Joshua 21:18

18 Anathoth and Almon. The total number of those towns and their grasslands was four.

Joshua 21:18 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 21:18

Anathoth with her suburbs
This is not mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, ( Joshua 18:11-28 ) ; it was the native place of the Prophet Jeremiah, (See Gill on Jeremiah 1:1); it lay about two or three miles north of Jerusalem; three, says, Jerom ^F11. Rauwolff ^F12 speaks of it as a small village, when he travelled into those parts, and as lying on a height or eminence, and which was within twenty furlongs of Jerusalem, as Josephus writes ^F13: and Almon with her suburbs;
this also is not mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, ( Joshua 18:11-28 ) ; it is called Alemeth, ( 1 Chronicles 6:60 ) . Jarchi and Kimchi say it is the same with Bahurim, ( 2 Samuel 3:16 ) ; where the Targum renders it by Almeth, and both words signify the same thing, "youth": four cities;
which were a large number for so small a tribe as little Benjamin to give.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F11 De loc. Heb. fol. 88. H.
F12 Travels, par. 3. c. 2. p. 216.
F13 Antiqu. l. 10. c. 7. sect. 3.

Joshua 21:18 In-Context

16 Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh. They gave those towns and their grasslands to the family groups of Kohath. The total number of towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon was nine.

17 The people of Israel gave some towns from the tribe of Benjamin to the family groups of Kohath. The towns were Gibeon, Geba,

18 Anathoth and Almon. The total number of those towns and their grasslands was four.

19 So the total number of towns and their grasslands that were given to the priests in the family line of Aaron was 13.

20 There were other family groups of Kohath among the Levites. They were given towns from the tribe of Ephraim. Here are the towns those other family groups of Kohath were given.