Joshua 21:34-40 · Bible study
Joshua 21:34-40 Commentary: Merarite Levites' Cities
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Joshua 21:34-40 study: why unknown cities like Kartah and Dimnah are included and what they teach about God's provision for the Levites.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God fulfills His command to provide twelve cities for the Merarite Levites, including both known towns and locations nowhere else recorded.
- Key words: Migraš (pasture lands), land for livestock; gôrāl (lot), divine assignment; ha-nôṭārîm (the remaining), the rest of the Levites.
- Main debate: Whether the Masoretic omission of verses 36, 37 is original or a scribal error, affecting the total count of cities.
- Theological theme: God’s detailed care for those who serve Him, even in obscure places; faithfulness to covenantal promises.
- Best use: A sermon series on God’s provision, or a small-group lesson on trusting Scripture’s historical reliability despite unresolved details.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
34This is what the Merarite clan (the rest of the Levites) were given:
35From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
36From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz,
37Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
38And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,
39Heshbon, and Jazer—four cities in all, together with their pasturelands.
40In all, twelve cities were allotted to the clans of Merari, the remaining Levite clans.
WEB World English Bible 2000
34To the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasture lands, Kartah with its pasture lands,
35Dimnah with its pasture lands, and Nahalal with its pasture lands: four cities.
36Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasture lands, Jahaz with its pasture lands,
37Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands: four cities.
38Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,
39Heshbon with its pasture lands, Jazer with its pasture lands: four cities in all.
40All these were the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites. Their lot was twelve cities.
KJV King James Version 1769
34And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,
35Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four cities.
36And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,
37Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs; four cities.
38And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
39Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs; four cities in all.
40So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
34And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its suburbs, and Kartah with its suburbs,
35Dimnah with its suburbs, Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities.
36And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, and Jahaz with its suburbs,
37Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities.
38And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,
39Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs; four cities in all.
40All these were the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites; and their lot was twelve cities.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
34And for the families of the sons of Merari, the Levites, who are left, are, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its suburbs, Kartah and its suburbs,
35Dimnah and its suburbs, Nahalal and its suburbs--four cities.
36And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its suburbs, and Jahazah and its suburbs,
37Kedemoth and its suburbs, and Mephaath and its suburbs--four cities.
38And out of the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge for the man-slayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs, and Mahanaim and its suburbs,
39Heshbon and its suburbs, Jazer and its suburbs-- in all four cities.
40All the cities for the sons of Merari, for their families, who are left of the families of the Levites--their lot is twelve cities.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
34And to the families of the children of Merari, that remained of the Levites, [they gave] out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its suburbs, Kartah and its suburbs,
35Dimnah and its suburbs, Nahalal and its suburbs: four cities;
36and out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its suburbs, and Jahzah and its suburbs,
37Kedemoth and its suburbs, and Mephaath and its suburbs: four cities;
38and out of the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge for the slayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs; and Mahanaim and its suburbs,
39Heshbon and its suburbs, Jaazer and its suburbs: four cities in all.
40[These were] all the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, which remained of the families of the Levites, and their lot was twelve cities.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
34And to the children of Merari, Levites of the inferior degree, by their families were given of the tribe of Zabulon, Jecnam and Cartha,
35And Damna and Naalol, four cities with their suburbs.
36Of the tribe of Ruben beyond the Jordan over against Jericho, Bosor in the wilderness, one of the cities of refuge, Misor and Jaser and Jethson and Mephaath, four cities with their suburbs.
37Of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Galaad, one of the cities of refuge, and Manaim and Hesebon and Jaser, four cities with their suburbs,
38All the cities of the children of Merari by their families and kindreds, were twelve.
39So all the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight,
40With their suburbs, each distributed by the families.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Joshua 21:34
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that these verses complete the assignment of twelve cities to the Merarite clan, the third Levitical family. The list includes some locations that appear nowhere else in Scripture, Kartah and Dimnah, for example, and others like Ramoth in Gilead that served as cities of refuge. Barnes notes that the text is considered corrupt in places, and the Cambridge Bible says Kartah and Dimnah are unknown. Adam Clarke strongly defends the authenticity of two omitted verses (vv. 36, 37) on textual grounds: without them the total Levitical cities would number forty-four, not the forty-eight that both Joshua 21:41 and Numbers 35 require. Gill also records that these verses are missing from some Hebrew copies but present in others. Despite the debate over specific readings, the broad picture is clear: the list is part of a systematic allocation that gave each Levitical family towns with surrounding pasturelands, fulfilling the command Moses received. The presence of obscure place names does not discredit the record; rather it suggests the compiler drew on genuine but incomplete archival sources.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Historical record: The list draws on genuine administrative records; the presence of unknown cities reflects the incompleteness of archaeological data, not error.
- Textual-critical view: The discrepancy in total cities and the omission in some manuscripts indicate a textual corruption that must be resolved by external evidence.
- Theological symbolism: The inclusion of obscure names emphasizes that God values hidden, forgotten places and people, and that every detail of His provision matters.
What is clear: The Merarite Levites received twelve cities total, including at least two cities of refuge, and the list fulfills Moses’ command in Numbers 35.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Textual authenticity of verses 36, 37 | The whole passage describes Merarite cities and the verses are present in many Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. | Some Jewish and Protestant scholars (following the Masora) omit these verses as not original; others (Adam Clarke, many early printed editions) include them, arguing they are needed to reach the total of forty-eight cities. |
| Location of Kartah and Dimnah | These are Levitical cities assigned from Zebulun. | No archaeological site has been identified for either; some propose Kartah = Kitron (Judges 1:30) and Dimnah = Rimmon (1 Chronicles 6:77), but these identifications are uncertain. |
| Why the Chronicler’s list is shorter | Both sources (Joshua and 1 Chronicles) agree the Merarites received twelve cities. | Joshua lists twelve cities; 1 Chronicles 6:77 names only four (Rimmono and Tabor). The discrepancy is often explained by the Chronicler's selective method or by using a different textual tradition. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Levites held no contiguous tribal territory. Instead, God commanded that they receive forty-eight cities scattered across Israel, each with a ring of open land (Hebrew migrāš) for their livestock (Numbers 35:1-8). Mercari was Levi’s third son; his clan formed the smallest and least prominent of the Levitical families. The twelve cities assigned to them were drawn from three tribes: Zebulun in the north (west of the Jordan), and Reuben and Gad in the Transjordan. The inclusion of Zebulun reflects the desire for geographic spread, Merarites would minister in both the near north and the eastern frontier. Among their towns was Ramoth in Gilead (v. 38), one of six designated cities of refuge where someone who killed accidentally could flee and await trial.
The list’s structure echoes a census report: tribe by tribe, city by city, with the repeated formula “with its pasturelands.” Some cities like Jokneam appear in earlier tribal allotments (Joshua 19:11, 12:22), while others like Kartah remain unidentified by modern archaeology. The text of Joshua 21:34-40 has a complicated textual history; the Masoretic tradition omitted verses 36, 37, which list cities in Reuben, though early printed Hebrew Bibles and the Septuagint include them. The Chronicler’s parallel list (1 Chronicles 6:77) gives only four cities for the Merarites, suggesting he abridged or used a different source. This passage stands as a witness to the meticulous, and sometimes incomplete, way the biblical writers recorded God’s provision for even the least of the tribes.
Textual Notes
The Masoretic tradition in the Hebrew Bible omits Joshua 21:36, 37 (the cities from Reuben), leaving the total at forty-four Levitical cities rather than the stated forty-eight. Early printed Hebrew Bibles, the Septuagint, and English translations (KJV, WEB, BSB) include these verses. Adam Clarke argues forcefully that the Masorites rejected them mistakenly; Gill notes they are found in other ancient copies. The consulted sources do not mention other significant variants for this passage. The textual issue does not affect the main theological meaning, God’s provision for the Levites, but it does illustrate how scribal tradition can shape the biblical text we receive.
Reception History
Early Christian commentators such as Origen and Jerome read the Levitical city lists as literal history and as allegorical types of the Church’s inheritance. In the medieval period, Jewish exegetes like Rashi focused on the geographical details, drawing on rabbinic traditions to locate the obscure cities. Protestant reformers, including Matthew Henry, saw the list as evidence of God’s orderly care for the priests and Levites. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the textual omission of verses 36, 37 became a flashpoint in debates over the reliability of the Hebrew Bible; defenders of the Masoretic text (Joseph ben Adoniyahu, often cited in the Masora) treated the shorter version as authoritative, while scholars like Benjamin Kennicott and Adam Clarke argued from the Septuagint and early editions that the fuller text was original. The passage continues to be used in discussions of Old Testament textual criticism and God’s provision for spiritual workers.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God provides for those who serve Him. The Levites owned no land, so God gave them towns and fields. This distribution reminds us that those called to full-time ministry are sustained by the community, and that God ensures His servants have what they need.
- The value of obscure history. Most readers will never visit Kartah or Dimnah, and nobody knows exactly where they were. Yet God saw fit to preserve their names in Scripture. This teaches that He treasures the small, forgotten places and the quiet, faithful people who dwell there.
- God keeps His word in detail. The total of forty-eight cities matches the command in Numbers 35. Even when the manuscript tradition seemed to lose two verses, the overall tally confirms the promise. Every city, known or unknown, is part of a fulfilled covenant.
Five-point outline
- The pattern of distribution: Mercari receives twelve cities from three tribes.
- The cities of refuge: Ramoth in Gilead, a place of grace for the manslayer.
- The unknown locations: Kartah, Dimnah, why does Scripture record names we cannot verify?
- The textual puzzle: missing verses in some Hebrew manuscripts and their recovery.
- The conclusion (vv. 43-45): land given, rest achieved, God faithful.
Illustration hooks
- A town sign on a state map for a place so small it has no gas station, yet its name appears on a legal document.
- An old family will that leaves a specific piece of land to a younger son: the location may be remote, but it matters to the one who receives it.
- When a church designates a dedicated parking spot for the minister: a small but intentional provision that says, “You belong here.”
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does the Bible include long lists of places we cannot find? Are we supposed to memorise them?
- Do obscure details like these prove the Bible is historically reliable, or do they just show it is old?
- What does God’s care for the Levites, a landless tribe, say about how He provides for spiritual leaders today?
Leading a Discussion
Joshua 21:34-40 feels like a dry catalogue, names, numbers, pasturelands. But behind the list lies a promise kept. The Levites owned no fields; their inheritance was the Lord. Yet God made sure they had towns to live in and land for their animals. As you read this passage with your group, let the details slow you down. Notice the repetition. Notice the quiet places that only appear here.
Discussion questions
- In your own words, what is the big idea of Joshua 21? How does it connect to what comes before and after (chapters 13, 20 and 22)?
- Look at the repeated phrase “with its pasture lands.” Why do you think that detail matters? What does it tell you about God’s provision for the Levites?
- Some cities in this list (like Kartah and Dimnah) are mentioned only here and are archaeologically unknown. How does the presence of such obscure names affect your confidence in the Bible’s historical reliability?
- Ramoth in Gilead is called “the city of refuge for the man slayer” (v. 38). How does including that description change the feel of the list? What does it say about God’s concern for justice and mercy?
- Verse 40 says the Merarites received “twelve cities.” Compare this with the Masoretic omission of two verses that reduces the count. How should we handle textual variants like this one when we study Scripture?
- If you were a Merarite Levite living in one of these towns, what would your daily life look like? How would you serve the surrounding tribes?
- How does knowing that God appointed specific places for his servants encourage you to trust His timing and provision in your own life?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 12:22 | the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; |
| Joshua 19:11 | Their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth. It reached to the brook that is before Jokneam. |
| Joshua 19:15 | Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages. |
| Joshua 21:7 | The children of Merari according to their families had twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun. |
| I Chronicles 6:77 | To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its pasture lands, and Tabor with its pasture lands; |
| Numbers 21:23 | Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz. He fought against Israel. |
| Deuteronomy 4:43 | Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites. |
| Joshua 13:18 | Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights a textual dispute: two verses containing four Levitical cities are missing from many Hebrew Bibles because the Masora omitted them. He presents Kennicott's argument that the chapter's stated total of forty-eight cities cannot be reached without those verses, making their omission a likely error.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that several cities assigned to the Merarites do not appear in the earlier list of Zebulun's towns in Joshua, which leads him to conclude the biblical text here is corrupted or incomplete.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator identifies the twelve cities given to the Merarite Levites, dividing them into four cities from Zebulun, four from Reuben, and four from Gad. For each town, it offers cross-references to other passages in Joshua that help locate the otherwise obscure names.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill focuses on a textual discrepancy in the list of Merarite cities. He notes that some Hebrew manuscripts omit four cities in Joshua 21:35, but these are essential to reach the stated total of twelve. He identifies these missing cities by comparing parallel passages to demonstrate the intended complete count.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange rejects Calvin's suggestion that the Levites had been overlooked. He argues they simply waited for the right moment. Because Eleazar, a fellow Levite, was involved in the land distribution, they approached at the opportune time to request the cities Moses had promised.