given to Kohath.
Joshua 21:21 "For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in
mount Ephraim, [to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with
her suburbs,"
It is Shechem that is the city of refuge. "Shechem" means
shoulder. The Lord carries all of His own on His shoulders. The
Kohathites lived in the city of refuge. The slayer would become one of
the community, if they found him not guilty of murder.
Joshua 21:22 "And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with
her suburbs; four cities." Joshua 21:23 And out of the tribe of Dan,
Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs," Joshua 21:24
Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; four cities."
These last cities, listed here, are not cities of refuge, but
cities given to the Kohathites for their inheritance. The Kohathites
are one of the three families of the Levitical tribe. The Kohathites
had two divisions within them because the priests and high priests
were part of them.
Joshua 21:25 "And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with
her suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; two cities."
The following is the same Scripture with different names. Many
scholars believe these to be the correct names for Tanach and Gath-
rimmon. I Chronicles 6:70 "And out of the half tribe of Manasseh; Aner
with her suburbs, and Bileam with her suburbs, for the family of the
remnant of the sons of Kohath." Manasseh was a divided tribe, so the
two cities are for one half the tribe.
Joshua 21:26 "All the cities [were] ten with their suburbs for
the families of the children of Kohath that remained."
This is speaking of the rest of the Kohathites, besides Aaron's
family.
Joshua 21:27 "And unto the children of Gershon, of the families
of the Levites, out of the [other] half tribe of Manasseh [they gave]
Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the
slayer; and Beesh-terah with her suburbs; two cities."
We remember that, Gershon was the oldest of the three sons of
Levi. The sons of Gershon were in charge of the fabrics of the
tabernacle. At the census in the wilderness, there were 7,500 males
numbered. After the temple was built, it became uncertain what they
did. Some believe they prophesied. Others believe they brought
inspirational songs and recitations in the temple. We remember from an
earlier lesson that, Golan was one of the six cities of refuge. Beesh-
terah was the same city as the city of Ashteroth. They changed the
name.
Joshua 21:28 "And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her
suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs," Joshua 21:29 "Jarmuth with her
suburbs, En-gannim with her suburbs; four cities."
These same cities are mentioned in 1 Chronicles the 6th chapter.
Joshua 21:30 "And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her
suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs," Joshua 21:31 "Helkath with her
suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs; four cities."
It is interesting, to me, that of the families of Kohath, each
son received his cities in the same area. The families were not
divided up among the 12 tribes. They lived close together.
Joshua 21:32 "And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee
with her suburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; and
Hammoth-dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three
cities." Joshua 21:33 "All the cities of the Gershonites according to
their families [were] thirteen cities with their suburbs."
We remember, that "Kedesh" means holy. Much of the Lord Jesus'
ministry would be in Galilee.
Joshua 21:34 "And unto the families of the children of Merari,
the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her
suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs," Joshua 21:35 "Dimnah with her
suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four cities."
The tribe of Merari was the third of the families of the tribe of
Levi. "Merari" means bitter, or sad.
Joshua 21:36 "And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her
suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs," Joshua 21:37 "Kedemoth with
her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs; four cities."
This was on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Bezer was one
of the cities of refuge. The name "Bezer" means fortification. Some
believe the land of the Israelites on the eastern side of the Jordan,
to be a protection of Israel on that side.
Joshua 21:38 "And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with
her suburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim
with her suburbs," Joshua 21:39 "Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with
her suburbs; four cities in all." Joshua 21:40 "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."
"Ramoth" means exaltation. Gad, also, is on the eastern side of
Jordan. Merari received altogether 12 cities.
Joshua 21:41 "All the cities of the Levites within the possession
of the children of Israel [were] forty and eight cities with their
suburbs." Joshua 21:42 "These cities were every one with their
suburbs round about them: thus [were] all these cities."
The suburb was the area just outside the city, large enough to
take care of their cattle. The Levites were not to be farmers, or
herdsmen. They were to work in the service of the Lord. Their income
was from the gifts and offerings in the temple. The 48 cities are not
all of the cities in these areas. In fact, they are but a small
portion of the cities these Israelites received. We must, also,
remember the Israelites did not build these cities, they were gifts
from God to them.
Joshua 21:43 "And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which
he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt
therein."
The Israelites received cities, they did not build, and
vineyards, they did not plant. The LORD did just as He had promised
Abraham. He gave them the land of milk and honey. God had told them to
remove all the people from the land, but they did not do that
entirely. The land was theirs, for as long as they obeyed the will of
God. They will soon find out that God wanted all of the Canaanites
removed, to keep the Israelites from worshipping other gods.
Joshua 21:44 "And the LORD gave them rest round about, according
to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of
all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies
into their hand."
The LORD delivered them into their hand, and they should have
taken them over completely, but they failed the LORD in that point. In
Hebrews, it speaks of a rest that comes to the people of God, after
they have obeyed the will of God, and completed their work. Their
enemies feared their God.
Joshua 21:45 "There failed not ought of any good thing which the
LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass."
This is just saying that, God kept His Word to the minutest
detail. His promise to Abraham was fulfilled in these Israelites.
Christians, we can assure ourselves of the faithfulness of God to keep
every promise He made to us, as well. God not only will not lie, but
cannot, because He is Truth.
Joshua 21 Questions
1. Who was the priest in verse 1?
2. What was the inheritance of the Levi?
3. The city of refuge had to be a ___________ city.
4. Where were the priest and Joshua, when they met with the Levites?
6. Quote Numbers chapter 35 verse 2.
7. How many cities were the Levites to get?
8. What does the number 4 mean?
9. What does the number 12 mean?
10. Quote Numbers chapter 35 verse 7.
11. Which of the three sons won the first lot?
12. How many cities did the sons of Aaron receive?
13. Where were their cities taken from?
14. Who were the three sons of Levi?
15. Where would Moses' family inherit with?
16. Why was it necessary for the priests to receive their cities from
Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin?
17. Where did the rest of the Kohathites receive their cities from?
18. Where were Gershon's cities taken from?
19. Where were Merari's cities taken from?
20. What does the fact that the cities were chosen by lot show?
21. What cities did Aaron's family receive?
22. What cities did the rest of the Kohathites receive?
23. "Hebron" means what?
24. What were some of the cities Gershon received?
25. What was the job of Gershon's family after the temple was built?
26. What cities did Merari receive?
27. The Israelites received cities, which they did not ________, and
vineyards, they did not ________.
28. How did they disobey God?
29. What book in the Bible speaks of a rest for those who do the will
of God?
30. What lesson of assurance can Christians receive from this lesson?
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