Bible Strands
Joshua 21:34
This is what the Merarite clan (the rest of the Levites) were given: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Jokneam, Kartah,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua records the final allocations of Levitical cities as the tribal inheritances are being settled. The passage specifies the portion assigned to the Merarite clans from the territory of Zebulun.
The words — וּלְמִשְׁפְּחֹת בְּנֵי־מְרָרִי (ulemishpechot benei-merari) translates literally to "and to the clans of the descendants of Merari." הַנּוֹתָרִים (hanot'arim) means "the remaining ones" or "the rest."
The thread — The Merarite allotment from Zebulun is repeated in 1 Chronicles 6:77, while the city of Jokneam appears earlier as a defeated king in Joshua 12:22 and later as a geographic marker near a brook in Joshua 19:11. The surrounding verses in Joshua 21:33 and 21:35 frame this entry within the broader list of Levitical cities.
Why it lands — The text demands verification of the Levites' inheritance as a direct execution of the land distribution mandate. It requires the reader to track how sacred allocations intersect with tribal boundaries without adding theological commentary.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 6:77 The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands.
- Joshua 12:22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
- Joshua 19:11 It went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam.
- Joshua 19:15 It also included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along with their villages.
- Joshua 21:7 And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.