By Larry Barnes in Joshua — 31 Oct 2025

Joshua 21

10/31/2025

Joshua 21 NKJV: This chapter covers the inheritance of the Levites, and the cities they received from all the tribes, as God commanded. Question: Were all the cities of refuge given to the Levites? I noticed several were listed as cities of refuge, but I didn't count to see how many.

Yes, all six cities of refuge designated in Joshua 20 were given to the Levites as part of their inheritance in Joshua 21, as explicitly commanded in Numbers 35:6–8 (which requires the cities of refuge to be Levitical cities). The text of Joshua 21 even notes four of them directly as "a city of refuge for one accused of murder" when listing them among the 48 total Levite cities (the other two are implied by context, as they match the Joshua 20 designations).

For reference, here's the cross-match:

City of Refuge (from Joshua 20)	Tribal Territory	Levite Clan in Joshua 21	Confirmed as Levite City?
Kedesh in Galilee	Naphtali	Gershonites	Yes (explicitly noted)
Shechem	Ephraim	Kohathites	Yes (explicitly noted)
Hebron (Kiriath Arba)	Judah	Kohathites (Aaron's descendants)	Yes (explicitly noted)
Bezer	Reuben	Merarites	Yes
Ramoth in Gilead	Gad	Merarites	Yes (explicitly noted)
Golan in Bashan	Manasseh	Gershonites	Yes (explicitly noted)

This fulfills God's instruction that the Levites—lacking a full tribal land inheritance—would receive scattered cities (including these refuges) from all the other tribes for their dwelling and service.

I forgot about the command you referenced in Numbers 35. Thank you. I can say without question that the most important verse in chapter 21, if not the whole book of Joshua, is verse 45. That seems to encapsulate the whole story from Abraham to here.

Absolutely, Joshua 21:45 is a mic-drop moment—a triumphant exhale after the whirlwind of conquests, allotments, and divine faithfulness. It's like the book of Joshua pausing to say, "See? Every promise God made, from the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12 (land, descendants, blessing) to the oaths renewed through Moses and Joshua, landed exactly as sworn." No loose ends, no footnotes; just unyielding reliability. In a world of broken vows, it's a cornerstone reminder that God's word is the ultimate anchor, echoing forward into the New Testament's "He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23). What a capstone to the era—what's your favorite echo of that promise in the rest of Scripture?

How did these Levitical cities work? Were they governed and administered by the Levites, or did the Levites just live there?

The Levitical cities—48 in total, as detailed in Joshua 21 and commanded in Numbers 35:1–8—functioned as scattered residential enclaves for the tribe of Levi within the territories of the other Israelite tribes. Since the Levites received no full tribal land inheritance (Deuteronomy 18:1–2), these cities provided them with homes, common pasturelands (extending about 1,000–2,000 cubits around each city for grazing and agriculture), and a base for their priestly duties. However, they were not independent Levite "states" or colonies; instead, they operated as integrated outposts that balanced the Levites' unique religious role with the host tribes' ongoing authority over the land.

Who Lived There?

The Levites were granted the right to dwell in these cities, but they were not the sole inhabitants or owners. The cities remained embedded within the host tribes' territories, and non-Levites (from the surrounding tribe) likely continued to live and work there alongside them, especially since the Levites' population was relatively small (estimated at around 22,000 adult males from the census in Numbers 3:39). Fields outside the immediate pasture zones could not be sold by the Levites (Leviticus 25:34), but houses within the cities could be redeemed or revert to Levite ownership during the Jubilee year (Leviticus 25:32–33). In practice, not all cities were immediately or fully occupied by Levites post-conquest—some, like Gezer or Taanach, remained partially under Canaanite control for a time (Joshua 16:10; Judges 1:27–29)—and Levites sometimes lived outside these designated cities if needed.

Governance and Administration

Civil governance and administration of the Levitical cities were primarily handled by the host tribes, not the Levites. The cities were "donated" from each tribe's allotment (proportional to the tribe's size, per Numbers 35:8), but ownership and overarching control stayed with the donor tribe. This meant tribal leaders managed local civil affairs, such as justice (outside of the cities of refuge), taxation, defense, and land disputes, while the Levites had protected residency rights without territorial sovereignty. The setup echoed Jacob's earlier curse on Levi and Simeon in Genesis 49:5–7, dispersing them to prevent concentrated power and integrate them as a national religious service class rather than a political one.

The Levites' Role

The Levites' primary function in these cities was religious and educational, not administrative or judicial in a civil sense. They oversaw worship, performed sacrifices and rituals at local high places or shrines (supplementing the central tabernacle/temple), taught the Torah to the surrounding population (Deuteronomy 33:10), and maintained orthodoxy to curb idolatry—especially vital in remote areas far from the national sanctuary. Six of the cities doubled as cities of refuge for accidental manslayers (Joshua 20:7–8; Numbers 35:6), where Levites would help adjudicate cases impartially. This dispersion allowed them to serve all Israel as a "clergy on call," with subgroups like the Aaronide priests getting priority cities near key sites (e.g., Hebron for the Kohathites).

In essence, the system was a divine workaround: the Levites got security and sustenance without land barons' burdens, while the tribes gained embedded spiritual guides without ceding control. It foreshadowed a theocratic ideal where faith permeated daily life, though historical records (like in Judges) show it wasn't always seamless, with some Levites freelancing in unauthorized shrines.

Show me what Genesis 49:5-7 says.

Here is Genesis 49:5–7 in the New King James Version (NKJV):

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
6 Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united to their assembly;
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;
And their wrath, for it was cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
And scatter them in Israel.

Context:

Jacob is pronouncing blessings (and judgments) on his sons just before his death.
The “man” they slew refers to the massacre at Shechem (Genesis 34), where Simeon and Levi killed all the males in revenge for Dinah’s rape.
The “hamstringing of an ox” may symbolize their violent, destructive nature or be a metaphor for crippling others.

Fulfillment:

Simeon: Later absorbed into Judah’s territory (Joshua 19:1–9); their inheritance was “within” Judah, fulfilling the scattering.
Levi: Received no tribal land but was dispersed among all tribes in the 48 Levitical cities (Joshua 21), turning the curse into a sacred purpose—serving as priests and teachers throughout Israel.

I like how all these accounts intertwine, reinforcing the fact that they are all woven by the same author, God.

Absolutely. The way Genesis 49:7’s judgment (“I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel”) becomes a blessing in disguise in Joshua 21 is one of Scripture’s most beautiful threads. What looked like a curse (Levi’s violent zeal) is sovereignly redirected into a calling: no land, but presence among all the tribes, teaching the Law, guarding holiness, and making God accessible everywhere.

It’s not just literary unity; it’s divine authorship on display. Centuries apart, the same voice speaks:

Jacob prophesies dispersion.
Moses structures it (Numbers 35).
Joshua fulfills it (Joshua 21).
And later, the Chronicler reflects on it (1 Chronicles 6) as a settled reality.

Even the New Testament echoes it: Jesus, from the tribe of Judah, sends out the twelve (including Levi’s descendants) to teach and serve, continuing the pattern of spiritual scattering for the sake of the nations.

It’s one story, one Author, one redemptive plan (from curse to calling, from Shechem’s swords to sanctuary cities). That’s the fingerprint of God.