All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.

JOSHUA 21:41KJV
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Joshua 21:41 (KJV)

What does Joshua 21:41 mean?

Joshua 21:41 states that the Levites, one of the tribes of Israel, were given a total of forty-eight cities along with their surrounding lands ("suburbs") within the territory owned by the other Israelites. This verse summarizes how the Levites were provided for, since they did not receive a single, unified territory like the other tribes.

This statement comes near the end of a section where the distribution of land in Canaan is being described. The Levites, who served special religious roles, are being given cities scattered among all the other tribes. The verse highlights how the Levites were woven throughout Israel, not isolated, and were supported by the whole nation.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 21:41

  • לְוִיִּ֔ם (Leviyyim; "Levites"): This word refers specifically to the tribe set apart for religious duties. Their scattered cities underline their role as spiritual leaders among all the tribes.
  • מִּקְנֵיהֶֽם (migrash; "suburbs"): The word often means open land or pastureland around a city, not suburbs in the modern sense. This detail shows the Levites were given both places to live and land to support themselves.
  • אֲחֻזָּ֖ה (achuzzah; "possession"): This word refers to inherited land or property. The verse emphasizes that the Levites' cities were within the inherited land of the other tribes, not their own separate territory.

Why Joshua 21:41 matters

  • Joshua 21:41 clarifies that the Levites did not receive a large, continuous territory but were intentionally placed among all the tribes, reinforcing their role as teachers and spiritual guides for the whole nation.
  • The verse helps explain how the Levites were provided for materially, since their main work was religious service rather than farming or herding.
  • This summary verse ties together the detailed listing of Levitical cities earlier in the chapter, showing the careful organization and fairness in how Israel’s land was divided.

Where else these words appear

“possession” Hebrew H272 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
  • Leviticus 25:41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
  • Joshua 22:4 And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.

“suburbs” Hebrew H4054 · used in 67 verses

  • Leviticus 25:34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
  • Joshua 21:25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two cities.
  • 1 Chronicles 6:68 And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs,

“eight” Hebrew H8083 · used in 105 verses

  • Genesis 5:4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
  • 1 Kings 7:15 For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.
  • 2 Chronicles 35:19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

“forty” Hebrew H705 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.