Joshua 21:1

Myles Coverdale Bible

Then the chefe fathers amonge the Leuites came forth vnto Eleasar the prest and to Iosua the sonne of Nun, and to ye awncient fathers amoge the trybes of the children of Israel,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Levite family heads approached the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes.

Hebrew Names Version
Then came near the heads of fathers' [houses] of the Levites to El`azar the Kohen, and to Yehoshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers' [houses] of the tribes of the children of Yisra'el;

King James Version
Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;

Lexham English Bible
Then the heads of the families of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the tribes of the Israelites.

English Standard Version
Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.

New Century Version
The heads of the Levite families went to talk to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of all the tribes of Israel.

New English Translation
The tribal leaders of the Levites went before Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the Israelite tribal leaders

Amplified Bible
Then the heads of the households of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

New American Standard Bible
Then the heads of fathers' households of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of fathers' households of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then came the principall fathers of the Leuites vnto Eleazar the Priest, and vnto Ioshua the sonne of Nun, and vnto the chiefe fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the heads of households of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of households of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

Contemporary English Version
While the Israelites were still camped at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, the family leaders of the Levi tribe went to speak to the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the family leaders of the other Israelite tribes. The leaders of Levi said, "The Lord told Moses that you have to give us towns and provide pastures for our animals."

Complete Jewish Bible
Then the leaders of the ancestral clans of the L'vi'im approached El‘azar the cohen, Y'hoshua the son of Nun and the leaders of the ancestral clans of the tribes of the people of Isra'el.

Darby Translation
Then the chief fathers of the Levites drew near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;

Easy-to-Read Version
The family rulers of the Levite tribe went to talk to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the rulers of the other tribes of Israel.

George Lamsa Translation
THEN the chiefs of the priests and the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of Israel,

Good News Translation
The leaders of the Levite families went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of all the tribes of Israel.

Literal Translation
And the heads of the fathers of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

American Standard Version
Then came near the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel;

Bible in Basic English
Then the heads of the families of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun, and to the heads of families of the tribes of the children of Israel;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And then came the principall fathers of ye Leuites vnto Eleazar the priest, and vnto Iosuah the sonne of Nun, & vnto the auncient fathers that were ouer ye tribes of the children of Israel.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then came near the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel;

King James Version (1611)
Then came neere the heads of the fathers of the Leuites vnto Eleazar the Priest, and vnto Ioshua the sonne of Nun, and vnto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the heads of the families of the sons of Levi drew near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Naue, and to the heads of families of the tribes of Israel.

English Revised Version
Then came near the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel;

Berean Standard Bible
Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the princes of meynees of Leuy neiyiden to Eleazar, preest, and to Josue, sone of Nun, and to the duykis of kynredis, bi alle the lynagis of the sones of Israel;

Young's Literal Translation
And the heads of the fathers of the Levites draw nigh unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

Update Bible Version
Then came near the heads of fathers' [houses] of the Levites to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers' [houses] of the tribes of the sons of Israel;

Webster's Bible Translation
Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;

World English Bible
Then came near the heads of fathers' [houses] of the Levites to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers' [houses] of the tribes of the children of Israel;

New King James Version
1 Chronicles 6:54-81">[xr] Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.

New Living Translation
Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to consult with Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel.

New Life Bible
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.

New Revised Standard
Then the heads of the families of the Levites came to the priest Eleazar and to Joshua son of Nun and to the heads of the families of the tribes of the Israelites;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then came near the ancestral heads of the Levites, unto Eleazar, the priest, and unto Joshua son of Nun, - and unto the ancestral heads of the tribes, of the sons of Israel;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then the princes of the families of Levi came to Eleazar the priest, and to Josue the son of Nun, and to the princes of the kindreds of all the tribes of the children of Israel

Revised Standard Version
Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came to Elea'zar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel;

THE MESSAGE
The ancestral heads of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and to the heads of the other tribes of the People of Israel. This took place at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. They said, " God commanded through Moses that you give us cities to live in with access to pastures for our cattle."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the heads of households of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of households of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

Contextual Overview

¹ Then the chefe fathers amonge the Leuites came forth vnto Eleasar the prest and to Iosua the sonne of Nun, and to ye awncient fathers amoge the trybes of the children of Israel, ² and spake vnto them at Silo in the londe of Canaan, and sayde: The LORDE commaunded by Moses, that we shulde haue cities geuen vs to dwell in, and the suburbes of the same for oure catell. ³ 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. ⁴ 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. ⁵ The other childre of Kahath of the same kynred, had by the lot ten cities, of the trybe of Ephraim, of the trybe of Dan, and of the halfe trybe of Manasse. ⁶ But the children of Gerson of the same kynred had by the lot thyrtene cities, of the trybe of Isachar, of the trybe of Asser, of ye trybe of Nepthali, and of the halfe trybe of Manasse at Basan. ⁷ The children of Merari of their kynred had twolue cities, of the trybe of Ruben, of the trybe of Gad, and of the trybe of Zabulon. ⁸ So the children of Israel gaue these cities and their suburbes vnto the Leuites by lott, as the LORDE commaunded by Moses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the heads: Joshua 19:51, Exodus 6:14, Exodus 6:25

Eleazar: Joshua 14:1, Joshua 17:4, Numbers 34:17-29

Reciprocal: Genesis 47:22 - for the priests Genesis 49:7 - I will divide Leviticus 25:32 - the cities Numbers 3:17 - General Nehemiah 11:36 - And of Ezekiel 48:10 - for the priests

Cross-References

Genesis 17:16
for I will blesse her, and geue the a sonne of her. I wil blesse her, and people shall come of her, yee and kynges of many people.

Genesis 17:19
Then sayde God: Yee euen Sara thy wyfe shall beare the a sonne, and thou shalt call his name Isaac: for with him wil I make my euerlastinge couenaunt, and with his sede after him.

Genesis 17:21
But my couenaunt wyll I make wt Isaac, whom Sara shal beare vnto the, eue this tyme twolue moneth.

Genesis 18:10
Then sayde he: aboute this tyme twolue moneth, (yf I lyue) I will come to the agayne, and Sara thy wyfe shal haue a sonne. And Sara herde that out of the tent dore, which was behynde his backe.

Genesis 18:14
Shulde eny soch thinge be to harde for the LORDE? Aboute this tyme (yf I lyue) I wil come to the agayne, & Sara shal haue a sonne.

Genesis 21:17
Then God herde the voyce of the childe, and the angell of God called vnto Agar out of heauen, and sayde vnto her: What ayleth the, Agar? Feare not, for God hath herde ye voyce of the childe, where he lyeth.

Genesis 21:20
And God was with the childe, which grew vp, and dwelt in ye wildernes, and became a connynge archer,

Genesis 50:24
And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethren: I dye, and God wyl vyset you, and brynge you out of this lande, to the lande that he sware vnto Abraham, Isaac and Iacob.

Exodus 3:16
Go thy waye therfore, and gather the elders of Israel tother, and saye vnto them: The LORDE God of youre fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Iacob hath appeared vnto me, and sayde: I haue vysited you, and sene what is done vnto you in Egipte,

Exodus 4:31
& the people beleued. And whan they herde yt the LORDE vysited the children of Israel, and loked vpon their trouble, they bowed them selues, and worshipped.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites,.... When the land was divided to the several tribes, and everyone knew the cities that belonged to them, and what they could and should part with to the Levites, and when the six cities of refuge were fixed; the Levites came to put in their claim for cities of habitation, they having no share in the division of the land; and yet it was necessary they should have habitations; the persons that undertook to put in a claim for them were the principal men among them; the fathers of them were Kohath, Gershon, and Merari; the heads of those were the chief men that were then living: these came

unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun; the high priest and chief magistrate:

and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel; the princes appointed to divide the land with the two great personages before mentioned, Numbers 34:17.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A list of the Levitical cities, varying in some particulars from that given in this chapter, is also, given in 1 Chronicles 6:54-81.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XXI

The Levites apply to Eleazar, Joshua, and the elders, for the

cities to dwell in which Moses had promised, 1, 2.

Their request is granted, 3.

The priests receive thirteen cities out of the tribes of Judah,

Simeon, and Benjamin, 4.

The Levites receive ten cities out of the tribes of Ephraim,

Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh, 5;

and thirteen out of the other half tribe of Manasseh, and the

tribes of Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali, 6.

The children of Merari had twelve cities out of the tribes of

Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, 7.

The names of the cities given out of the tribes of Judah and

Simeon, 8-16.

Those granted out of the tribe of Benjamin, 17-19.

Out of Ephraim, 20-22.

Those out of Dan, 23, 24.

Those out of both the halves of the tribe of Manasseh, 25-27.

Those out of the tribe of Issachar, 28, 29.

Those out of Asher, 30, 31.

Those out of Naphtali, 32.

These were the cities of the Gershonites, 33.

The cities of the Merarites, 34-40.

The sum of the cities given to the Levites, forty-eight, 41, 42.

The exact fulfilment of all God's promises, 43-45.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXI.

Verse Joshua 21:1. The heads of the fathers of the Levites — The Levites were composed of three brand families, the Gershonites, Koathites, and Merarites, independently of the family of Aaron, who might be said to form a fourth. To none of these had God assigned any portion in the division of the land. But in this general division it must have been evidently intended that the different tribes were to furnish them with habitations; and this was according to a positive command of God, Numbers 35:2, &c. Finding now that each tribe had its inheritance appointed to it, the heads of the Levites came before Eleazar, Joshua, and the chiefs of the tribes who had been employed in dividing the land, and requested that cities and suburbs should be granted them according to the Divine command.