Bible Strands
Joshua 21:9
From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they designated these cities by name
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the ongoing distribution of Levitical cities, specifying that the allotment for the Kohathite clan is drawn directly from the tribal territories of Judah and Simeon.
The words — The verb וַיִּתְּנוּ (va.yit.te.nu) literally means "and they gave," denoting the formal transfer of property. The phrase מִמַּטֵּה בְנֵי יְהוּדָה וּמִמַּטֵּה בְנֵי שִׁמְעוֹן (mi.ma.tteh be.nei ye.hu.dah u.mi.ma.tteh be.nei shim.'on) identifies the exact territorial sources for this specific group.
The thread — This territorial source is reiterated in Joshua 21:13, which lists Hebron for Aaron’s descendants, and is summarized in 1 Chronicles 6:65 as part of a larger distribution drawn from Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Why it lands — The text establishes that the Levites received no inherited land of their own, requiring the reader to see their sustenance and residence as entirely dependent on the designated cities provided by the other tribes.
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 they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name,
Cross-references
- Joshua 21:13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,
- 1 Chronicles 6:65 They assigned by lot the cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.