Joshua 21:42

Translation
King James Version
These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.
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KJV (with Strong's)
These cities H5892 were every one H5892 H5892 with their suburbs H4054 round about H5439 them: thus were all these cities H5892.
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Complete Jewish Bible
these cities, each with its surrounding open land; thus is it to be with all these cities.
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Berean Standard Bible
Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities.
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American Standard Version
These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus it was with all these cities.
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World English Bible Messianic
Each of these cities included their suburbs around them. It was this way with all these cities.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
These cities lay euery one seuerallie with their suburbes round about them: so were all these cities.
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Young's Literal Translation
These cities are each city and its suburbs round about it; so to all these cities.
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In the KJVVerse 6,424 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Joshua 21:42 serves as a concluding and powerful affirmation of God's perfect faithfulness and meticulous provision for the tribe of Levi within the Promised Land. This concise verse underscores that each of the forty-eight cities allocated to the Levites was comprehensively furnished with its essential surrounding pasturelands, ensuring their economic sustenance and enabling them to fulfill their unique spiritual and judicial duties among all the tribes of Israel. It highlights divine precision and comprehensive care, bringing a definitive closure to the detailed account of the Levitical inheritance and setting the stage for a broader theological summary of God's unwavering covenant loyalty.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Joshua 21:42 stands as the climactic statement in a pivotal section of the book of Joshua (chapters 20-21) dedicated to the strategic allocation of cities to the Levites. Following the successful conquest of Canaan and the detailed division of the land among the other eleven tribes (chapters 13-19), chapter 20 specifically addresses the establishment of the six Cities of Refuge, three on each side of the Jordan, all of which were designated Levitical cities. Chapter 21 then meticulously enumerates the forty-eight cities assigned to the Levites, drawn from the territories of all the other tribes. Verse 41 provides the total count of these cities, and verse 42 acts as a powerful summary, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of this divine provision, ensuring that every city came with its necessary "suburbs" or pasturelands. This verse immediately precedes Joshua 21:43-45, which offers a grand theological summary of God's unwavering faithfulness in fulfilling every single one of His promises to Israel regarding the land and rest from their enemies.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Israel, the tribe of Levi occupied a unique and divinely ordained position. Unlike the other tribes, they did not receive a continuous territorial inheritance because the Lord Himself was declared to be their inheritance (Numbers 18:20). Instead, they were strategically assigned forty-eight cities scattered throughout the land of Canaan. This dispersion was not arbitrary; it was designed to enable the Levites, who included priests, teachers of the Law, and judges, to be present among all the tribes, providing spiritual instruction, administering justice, and maintaining the covenant relationship between God and His people. The "suburbs" (Hebrew: migrâsh) mentioned in the verse were not merely residential extensions but legally defined common pasturelands surrounding the cities, absolutely vital for the Levites' livestock. Since they were not given agricultural fields to farm, their sustenance largely depended on these pasturelands and the tithes and offerings from the other tribes, underscoring their unique economic and social model within the Israelite confederation.
  • Key Themes: Joshua 21:42 powerfully reinforces several overarching themes central to the book of Joshua and the broader Pentateuch. Firstly, it emphatically underscores the theme of Divine Faithfulness and Provision. God, true to His covenant promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, meticulously provided for His dedicated servants, ensuring their livelihood and their ability to perform their sacred duties. This echoes the broader theme of God's unwavering commitment to fulfill all His promises to Israel regarding the land, a theme explicitly celebrated in Joshua 21:43-45. Secondly, the verse highlights Divine Order and Precision. The detailed allocation of cities and their accompanying pasturelands demonstrates God's orderly nature and His meticulous attention to every practical need, down to the provision for livestock. This precision reflects the divine blueprint for the nation's spiritual and social structure. Lastly, the verse underscores the Levitical Role and Dispersion. The inclusion of the "suburbs" was not just a practical detail but fundamental to the Levites' function. Their scattered presence, supported by these provisions, enabled them to serve as spiritual guides and upholders of the Law throughout all Israel, a role outlined in passages like Deuteronomy 33:10.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Cities (Hebrew, ʻîyr', H5892): This term refers to a fortified settlement or a place guarded by a watch. In the context of Joshua 21, these "cities" are not just residential areas but strategic centers distributed throughout Israel, serving as the dwelling places for the Levites. The repetition of "cities" in the verse emphasizes the totality of the allocation, affirming that every single one of the forty-eight designated Levitical cities was provided for.
  • Suburbs (Hebrew, migrâsh', H4054): This crucial term denotes the open country or common pastureland immediately surrounding a city, specifically designated for grazing livestock. For the Levites, who did not receive agricultural fields, these migrâsh were essential for their economic sustenance, allowing them to raise flocks and herds. Their inclusion highlights the comprehensive and practical nature of God's provision, ensuring the Levites' ability to live and serve.
  • Round about (Hebrew, çâbîyb', H5439): As an adverb, this word signifies "around," "on every side," or "in circuit." Its use here emphasizes the completeness and surrounding nature of the pasturelands provided for each city. It confirms that the necessary support system, the migrâsh, was intrinsically linked to and encompassed every Levitical city, leaving no city without its vital provision.

Verse Breakdown

  • "These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them": This clause emphatically states the comprehensive and precise nature of the allocation to the Levites. It confirms that each of the forty-eight cities previously enumerated in the chapter was provided with its essential migrâsh (suburbs or pasturelands). This detail was critical for the Levites' livelihood, as they depended on their livestock for sustenance, unlike the other tribes who received agricultural lands. The phrase "round about them" further stresses the completeness of the provision, indicating that the necessary support system was intrinsically linked to and encompassed every city.
  • "thus [were] all these cities": This concluding phrase serves as a powerful affirmation and summary of the entire process. It declares that the allocation of the Levitical cities, complete with their vital suburbs, was fully accomplished according to divine command and intention. It signifies the successful and precise completion of this significant aspect of the land distribution, reinforcing the overarching theme of God's faithfulness in meticulously fulfilling His promises to Israel.

Literary Devices

Joshua 21:42, though brief, employs several effective literary devices to convey its profound message. The most prominent is Repetition, evident in the phrases "every one" and "all these cities." This repetition serves to underscore the absolute completeness and thoroughness of God's provision for the Levites, leaving no room for doubt that the allocation was exhaustive and perfectly executed. Secondly, the verse functions as a Summary Statement, providing a conclusive affirmation to the detailed account of the Levitical cities in the preceding verses. It brings a sense of closure and finality to this intricate section of the narrative, preparing the reader for the broader theological summary that follows. Finally, the verse is an act of Affirmation, confirming the meticulous fulfillment of God's command and promise regarding the Levites' inheritance. It powerfully solidifies the divine faithfulness that permeates the entire book of Joshua, demonstrating God's unwavering commitment to His covenant people.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Joshua 21:42, in its affirmation of meticulous provision, profoundly reflects God's unwavering faithfulness and His detailed, comprehensive care for His servants. The divine blueprint for the Levites, ensuring their sustenance through cities and pasturelands despite their lack of a territorial inheritance, speaks volumes about God's covenant loyalty. He is not a God who makes promises and then leaves His people to fend for themselves; rather, He orchestrates every detail to ensure their well-being and their ability to fulfill their calling. This specific provision for the Levites highlights a broader theological truth: God provides comprehensively for those dedicated to His service, enabling them to carry out their divine mandate without being consumed by earthly anxieties. It underscores that divine calling is always accompanied by divine provision.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

The meticulous provision for the Levites in Joshua 21:42 offers profound encouragement and practical lessons for believers today. Just as God precisely and comprehensively provided for those set apart for His service in ancient Israel, so too does He promise to care for His people in every generation. This verse reminds us that God is attentive to the practical needs of those who dedicate their lives to Him, whether in full-time ministry or in their daily vocations as believers. It encourages us to trust in His faithfulness for our own sustenance and provision, knowing that if He cared for the Levites down to their pasturelands, He will certainly care for us who are called to be His witnesses in the world. Furthermore, the dispersion of the Levites among all tribes, supported by these provisions, serves as a model for the church's mission. Believers are called to be present within society, not isolated from it, bringing the truth and light of God's Word into every sphere of influence. This verse also implicitly calls the broader community of faith to actively support those who serve in spiritual leadership, ensuring they have the necessary resources to carry out their calling effectively, just as the other tribes supported the Levites.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does God's meticulous provision for the Levites encourage your trust in His care for your own life and calling, especially in areas of practical need?
  • In what ways can we, as the church today, emulate God's comprehensive provision for those who serve in full-time ministry, ensuring they are well-equipped to fulfill their calling?
  • How does the strategic dispersion of the Levites inform our understanding of being "in the world but not of the world" as believers, and how does it shape our approach to ministry and witness?

FAQ

Why were the "suburbs" so important to mention specifically?

Answer: The "suburbs" (Hebrew: migrâsh) were not merely undeveloped land but crucial common pasture grounds surrounding the Levitical cities. Their specific mention is vital because the Levites did not receive agricultural land like the other tribes. Their primary means of sustenance, apart from tithes and offerings, came from their livestock. Therefore, the migrâsh provided the necessary grazing land for their animals, ensuring their economic viability and enabling them to live and serve among the people. It highlights the practical and comprehensive nature of God's provision for their unique economic model, as detailed in Numbers 35:2-5).

Does this verse have any relevance for Christian ministry today?

Answer: Absolutely. Joshua 21:42 underscores God's commitment to providing for those dedicated to His service. This principle translates directly into the New Testament understanding that "the Lord commanded that those who preach the gospel should make their living from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). It affirms the importance of the church supporting its spiritual leaders so they can devote themselves fully to ministry. Furthermore, the dispersion of the Levites among all tribes, rather than in one concentrated area, models the importance of spiritual leaders and believers being present within society, bringing God's truth and influence to every community and sphere, rather than being isolated.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The meticulous provision for the Levites in Joshua 21:42, ensuring their sustenance and enabling their service as mediators and teachers of the Law, finds its ultimate fulfillment and perfection in Jesus Christ. While the Levites received cities and pasturelands, Christ Himself is our true and eternal inheritance, far surpassing any earthly portion (Colossians 2:9-10). He is the ultimate High Priest, who, unlike the Levitical priests, offered a single, perfect sacrifice for sins, making continuous and complete provision for our spiritual needs through His finished work (Hebrews 7:27). The scattered Levitical cities, designed to bring God's presence and teaching to all Israel, foreshadow the universal accessibility of God's presence through Christ. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christ makes His dwelling not in specific cities, but in the hearts of all believers, who are now a "royal priesthood" and a "holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9), called to proclaim His excellencies to the world. Moreover, the Cities of Refuge, which were among the Levitical cities, find their supreme reality in Christ. He is our ultimate "city of refuge," the secure and eternal sanctuary for all who flee from the judgment of sin and take refuge in Him (Hebrews 6:18). The completeness of God's provision for the Levites in Joshua 21:42 is a shadow of the "all things" that are freely given to us in Christ, who "did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all" (Romans 8:32).

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Commentary on Joshua 21 verses 9–42

We have here a particular account of the cities which were given to the children of Levi out of the several tribes, not only to be occupied and inhabited by them, as tenants to the several tribes in which they lay - no, their interest in them was not dependent and precarious, but to be owned and possessed by them as lords and proprietors, and as having the same title to them that the rest of the tribes had to their cities or lands, as appears by the law which preserved the house in the Levites' cities from being alienated any longer than till the year of jubilee, Lev 25:32, Lev 25:33. Yet it is probable that the Levites having only the cities and suburbs, while the land about pertained to the tribes in which they lay, those of that tribe, for the convenience of occupying that land, might commonly rent houses of the Levites, as they could spare them in their cities, and so live among them as their tenants. Several things may be observed in this account, besides what was observed in the law concerning it, Num. 35.

I. That the Levites were dispersed into all the tribes, and not suffered to live all together in any one part of the country. This would find them all with work, and employ them all for the good of others; for ministers, of all people, must neither be idle nor live to themselves or to one another only. Christ left his twelve disciples together in a body, but left orders that they should in due time disperse themselves, that they might preach the gospel to every creature. The mixing of the Levites thus with the other tribes would be an obligation upon them to walk circumspectly, and as became their sacred function, and to avoid every thing that might disgrace it. Had they lived all together, they would have been tempted to wink at one another's faults, and to excuse one another when they did amiss; but by this means they were made to see the eyes of all Israel upon them, and therefore saw it their concern to walk so as that their ministry might in nothing be blamed nor their high character suffer by their ill carriage.

II. That every tribe of Israel was adorned and enriched with its share of Levites' cities in proportion to its compass, even those that lay most remote. They were all God's people, and therefore they all had Levites among them. 1. To show kindness to, as God appointed them, Deu 12:19; Deu 14:29. They were God's receivers, to whom the people might give their grateful acknowledgments of God's goodness, as the occasion and disposition were. 2. To receive advice and instruction from; when they could not go up to the tabernacle, to consult those who attended there, they might go to a Levites' city, and be taught the good knowledge of the Lord. Thus God set up a candle in every room of his house, to give light to all his family; as those that attended the altar kept the charge of the Lord, to see that no divine appointment was neglected there, so those that were scattered in the country had their charge too, which was to see that no idolatrous superstitious usages were introduced at a distance and to watch for the souls of God's Israel. Thus did God graciously provide for the keeping up of religion among them, and that they might have the word nigh them; yet, blessed be God, we, under the gospel, have it yet nigher, not only Levites in every county, but Levites in every parish, whose office it is still to teach the people knowledge, and to go before them in the things of God.

III. That there were thirteen cities, and those some of the best, appointed for the priests, the sons of Aaron, Jos 21:19. Aaron left but two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, yet his family was now so much increased, and it was foreseen that it would in process of time grow so numerous, as to replenish all these cities, though a considerable number must of necessity be resident wherever the ark and the altar were. We read in both Testaments of such numbers of priests that we may suppose none of all the families of Israel that came out of Egypt increased afterwards so much as that of Aaron did; and the promise afterwards to the house of Aaron is, God shall increase you more and more, you and your children, Psa 115:12, Psa 115:14. He will raise up a seed to serve him.

IV. That some of the Levites' cities were afterwards famous upon other accounts. Hebron was the city in which David began his reign, and in Manhanaim, another Levites' city (Jos 21:38), he lay, and had his headquarters when he fled from Absalom. The first Israelite that ever wore the title of king (namely, Abimelech, the son of Gideon) reigned in Shechem, another Levites' city, Jos 21:21.

V. That the number of them in all was more than of most of the tribes, except Judah, though the tribe of Levi was one of the least of the tribes, to show how liberal God is, and his people should be, to his ministers; yet the disproportion will not appear so great as at first it seems, if we consider that the Levites had cities only with their suburbs to dwell in, but the rest of the tribes, besides their cities (and those perhaps were many more than are named in the account of their lot), had many unwalled towns and villages which they inhabited, besides country houses.

Upon the whole, it appears that effectual care was taken that the Levites should live both comfortably and usefully: and those, whether ministers or others, for whom Providence has done well, must look upon themselves as obliged thereby to do good, and, according as their capacity and opportunity are, to serve their generation.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 9–42. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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