Joshua 21:16

16 'Ayin with its surrounding open land, Yutah with its surrounding open land and Beit-Shemesh with its surrounding open land - nine cities out of these two tribes.

Joshua 21:16 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 15:16

And Ain with her suburbs (See Gill on Joshua 15:32); and Juttah with her suburbs; (See Gill on Joshua 15:55); [and] Bethshemesh with her suburbs;
which is not mentioned among the cities of Judah, ( Joshua 15:21-63 ) ; only as in the borders of it, ( Joshua 21:10 ) ; and perhaps is the same Bethshemesh to which the ark was directed by the Philistines from Ashdod, ( 1 Samuel 6:9 1 Samuel 6:12 ) ; in it formerly was a temple dedicated to the sun, from whence it had its name: nine cities out of those two tribes;
and they seem all but one, which is Ain, to be of the tribe of Judah, and that originally belonged to it; and as that tribe had the largest number of cities in its lot, the more were given out of it to the Levites, according to a rule prescribed, ( Numbers 35:8 ) .

Joshua 21:16 In-Context

14 Yatir with its surrounding open land; Esht'moa with its surrounding open land;

15 Holon with its surrounding open land; D'vir with its surrounding open land;

16 'Ayin with its surrounding open land, Yutah with its surrounding open land and Beit-Shemesh with its surrounding open land - nine cities out of these two tribes.

17 Out of the tribe of Binyamin: Giv'on with its surrounding open land, Geva with its surrounding open land,

18 'Anatot with its surrounding open land and 'Almon with its surrounding open land - four cities.