Joshua 21:1

1 Then the heads of the fathers of the Levites came near unto Eleazar the priest and unto Joshua, the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel;

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 the heads of the fathers of the Levites came near unto Eleazar the priest and unto Joshua, the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel;

2 and they spoke unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in with the suburbs thereof for our beasts.

3 Then the sons of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their possessions, according to the word of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.

4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites; and the sons of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah and out of the tribe of Simeon and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

5 And the rest of the sons of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim and out of the tribe of Dan and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.