Then the heads of fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Then the heads of fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.

  • KJV King James Version

    Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;

  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    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;

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Cross-references (6)

Passages linked to Joshua 21:1 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Joshua 14:1 These are the inheritances which the children of Israel took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed to them,
  • Joshua 17:4 They came to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the princes, saying, “Yahweh commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” Therefore according to the commandment of Yahweh he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.
  • Joshua 19:51 These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
  • Exodus 6:14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
  • Exodus 6:25 Eleazar Aaron’s son took one of the daughters of Putiel as his wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.
  • Numbers 34:17-29 “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. You shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land for inheritance. These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. Of the tribe of the children of Dan a prince, Bukki the son of Jogli. Of the children of Joseph: of the tribe of the children of Manasseh a prince, Hanniel the son of Ephod. Of the tribe of the children of Ephraim a prince, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. Of the tribe of the children of Zebulun a prince, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. Of the tribe of the children of Issachar a prince, Paltiel the son of Azzan. Of the tribe of the children of Asher a prince, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. Of the tribe of the children of Naphtali a prince, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” These are they whom Yahweh commanded to divide the inheritance to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

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Explain this verse (23 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 1. Then came near the heads, etc Here we…

1. Then came near the heads, etc Here we have at a later period a narrative of what ought to have preceded. For no cities of refuge were appointed before they had been assigned to the Levites. To this may be added what was formerly said, that Joshua and Eleazar had made an end of dividing the land. Now, the land was not truly divided till the habitation of the Levites was fixed. We must understand, therefore, that when the lot was cast in the name of the ten tribes, a reservation was made of cities in the land of Canaan for the habitation of the Levites. Beyond the Jordan their portion had already been assigned to them. But as the Levites come forward and request a ratification of the divine grant, it is probable that they were neglected till they pleaded their own cause. For so it is apt to happen, every one being so attentive in looking after his own affairs that even brethren are forgotten. It was certainly disgraceful to the people that they required to be pulled by the ear, and put in mind of what the Lord had clearly ordered respecting the Levites. But had they not demanded a domicile for themselves, there was a risk of their being left to lie in the open air; although, at the same time, we are permitted to infer that the people erred more from carelessness and forgetfulness than from any intention to deceive, as they make no delay as soon as they are admonished; nay, they are praised for their obedience in that they did what was just and right according to the word of the Lord.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Or, the chief of the fathers.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Jos 21:1 Then came near the heads of the…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Then, i.e. when the whole land was distributed unto…
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Here is, I. The Levites' petition presented to this…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Then came near the heads of the fathers of…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The motion of the Levites, to have their cities…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain The Levites apply to Eleazar, Joshua, and the elders,…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Jos 21:1. The heads of the fathers of the…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain A list of the Levitical cities, varying in some…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain The priest, who seems to have presided, as he…
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain 5. Appointment of the Cities for the Priests and…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain DESIGNATION OF THE LEVITICAL CITIES, Jos_21:1-42.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain Ch. Jos_21:1-3. The Demand of the Levites
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Then came near the heads of the fathers of…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Unto the Levites . . . these cities.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain CHAPTER XXVIII. THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. Jos_21:1-42.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain Jos_21:1. The heads of the fathers] On this phrase,…
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain The Assignment of Forty-eight Cities to the Levites
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain 8. The Portion of the Levites
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain The Allotment in General
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Eleazar ... Nun
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 21:1-8 The towns given to the tribe of Levi…

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