Joshua 21 is the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible or in the Old Testament of the ChristianBible.[1] According to 0Jewish tradition the book was attributed to Joshua, with additions by the high priests Eleazar and Phinehas,[2][3] but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the books of Deuteronomy to 2 Kings, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king Josiah in 7th century BCE.[3][4] This chapter records the designation of "Levitical cities",[5] a part of a section comprising Joshua 13:1–21:45 about the Israelites allotting the land of Canaan.[6]
It is now the turn of the Levites to be granted their part of the land by Joshua and Eleazar at Shiloh (verses 1–2).[12] The Levites' 'inheritance' is YHWH himself (Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 18:1-2, cf Deuteronomy 10:9; in practice, they would receive shares of the Israelites' sacrifices and offerings; Numbers 18:9–24), so they would not receive tribal territory (13:14; 14:3–4) but only towns and their pasturelands throughout Israel (verses 1–3), a total of forty-eight Levitical cities (Numbers 35), including the six cities of refuge (Numbers 35:6–7—all noted in Joshua 21; verses 11, 21, 27, 32, 36, 38).[12] The cities may have mainly 'served as residences and places where Levites could enjoy some personal wealth and status, while performing their priestly duties elsewhere' (Deuteronomy 18:6–8; Judges 18:3-6).[12]
Cities were given out of the other tribes by lot to the Levites, according to their division:[13]
The priests of the Kohathites, the children of Aaron (21:1–8): 13 cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
The Levites of the Kohathites (21:9–19): 10 cities from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (Western Manasseh).
The Gershonites (21:20–26): 13 cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan (Eastern Manasseh).
The Merarites (21:27–33): 12 cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun
Summary of Divine Faithfulness (21:43–45)
The summarizing conclusion notes the promise fulfilment and rest from enemies (cf. Joshua 11:23).[12] These verses close the division record of the land, and tied the two halves of the Book together (chapter 1–12 and chapter 13–21):[14] The declarations of these verses is consist to the fact that the Israelites had not yet possessed all the cities allotted to the various tribes (Judges 1:21–36) nor at any time subdued the whole country promised to them (Numbers 34:1–12), because God intends that the native population should not be annihilated suddenly (Deuteronomy 7:22), but at this time the Canaanites were broken in strength, holding isolated spots in the very midst of the tribes of God's people, so overall, the conquest of Canaan was 'already "ex parte Dei" a perfect work'.[15]
^ abGilad, Elon. Who Really Wrote the Biblical Books of Kings and the Prophets?Haaretz, June 25, 2015. Summary: The paean to King Josiah and exalted descriptions of the ancient Israelite empires beg the thought that he and his scribes lie behind the Deuteronomistic History.
Beal, Lissa M. Wray (2019). Longman, Tremper III; McKnight, Scot (eds.). Joshua. The Story of God Bible Commentary. Zondervan Academic. ISBN978-0310490838.
