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Sunday, September 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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New Life Version

Joshua 21:3

So the sons of Israel gave these cities and fields of their land to the Levites, as the Lord had said.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Priest;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Levite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Levi;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Joshua;   Numbers, Book of;   Priests and Levites;   Suburb;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Levites ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Levites;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Le'vites;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So the Israelites, by the Lord’s command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance.
Hebrew Names Version
The children of Yisra'el gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the mitzvah of the LORD, these cities with their suburbs.
King James Version
And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord , these cities and their suburbs.
Lexham English Bible
So, by command of Yahweh, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands from their inheritance.
English Standard Version
So by command of the Lord the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance.
New Century Version
So the Israelites obeyed this command of the Lord and gave the Levite people these towns and pastures for their own land:
New English Translation
So the Israelites assigned these cities and their grazing areas to the Levites from their own holdings, as the Lord had instructed.
Amplified Bible
So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these [forty-eight] cities and their pasture lands, in accordance with the command of the LORD.
New American Standard Bible
So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these cities with their pasture lands, in accordance with the command of the LORD.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the children of Israel gaue vnto the Leuites, out of their inheritance at the commaundement of the Lord these cities with their suburbes.
Legacy Standard Bible
So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these cities with their pasture lands, according to the command of Yahweh.
Contemporary English Version
Since the Lord had said this, the leaders of the other Israelite tribes agreed to give some of the towns and pastures from their tribal lands to Levi.
Complete Jewish Bible
So out of their inheritance the people of Isra'el gave the L'vi'im the following cities with the surrounding open land:
Darby Translation
And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the word of Jehovah, these cities and their suburbs.
Easy-to-Read Version
So the Israelites obeyed this command from the Lord and gave the Levites these towns and the land around them for their animals:
George Lamsa Translation
And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.
Good News Translation
So in accordance with the Lord 's command the people of Israel gave the Levites certain cities and pasture lands out of their own territories.
Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance these cities and their open land, at the mouth of Jehovah:
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then the children of Israel gaue of their enheritaunce these cities and the suburbes therof, vnto the Leuites, acordynge to the commaundement of the LORDE.
American Standard Version
And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Jehovah, these cities with their suburbs.
Bible in Basic English
And the children of Israel out of their heritage gave to the Levites these towns with their grass-lands, by the order of the Lord.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the children of Israel gaue vnto the Leuites, out of their inheritaunce at the biddyng of the Lorde, these cities folowing with their suburbes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of the LORD, these cities with the open land about them.
King James Version (1611)
And the children of Israel gaue vnto the Leuites out of their inheritance at the commandement of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So the children of Israel gave to the Levites in their inheritance by the command of the Lord the cities and the country round.
English Revised Version
And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of the LORD, these cities with their suburbs.
Berean Standard Bible
So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the sones of Israel yauen `of her possessiouns, bi comaundement of the Lord, citees and the subarbis of tho.
Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel give to the Levites, out of their inheritance, at the command of Jehovah, these cities and their suburbs:
Update Bible Version
And the sons of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Yahweh, these cities with their suburbs.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.
World English Bible
The children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Yahweh, these cities with their suburbs.
New King James Version
So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their common-lands:
New Living Translation
So by the command of the Lord the people of Israel gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own grants of land.
New Revised Standard
So by command of the Lord the Israelites gave to the Levites the following towns and pasture lands out of their inheritance.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the sons of Israel gave unto the Levites, out of their own inheritance, at the bidding of Yahweh, - these cities, with their pasture-lands.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the children of Israel gave out of their possessions according to the commandment of the Lord, cities and their suburbs.
Revised Standard Version
So by command of the LORD the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasture lands out of their inheritance.
THE MESSAGE
So the People of Israel, out of their own inheritance, gave the Levites, just as God commanded, the following cities and pastures:
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these cities with their pasture lands, according to the command of the LORD.

Contextual Overview

1 Then the family heads of the Levites came to Eleazar the religious leader, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the family groups of Israel. 2 They said to them at Shiloh in Canaan, "The Lord said through Moses to give us cities to live in, as well as fields around them for our cattle." 3 So the sons of Israel gave these cities and fields of their land to the Levites, as the Lord had said. 4 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. 5 The rest of the sons of Kohath by drawing names received ten cities from the families of Ephraim and Dan and the half-family group of Manasseh. 6 The sons of Gershon by drawing names received thirteen cities from the families of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-family group of Manasseh in Bashan. 7 The sons of Merari received twelve cities from the families of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. 8 The sons of Israel by drawing names gave these cities with their fields to the Levites, as the Lord had said through Moses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

unto the Levites: Genesis 49:7, Deuteronomy 33:8-10, 1 Chronicles 6:54-81

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:6 - six cities for refuge Numbers 35:7 - General Numbers 35:8 - possession Joshua 21:8 - by lot

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son. And you will give him the name Isaac. I will make My agreement with him and for his children after him, an agreement that will last forever.
Genesis 21:6
And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. All who hear will laugh with me."
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, "Do not be full of sorrow because of the boy and the woman who serves you. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you. For your children and all their children's children after you will be given a name through Isaac.
Genesis 22:2
God said, "Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love. And go to the land of Moriah. Give him as a burnt gift on the altar in worship, on one of the mountains I will show you."
Joshua 24:3
Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River. I led him through all the land of Canaan. I gave him many children, and I gave him Isaac.
Matthew 1:2
Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
Acts 7:8
"He made a promise with Abraham. It was kept by a religious act of becoming a Jew. Abraham had a son, Isaac. On the eighth day Abraham took Isaac and had this religious act done to him. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of our twelve early fathers.
Romans 9:7
Not all of Abraham's family are children of God. God told Abraham, "Only the family of Isaac will be called your family."
Hebrews 11:18
God had said to Abraham, "Your family will come from Isaac."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance,.... Knowing full well there was such a command, made no objection to their motion, but freely gave them cities out of the portion of inheritance allotted to them; this they did

at the commandment of the Lord, and in obedience to it, even gave these cities and suburbs; after mentioned: this was done by the tribes themselves; as there were a certain number fixed by the commandment of God, they agreed among themselves how many and what cities should be given out of each tribe; and then lots were cast for them by Joshua, what and which cities should be appropriated to their several divisions, as the Kohathites that sprang from Aaron, and the rest of them that did not, and the Gershonites and Merarites, as follows.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 21:3. And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites — They cheerfully obeyed the Divine command, and cities for habitations were appointed to them out of the different tribes by lot, that it might as fully appear that God designed them their habitations, as he designed the others their inheritances.


 
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