Josué 21

BLIVRE · Chapter 21/24

1E os principais dos pais dos levitas vieram a Eleazar sacerdote, e a Josué filho de Num, e aos principais dos pais das tribos dos filhos de Israel;

2E falaram-lhes em Siló na terra de Canaã, dizendo: O SENHOR mandou por Moisés que nos fossem dadas vilas para habitar, com seus campos para nossos animais.

3Então os filhos de Israel deram aos levitas de suas possessões, conforme a palavra do SENHOR, estas vilas com seus campos.

4E saiu a sorte para as famílias dos coatitas; e foram dadas por porção aos filhos de Arão sacerdote, que eram dos levitas, pela tribo de Judá, pela de Simeão e pela de Benjamim, treze vilas.

5E aos outros filhos de Coate se deram por porção dez vilas das famílias da tribo de Efraim, e da tribo de Dã, e da meia tribo de Manassés;

6E aos filhos de Gérson, pelas famílias da tribo de Issacar, e da tribo de Aser, e da tribo de Naftali, e da meia tribo de Manassés em Basã, foram dadas por porção treze vilas.

7Aos filhos de Merari por suas famílias se deram doze vilas pela tribo de Rúben, e pela tribo de Gade, e pela tribo de Zebulom.

8E assim deram por sorte os filhos de Israel aos levitas estas vilas com seus campos, como o SENHOR o havia mandado por Moisés.

9E da tribo dos filhos de Judá, e da tribo dos filhos de Simeão deram estas vilas que foram nomeadas:

10E a primeira porção foi dos filhos de Arão, da família de Coate, dos filhos de Levi;

11Aos quais deram Quiriate-Arba, do pai de Anaque, a qual é Hebrom, no monte de Judá, com seus campos em seus entornos.

12Mas o campo desta cidade e suas aldeias deram a Calebe filho de Jefoné, por sua possessão.

13E aos filhos de Arão, o sacerdote, deram a cidade de refúgio para os homicidas, a Hebrom com seus campos; e a Libna com seus campos,

14E a Jatir com seus campos, e a Estemoa com seus campos,

15A Holom com seus campos, e a Debir com seus campos,

16A Aim com seus campos, a Jutá com seus campos, e a Bete-Semes com seus campos; nove vilas destas duas tribos:

17E da tribo de Benjamim, a Gibeom com seus campos, a Geba com seus campos,

18A Anatote com seus campos, a Almom com seus campos: quatro vilas.

19Todas as vilas dos sacerdotes, filhos de Arão, são treze com seus campos.

20Mas as famílias dos filhos de Coate, levitas, os que restavam dos filhos de Coate, receberam por porção vilas da tribo de Efraim.

21E deram-lhes a Siquém, vila de refúgio para os homicidas, com seus campos, no monte de Efraim; e a Gezer com seus campos.

22E a Quibzaim com seus campos, e a Bete-Horom com seus campos: quatro vilas:

23E da tribo de Dã a Elteque com seus campos, a Gibetom com seus campos,

24A Aijalom com seus campos, a Gate-Rimom com seus campos: quatro vilas:

25E da meia tribo de Manassés, a Taanaque com seus campos, e a Gate-Rimom com seus campos: duas vilas.

26Todas as vilas para o resto das famílias dos filhos de Coate foram dez com seus campos.

27Aos filhos de Gérson das famílias dos levitas, deram a vila de refúgio para os homicidas, da meia tribo de Manassés: a Golã em Basã com seus campos, e a Beesterá com seus campos: duas vilas.

28E da tribo de Issacar, a Quisiom com seus campos, a Daberate com seus campos,

29A Jarmute com seus campos, e a En-Ganim com seus campos: quatro vilas:

30E da tribo de Aser, a Misal com seus campos, a Abdom com seus campos,

31A Helcate com seus campos, e a Reobe com seus campos: quatro vilas:

32E da tribo de Naftali, a vila de refúgio para os homicidas, a Quedes na Galileia com seus campos, a Hamote-Dor com seus campos, e a Cartã com seus campos: três vilas:

33Todas as vilas dos gersonitas por suas famílias foram treze vilas com seus campos.

34E às famílias dos filhos de Merari, levitas que restavam, deu-se a eles da tribo de Zebulom, a Jocneão com seus campos, Cartá com seus campos,

35Dimna com seus campos, Naalal com seus campos: quatro vilas:

36E da tribo de Rúben, a Bezer com seus campos, a Jaza com seus campos,

37A Quedemote com seus campos, e Mefaate com seus campos: quatro vilas:

38Da tribo de Gade, a vila de refúgio para os homicidas, Ramote em Gileade com seus campos, e Maanaim com seus campos,

39Hesbom com seus campos, e Jazer com seus campos: quatro vilas.

40Todas as vilas dos filhos de Merari por suas famílias, que restavam das famílias dos levitas, foram por suas porções doze vilas.

41E todas as vilas dos levitas em meio da possessão dos filhos de Israel, foram quarenta e oito vilas com seus campos.

42E estas cidades estavam separadas a uma da outra cada qual com seus campos ao redor delas: o qual foi em todas estas cidades.

43Assim deu o SENHOR a Israel toda a terra que havia jurado dar a seus pais; e possuíram-na, e habitaram nela.

44E o SENHOR lhes deu repouso ao redor, conforme todo o que havia jurado a seus pais: e nenhum de todos os inimigos lhes parou diante, mas sim que o SENHOR entregou em suas mãos a todos os seus inimigos.

45Não faltou palavra de todas as boas coisas que o SENHOR falou à casa de Israel; tudo se cumpriu.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The Levites receive 48 cities scattered among the other tribes, including the cities of refuge. The chapter concludes that God fulfilled all his promises to Israel.

Explanation

Since the Levites did not receive one continuous territory, they were scattered in cities within the territory of the other tribes - this ensured that priestly teaching of the law was physically present and accessible throughout the nation, not concentrated in one place. The chapter's closing statement, 'not one of all the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass' (v. 45), is one of the strongest declarations in the whole Bible about God's faithfulness to his promises, serving as the concluding milestone of the entire conquest narrative that began all the way back with Abraham.

Fun facts

  • The 48 Levitical cities included surrounding pasturelands for livestock, a model of provision that combined religious function with practical need for subsistence.
  • This arrangement scattering the Levites fulfilled, in a positive and organized way, Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49:7 that the tribe of Levi would be 'scattered' in Israel.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Josué 21:1The heads of the Levite families come before Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal chiefs to claim what is owed to them.
  2. Josué 21:2They point out that God had already ordered, through Moses, that the Levites receive cities to live in, since they would have no territory of their own like the other tribes.
  3. Josué 21:3Since the Levites don't receive a continuous territory, the solution is to scatter forty-eight cities for them across the land of the other tribes, each with pastureland around it for their livestock. This way they are present throughout the whole territory of Israel, without forming a province of their own.
  4. Josué 21:4The drawing of lots begins with the Kohathites, one of the Levite families: the descendants of Aaron receive thirteen cities taken from Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
  5. Josué 21:5The rest of the Kohathites receive ten cities from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half of Manasseh.
  6. Josué 21:6The Gershonites, another Levite family, receive thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half of Manasseh in Bashan.
  7. Josué 21:7The Merarites, the third Levite family, receive twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
  8. Josué 21:8In total, the people hand over these cities to the Levites exactly as God had commanded through Moses.
  9. Josué 21:9Here begins the named list of cities taken from Judah and Simeon for the Levites.
  10. Josué 21:10These specific cities go to the descendants of Aaron, within the Kohathite family, who received the first share in the drawing.
  11. Josué 21:11Among them is Hebron, the same city already given to Caleb — except now it also becomes a Levite city, with an internal division between the two uses.
  12. Josué 21:12The fields and villages around Hebron remain Caleb's personal property; only the city itself is shared with the Levites.
  13. Josué 21:13Hebron, already known as a city of refuge, is confirmed to the descendants of Aaron, along with Libnah.
  14. Josué 21:14Two more cities, Jattir and Eshtemoa, complete this part of the list.
  15. Josué 21:15Holon and Debir also join the list of cities handed over to the priests.
  16. Josué 21:16Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh close out this group, totaling nine cities between the two tribes.
  17. Josué 21:17Gibeon is the city that tricked Joshua into thinking it came from far away, back in chapter 9 — now its lands go to support the priestly descendants of Aaron.
  18. Josué 21:18Anathoth and Almon complete four more cities coming from Benjamin.
  19. Josué 21:19In total, the priestly descendants of Aaron receive thirteen cities.
  20. Josué 21:20The rest of the Kohathites, who were not priests directly, receive their cities from the tribe of Ephraim.
  21. Josué 21:21Among them is Shechem, another city of refuge, along with Gezer.
  22. Josué 21:22Kibzaim and Beth-horon complete this group of four cities from Ephraim.
  23. Josué 21:23Eltekeh and Gibbethon, which had belonged to the tribe of Dan, now pass to the Kohathite Levites who were not direct descendants of Aaron.
  24. Josué 21:24Aijalon and Gath-rimmon close out four more cities coming from Dan.
  25. Josué 21:25From the half tribe of Manasseh, they receive Tanach and Gath-rimmon, two more cities.
  26. Josué 21:26This group of Kohathites — those not descended from Aaron — receives ten cities in total, taken from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
  27. Josué 21:27The Gershonites receive from Manasseh the city of Golan, also a city of refuge, and Beeshterah.
  28. Josué 21:28From the tribe of Issachar, the Gershonites receive Kishon and Dabareh.
  29. Josué 21:29Jarmuth and En-gannim close out the four cities Issachar hands over to the Levites: since the Levites received no territory of their own, each tribe set aside cities for them.
  30. Josué 21:30Mishal and Abdon, taken from Asher's territory, go to the Gershonites — the Levite clan descended from Gershon, Levi's oldest son.
  31. Josué 21:31With these two, four cities that the tribe of Asher hands over to the Gershonite Levites are closed out, part of the thirteen this clan receives in total.
  32. Josué 21:32From the tribe of Naphtali, they receive Kedesh, another city of refuge, along with Hammoth-dor and Kartan.
  33. Josué 21:33In total, the Gershonites receive thirteen cities, taken from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
  34. Josué 21:34The Merarites, the last Levite family, receive from Zebulun the cities of Jokneam and Kartah.
  35. Josué 21:35Dimnah and Nahalal, taken from Zebulun's territory, complete the cities the Merarite Levites also receive from Reuben and Gad.
  36. Josué 21:36Bezer, taken from Reuben's territory, is one of Israel's six cities of refuge — a shelter for anyone who killed someone without intent.
  37. Josué 21:37With these two, four cities that the tribe of Reuben hands over to the Merarite Levites are closed out, part of the twelve this clan receives in total.
  38. Josué 21:38From the tribe of Gad, they receive Ramoth, another city of refuge, and Mahanaim.
  39. Josué 21:39Heshbon and Jazer complete the four cities Gad hands over to the Merarites — the same Heshbon that had been the capital of the Amorite king Sihon, defeated back in the time of Moses.
  40. Josué 21:40In total, the Merarite Levites receive twelve cities, taken from the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, east and west of the Jordan.
  41. Josué 21:41The final number of forty-eight Levite cities, taken from various tribes, shows that supporting the priests and worship assistants was a responsibility shared by the whole people, not just one region.
  42. Josué 21:42Each of these forty-eight cities always comes with pastureland around it, following the same pattern throughout.
  43. Josué 21:43The chapter closes by declaring that not one promise made to the ancestors failed to come true. After twenty-one chapters of wars, lists, and lot-drawing, this sentence sums up the whole book's central argument: the promised land had become occupied land.
  44. Josué 21:44After the whole division of the land, God gives Israel rest from the enemies around them, fulfilling the ancient promise.
  45. Josué 21:45The chapter ends with a strong statement: not one of God's good promises to Israel failed to come true.

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