Albert Barnes Commentary Joshua 21
Albert Barnes Commentary
Joshua 21
Albert Barnes Commentary
Joshua 21
"Then came near the heads of fathers` [houses] of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of fathers` [houses] of the tribes of the children of Israel;" — Joshua 21:1 (ASV)
A list of the Levitical cities, varying in some particulars from that given in this chapter, is also given in 1 Chronicles 6:54–81.
"And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities." — Joshua 21:4 (ASV)
Thirteen cities - This number is said to be too great for the single family of Aaron. But it appears (1 Chronicles 24:0) that the two surviving sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, had together 24 sons, the heads of the priestly families. Since Aaron was 123 years old when he died (Numbers 33:39), his sons’ grandchildren and great-grandchildren were no doubt living during Joshua’s time, and had to be provided with dwellings.
They might altogether number several thousands. The “cities” of Canaan were for the most part small, as is manifest from the astonishing number of them in proportion to the area of the land, more particularly in the south, where the portion of the priests was situated. The priests or Levites would not occupy the whole of the dwellings in any city, nor all its “fields,” nor necessarily and always all its “villages” . Non-Levites, to whom the cultivation of their land, and other secular concerns, were entrusted, no doubt resided in the Levitical cities or their precincts. It appears, further, that several of the cities here enumerated were only wrested from the Canaanites at a later date.
"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." — Joshua 21:5 (ASV)
The non-priestly Kohathites had been diminished by the destruction of Korah and his company (Numbers 16). On comparing Numbers 26:57 and following with Numbers 3:27 and following, two of the families of the Kohathites seem to have disappeared altogether. Therefore, it is not surprising that the rest of the Kohathites were sufficiently accommodated in ten cities.
"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: and they were for the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for theirs was the first lot. And they gave them Kiriath-arba, [which Arba was] the father of Anak (the same is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it. But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession. And unto the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Libnah with its suburbs, and Jattir with its suburbs, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs, and Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs, and Ain with its suburbs, and Juttah with its suburbs, [and] Beth-shemesh with its suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes. And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its suburbs, Geba with its suburbs, Anathoth with its suburbs, and Almon with its suburbs; four cities. All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs." — Joshua 21:9-19 (ASV)
The thirteen priestly cities (see the marginal references) were all in the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. Thus, as Calvin remarks, God so overruled it that the priestly families were placed upon the spot which He had determined beforehand to choose as the site of His temple.
"And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, even the rest of the children of Kohath, they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. And they gave them Shechem with its suburbs in the hill-country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Gezer with its suburbs, and Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth-horon with its suburbs; four cities. And out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs, Aijalon with its suburbs, Gath-rimmon with its suburbs; four cities. And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with its suburbs; two cities. All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbs." — Joshua 21:20-26 (ASV)
Of the cities of the non-priestly Kohathites, for Kibzaim we find Jokmeam (1 Chronicles 6:68). This is perhaps another name for the same place, since both names may be derived from roots having a similar meaning; and for Gath-rimmon (1 Chronicles 6:70), Bileam is given, and probably correctly, as it seems Gath-rimmon was repeated inadvertently from the preceding verse. Bileam is simply another form of Ibleam (Joshua 17:11).
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