Bible Strands
Joshua 21:4
The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua records the distribution of Levitical cities to the Kohathite clans and the priestly descendants of Aaron. This occurs during the final territorial allotment following the conquest of Canaan.
The words — The text highlights וַ/יֵּצֵ֥א (va/i.ye.Tze') meaning "and it came out" regarding the lot, and לִ/בְנֵי֩ (li/v.Nei) meaning "to the descendants of" Aaron. These terms mark the formal drawing of lots and the specific lineage receiving the allocation.
The thread — This allocation parallels the distribution to the remaining Kohathites in Joshua 21:5 and the broader Levitical allotment commanded in Joshua 21:8. It also aligns with the territorial assignments recorded in 1 Chronicles 6:54.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize that priestly inheritance was secured through divinely directed lots rather than military conquest. It establishes a clear administrative boundary between the general Kohathite clans and the Aaronic priestly line.
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 the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
Cross-references
- Joshua 21:8 So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
- Joshua 24:33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
- 1 Chronicles 6:54 Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them: