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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

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.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Aaron;   Levites;   Priest;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Levite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Levi;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Joshua, the Book of;   Kohathites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Joshua;   Kohath, Kohathites;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Numbers, Book of;   Priests and Levites;   Suburb;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Lots;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Kohath, Kohathites ;   Levites ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Aaronites;   Ezekiel;   Kohath;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The lot came out for the Kohathite clans: The Levites who were the descendants of the priest Aaron received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Hebrew Names Version
The lot came out for the families of the Kehati: and the children of Aharon the Kohen, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Yehudah, and out of the tribe of the Shim`oni, and out of the tribe of Binyamin, thirteen cities.
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.
Lexham English Bible
The allotment fell for the families of the Kohathites. The descendants of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, received by lot thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
English Standard Version
The lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities.
New Century Version
The Kohath family groups were part of the tribe of Levi. Some of the Levites in the Kohath family groups were from the family of Aaron the priest. To these Levites were given thirteen towns in the areas of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
New English Translation
The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Amplified Bible
The [first] lot (allotment) came out for the families of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were sons (descendants) of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of Simeon and from the tribe of Benjamin.
New American Standard Bible
Then the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And to the sons of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, thirteen cities were given by lot from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of the Simeonites, and from the tribe of Benjamin.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron ye Priest, which were of the Leuites, had by lot, out of the tribe of Iudah, & out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Beniamin thirteene cities.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the sons of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, received thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of the Simeonites and from the tribe of Benjamin.
Contemporary English Version
The leaders asked the Lord to show them in what order the clans of Levi would be given towns, and which towns each clan would receive. The Kohath clans were first. The descendants of Aaron, Israel's first priest, were given thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Complete Jewish Bible
The lot came out for the families of the K'hati. The descendants of Aharon the cohen, who were of the L'vi'im, received by lot thirteen cities from the tribes of Y'hudah, Shim‘on and Binyamin.
Darby Translation
And the lot came forth for the families of the Kohathites. And the children of Aaron the priest, of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Kohath family groups were descendants of Aaron the priest from the tribe of Levi. Part of the Kohath family was given 13 towns in the areas that belonged to Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
George Lamsa Translation
And lots were drawn for the families of the Kohathites; and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
Good News Translation
The families of the Levite clan of Kohath were the first to be assigned cities. The families who were descended from Aaron the priest were assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Literal Translation
And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the sons of Aaron the priest, 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.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the lot fell vpon the kynred of the Kahathites, and the children of Aaron the prest amonge the Leuites, had by the lott thyrtene cities of the trybe of Iuda, of the trybe of Simeon, and of the trybe of Ben Iamin.
American Standard Version
And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
Bible in Basic English
And the heritage came out for the families of the Kohathites: the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, were given thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the lot came out for the kynred of the Caathites: the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the Leuites, had geuen them by lot out of the tribe of Iuda, out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Beniamin, thirteene cities.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites; and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
King James Version (1611)
And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the Priest, which were of the Leuites, had by lot out of the tribe of Iudah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Beniamin, thirteene cities.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the lot came out for the children of Caath; and the sons of Aaron, the priests the Levites, had by lot thirteen cities out of the tribe of Juda, and out of the tribe of Symeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin.
English Revised 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 the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the lot yede out in to the meynee of Caath, of the sones of Aaron, preest, of the lynages of Juda, and of Symeon, and of Beniamyn, threttene citees;
Young's Literal Translation
And the lot goeth out for the families of the Kohathite, and there are for the sons of Aaron the priest (of the Levites), out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, by lot thirteen cities,
Update Bible Version
And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the sons of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, [who 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.
World English Bible
The lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
New King James Version
Now the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.
New Living Translation
The descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, were allotted thirteen towns that were originally assigned to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
New Life Bible
The name drawn first was for the families of the Kohathites. The Levites who were children of Aaron the religious leader received thirteen cities from the families of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.
New Revised Standard
The lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites, then had the sons of Aaron the priest, from among the Levites - out of the tribe of Judah and out of the tribe of the Simeonites and out of the tribe of Benjamin - by lot, thirteen cities.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the lot came out for the family of Caath of the children of Aaron the priest out of the tribes of Juda, and of Simeon, and of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
Revised Standard Version
The lot came out for the families of the Ko'hathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities.
THE MESSAGE
The lot came out for the families of the Kohathites this way: Levites descended from Aaron the priest received by lot thirteen cities out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. The rest of the Kohathites received by lot ten cities from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the sons of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, received thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of the Simeonites and from the tribe of Benjamin.

Contextual Overview

1Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel 2at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, along with pasturelands for our livestock." 3So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance: 4The 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.5The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 6The descendants of Gershon received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 7The descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 8So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities along with their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the children: Joshua 21:8-19, Joshua 24:33, 1 Chronicles 6:54-60

the tribe: These tribes furnished more habitation to the Levites, in proportion, than any of the other tribes, because they possessed a more extensive inheritance, agreeably to what Moses had commanded - Numbers 35:8. It is worthy of remark, that the principal part of this tribe, whose business was to minister at the sanctuary, which sanctuary was afterwards established at Jerusalem, had their appointment nearest to that city; so that they were always within reach of the sacred work which God had appointed them.

Reciprocal: Joshua 21:10 - General 1 Chronicles 6:61 - left

Cross-References

Genesis 21:10
and she said to Abraham, "Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!"
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.
Genesis 21:22
At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do.
Genesis 21:23
Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you."
Exodus 12:48
If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD's Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.
Leviticus 12:3
And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy's foreskin is to be circumcised.
Deuteronomy 12:32
See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
Luke 1:6
Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
Luke 1:59
On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
Luke 2:21
When the eight days until His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the lot came out for the family of the Kohathites,.... The first lot that was drawn out of the pot or urn was for the descendants of Kohath, a son of Levi:

and the children of Aaron the priest, [which were] of the Levites; who descended from Amram, the eldest son of Kohath, and these were not only Levites, but priests: these

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; which are after mentioned by name; and as these were priests, whose business was to serve in the temple, and at the altar, the cities assigned them by the lot, were, by the wise disposal of divine Providence, ordered them out of those tribes which lay nearest to Jerusalem; the place God had chosen to put his name in, where the temple would be built, and the altars erected for sacrifices and incense.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thirteen cities - This number is said to be too great for the single family of Aaron. But it appears 1 Chronicles 24:0 that the two surviving sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, had together 24 sons, the heads of the priestly families. Since Aaron was 123 years old when he died Numbers 33:39, his sons’ grandchildren and great grandchildren were no doubt living in the elapsing years of Joshua’s course, and had to he provided with dwellings. They might altogether number several thousands. The “cities” of Canaan were for the most part small; as is manifest from the astonishing number of them in proportion to the area of the land, more particularly in the south, where the portion of the priests was situated. The priests or Levites would not occupy the whole of the dwellings in any city, nor all its “fields,” nor necessarily and always all its “villages” (compare Joshua 21:12). Non-Levites, to whom the cultivation of their land, and other secular concerns, were entrusted, no doubt resided in the Levitical cities or their precincts. It appears, further, that several of the cities here enumerated were only wrested from the Canaanites at a later date.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 21:4. Out of the tribe of Judah - Simeon, and - Benjamin, thirteen cities. — These tribes furnished more habitations to the Levites in proportion than any of the other tribes, because they possessed a more extensive inheritance; and Moses had commanded, Numbers 35:8, From them that have many, ye shall give many; and from them that have few, ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites, according to his inheritance. It is worthy of remark, that the principal part of this tribe, whose business was to minister at the sanctuary, which sanctuary was afterwards to be established in Jerusalem, had their appointment nearest to that city; so that they were always within reach of the sacred work which God had appointed them.


 
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