Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

JOSHUA 18:21KJV
Know the Bible

Joshua 18:21 (KJV)

What does Joshua 18:21 mean?

Joshua 18:21 lists the first group of cities that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, naming Jericho, Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz as part of their allotted territory. This verse begins the detailed description of Benjamin’s inheritance among the tribes of Israel, organized by their family groups.

In the story, Joshua is overseeing the division of the Promised Land among the Israelite tribes after their conquest of Canaan. The verse is part of a larger section where the boundaries and cities for each tribe are carefully recorded. Listing these cities shows the specific places that became home to the families of Benjamin, grounding their identity and future in these locations.

Where else these words appear

“Bethhoglah” Hebrew H1031 · used in 3 verses

  • Joshua 15:6 And the border went up to Bethhogla, and passed along by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:
  • Joshua 18:19 And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.

“Jericho” Hebrew H3405 · used in 53 verses

  • Numbers 22:1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
  • Joshua 4:19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
  • Joshua 18:12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.

“valley” Hebrew H6010 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 14:3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
  • Judges 7:8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
  • Job 39:21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.