Joshua 21:16

Listen to Joshua 21:16
16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands—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 ) .

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Joshua 21:16 In-Context

14 Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,
15 Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands,
16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands—nine cities out of these two tribes;
17 then out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,
18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands—four cities.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025