Joshua 21:1

1 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;

Joshua 21:1 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 21:1

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 34:17-29 ) .

Joshua 21:1 In-Context

1 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;

2 and they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Kana`an, saying, the LORD commanded Moshe to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs of it for our cattle.

3 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.

4 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.

5 The rest of the children of Kehat had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Efrayim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half-tribe of Menashsheh, ten cities.