Joshua 21:42

_THESE CITIES WERE EVERY ONE WITH THEIR SUBURBS ROUND ABOUT THEM: THUS WERE ALL THESE CITIES._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

9-42 By mixing the Levites with the other tribes, they were made to see that the eyes of all Israel were upon them, and therefore it was their concern to walk so that their ministry might not be blamed. Every tribe had its share of Levites' cities. Thus did God graciously provide for keeping up religion among them, and that they might have the word in all parts of the land. Yet, blessed be God, we have the gospel more diffused amongst us....

After this verse, the Septuagint introduces a passage (in part a repetition from Joshua 19:49), recording the grant of a special inheritance to Joshua, and also that he buried at Timnath-serah the flint-knives with which he had circumcised (Joshua 5:2 note) the people after the passage of Jordan. The latter statement, which has the authority of the Septuagint only, is a Jewish legend of early date....

EXPOSITION THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. JOSHUA 21:1 THEN CAME NEAR THE HEADS OF THE FATHERS OF THE LEVITES. We are not to suppose, with Calvin, that the Levites had been overlooked. Such a supposition is little in keeping with the devout spirit of him who now directed the affairs of the Israelites, who had been minister to Moses the Levite, and had but lately been concerned with Eleazar, the high priest, in making a public recognition of that God to whose service the Levites had been specially set apart. The delay in appointing to the Levites their cities arose from the nature of the arrangement which had to be made for the Levitical cities. The prophecy which threatened ...

THESE CITIES WERE EVERYONE WITH THEIR SUBURBS ROUND ABOUT THEM,.... Which reached to the space of two thousand cubits on every side; and such a space was assigned to everyone of the above cities for their cattle, to keep them in and lay up provision for them: THUS [WERE] ALL THEIR CITIES; six of them cities of refuge, and forty two for the priests and Levites to dwell in, and for the commodious use of their herds and flocks....

8. THE PORTION OF THE LEVITES CHAPTER 21 _ 1. The Levites, the children of Aaron, and their portions (Joshua 21:1)_ 2. Kohath (Joshua 21:9) 3. Gershon (Joshua 21:27) 4. Merari (Joshua 21:34) 5. The Lord's faithfulness (Joshua 21:41) In Chapter s 13:14, 33 and 14:3, 4 the statement is made that Moses gave no inheritance to the Levites. The Lord was their inheritance. After the tribes had received their allotments the heads of the fathers of the Levites came to Joshua and Eleazar with a petition. They b

THE LEVITICAL CITIES. The cities promised by Moses to the Levites are here assigned to them. The sons of Aaron have 13 in Judah, the Levites 10 in Ephraim and Manasseh, 13 in Galilee, and 12 in the E. Jordan territory. Both promises and performance are unhistorical. The simple fact that the descendants of Aaron could at this time have numbered only a few families shows the assignment of 13 cities to them to be purely imaginary. For the true history of the priesthood, reference must be made to the Introduction to the Pentateuch. JOSHUA 21:11 is an interesting piece of harmonising. The conquest and possession of the city of Hebron by Caleb was so prominent in the old tradition that the assignment of it to the Priests had to be explained. The fields and villages are therefore said to have been assigned to Caleb, while the city and the suburbs go to the Priests....

The Cities of the Merarites 34. _And unto the families of the children of Merari_ were assigned twelve cities, viz., (_a_) Four in _Zebulun_, (_b_) Four in _Reuben_, (_c_) Four in _Gad_. _Jokneam_ See Joshua 19:11; _Kartah_and _Dimnah_unknown....

_VER._ 41, 42. _ALL THE CITIES OF THE LEVITES—WERE FORTY AND EIGHT—WITH THEIR SUBURBS_— Here we are to observe, 1. That Moses could never have assigned to the Levites beforehand the forty-eight cities contained in the lift above-mentioned, without prejudicing the tribes, had he not been inspired by God in the determination of this number. Joshua, Caleb, and the other Israelites who had been with them to discover the country, could not have taken the dimensions of it, so as to be able to judge beforehand whether the Levites could have so many cities as are here given them. We must, therefore, once more acknowledge Moses to be immediately directed in this whole affair by the spirit of the Lord. 2. We are not to be surprised at this great number of cities assigned to the tribe of Levi, which, though least numerous of all, seems possessed of more cities than any of the rest. This is only so...

_Summary of the Assignment of the Land Joshua 21:41-45_ 41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs. 42 These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities. 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. 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. 45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. _12._ What was the total number of cities? Josh