Joshua 21:41

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel [were] forty and eight cities with their suburbs.

Complete Jewish Bible:

All the cities of the L'vi'im, forty-eight cities with their surrounding open land, are to be in among the lands possessed by the people of Isra'el -

Berean Standard Bible:

For the Levites, then, there were forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasturelands, within the territory of the Israelites.

American Standard Version:

All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

All the cities^{H5892} of the Levites^{H3881} within^{H8432} the possession^{H272} of the children^{H1121} of Israel^{H3478} were forty^{H705} and eight^{H8083} cities^{H5892} with their suburbs^{H4054}.

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Commentary for Joshua 21:41

Joshua 21:41 is a verse that captures a moment in the historical allocation of cities and land to the Levites, the priestly tribe of Israel, after the conquest of Canaan. The number forty-eight represents the total number of cities, including their pasturelands, given to the Levites among the inheritances of the other tribes of Israel. This distribution was part of the fulfillment of the Lord's command to Moses, ensuring that the Levites, who were not given a territorial inheritance like the other tribes, had designated cities for residence and refuge throughout the land.

The historical context of this verse is set during the period when the Israelites were dividing the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes, following the instructions given by God through Moses. Since the Levites were set apart for religious service and did not fight in the conquest, they were provided for through the offerings and tithes of the other tribes. The cities allocated to them were strategically distributed so that the Levites could perform their priestly duties, teach the law, and serve as a spiritual and judicial resource to the people of Israel.

The themes present in this verse include divine provision, the sanctity of the priesthood, and the importance of community structure in ancient Israel. It reflects the careful planning by God to ensure that His servants, the Levites, were cared for and integrated into the broader society. This arrangement also served to maintain the religious and social fabric of Israel by dispersing religious leaders throughout the nation. The verse underscores the significance of the Levitical cities as a system to support the religious infrastructure of Israel during the time of settlement in the Promised Land.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H5892
   There are 937 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עִיר
   Transliteration: ʻîyr
   Pronunciation: eer
   Description: or (in the plural) עָר; or עָיַר; (Judges 10:4), from עוּר; a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post); Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.
   
2. Strong's Number: H3881
   There are 258 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: לֵוִיִּי
   Transliteration: Lêvîyîy
   Pronunciation: lay-vee-ee'
   Description: or לֵוִי; patronymically from לֵוִי; a Levite or descendant of Levi; Leviite.
   
3. Strong's Number: H8432
   There are 390 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: תָּוֶךְ
   Transliteration: tâvek
   Pronunciation: taw'-vek
   Description: from an unused root meaning to sever; a bisection, i.e. (by implication) the centre; among(-st), [idiom] between, half, [idiom] (there-, where-), in(-to), middle, mid(-night), midst (among), [idiom] out (of), [idiom] through, [idiom] with(-in).
   
4. Strong's Number: H272
   There are 190 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אֲחֻזָּה
   Transliteration: ʼăchuzzâh
   Pronunciation: akh-ooz-zaw'
   Description: feminine passive participle from אָחַז; something seized, i.e. a possession (especially of land); possession.
   
5. Strong's Number: H1121
   There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בֵּן
   Transliteration: bên
   Pronunciation: bane
   Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
   
6. Strong's Number: H3478
   There are 2229 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יִשְׂרָאֵל
   Transliteration: Yisrâʼêl
   Pronunciation: yis-raw-ale'
   Description: from שָׂרָה and אֵל; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity; Israel.
   
7. Strong's Number: H705
   There are 178 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אַרְבָּעִים
   Transliteration: ʼarbâʻîym
   Pronunciation: ar-baw-eem'
   Description: multiple of אַרְבַּע; forty; -forty.
   
8. Strong's Number: H8083
   There are 105 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שְׁמֹנֶה
   Transliteration: shᵉmôneh
   Pronunciation: shem-o-neh'
   Description: or שְׁמוֹנֶה; feminine שְׁמֹנָה; or שְׁמוֹנָה; apparently from שָׁמֵן through the idea of plumpness; a cardinal number, eight (as if a surplus above the 'perfect' seven); also (as ordinal) eighth; eight(-een, -eenth), eighth.
   
9. Strong's Number: H4054
   There are 67 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מִגְרָשׁ
   Transliteration: migrâsh
   Pronunciation: mig-rawsh'
   Description: also (in plural) feminine (Ezekiel 27:28) מִגְרָשָׁה; from גָּרַשׁ; a suburb (i.e. open country whither flocks are driven from pasture); hence, the area around abuilding, or the margin of the sea; cast out, suburb.