Bible Strands
Joshua 21:36
From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Joshua's distribution of Levitical cities to the clans of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari. Joshua 21:36 specifically notes the allocation from the territory of the tribe of Reuben.
The words — The text uses בֶּ֖צֶר (Bezer) for a fortified city and יַ֖הְצָ֑ה (Jahaz) for a neighboring settlement, both marked by the direct object particle אֶת־ to indicate receipt.
The thread — Bezer appears again in Joshua 20:8 as a designated city of refuge east of Jericho and in Deuteronomy 4:43 as part of the Reubenite wilderness plateau.
Why it lands — The verse documents the fulfillment of territorial allocation by naming specific Reubenite towns granted to the Levites. It requires the reader to track the precise geographic distribution of priestly inheritance without assuming the inventory begins in the surrounding verses.
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 out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,
Cross-references
- Joshua 20:8 And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
- Deuteronomy 4:43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.
- Numbers 21:23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.
- Joshua 13:18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
- 1 Chronicles 6:78 From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah,