{"commentary":{"id":"jamieson-fausset-brown","name":"Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary","website":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamieson-Fausset-Brown_Bible_Commentary","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","licenseNotes":null,"licenseNotice":null,"englishName":"Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary","language":"eng","textDirection":"rtl","sha256":"db3d4c8b3c1f32ef9d1430a57392e02bda3a17aac1f9bbe398461de021a3cb13","availableFormats":["json"],"listOfBooksApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/books.json","listOfProfilesApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/profiles.json","numberOfBooks":66,"totalNumberOfChapters":1187,"totalNumberOfVerses":17056,"totalNumberOfProfiles":0,"languageName":"English","languageEnglishName":"English"},"book":{"id":"JOS","commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","name":"Joshua","commonName":"Joshua","introduction":"JOSHUA. The title of this book is derived from the pious and valiant leader whose achievements it relates and who is commonly supposed to have been its author. The objections to this idea are founded chiefly on the clause, \"unto this day,\" which occurs several times (Jos 4:9; Jos 6:25; Jos 8:28). But this, at least in the case of Rahab, is no valid reason for rejecting the idea of his authorship; for assuming what is most probable, that this book was composed toward the close of Joshua's long career, or compiled from written documents left by him, Rahab might have been still alive. A more simple and satisfactory way of accounting for the frequent insertion of the clause, \"unto this day,\" is the opinion that it was a comment introduced by Ezra, when revising the sacred canon; and this difficulty being removed, the direct proofs of the book having been produced by a witness of the transactions related in it, the strong and vivid descriptions of the passing scenes, and the use of the words \"we\" and \"us,\" (Jos 5:1-6), viewed in connection with the fact, that, after his farewell address to the people, Joshua \"wrote these words in the book of the law of God\" [Jos 24:26] --all afford strong presumptive proof that the entire book was the work of that eminent individual. Its inspiration and canonical authority are fully established by the repeated testimonies of other Scripture writers (compare Jos 6:26 with Kg1 16:34; compare Jos 10:13 with Hab 3:11; Jos 3:14 with Act 7:45; Jos 6:17-23 with Heb 11:30; Jos. 2:1-24 with Jam 2:25; Psa 44:2; Psa 68:12-14; Psa 78:54-55). As a narrative of God's faithfulness in giving the Israelites possession of the promised land, this history is most valuable, and bears the same character as a sequel to the Pentateuch, that the Acts of the Apostles do to the Gospels. \n\n\n\nNext: Joshua Chapter 1\n\n","order":6,"numberOfChapters":24,"sha256":"d5ccb86ed076b87f0150319a9bb5a06c2b473db49d42acf036fc03e8e705d854","firstChapterNumber":1,"firstChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/JOS/1.json","firstChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"JOS","chapter":1},"lastChapterNumber":24,"lastChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/JOS/24.json","lastChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"JOS","chapter":24},"totalNumberOfVerses":209},"chapter":{"number":21,"content":[{"type":"verse","number":4,"content":["the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites--The Levites were divided into Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites. Among the former the family of Aaron were exclusively appointed to the priesthood, and all the rest were ranked in the common order of Levites. The first lot was drawn by the Kohathites; and the first of theirs again by the priests, to whom thirteen cities were granted, and ten to the rest of the Kohathites (Jos 21:5); thirteen to the Gershonites (Jos 21:6), and twelve to the Merarites (Jos 21:7).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":9,"content":["THE CITIES OF THE PRIESTS. (Jos. 21:9-42)\n\nthey gave . . . these cities which are here mentioned by name--It was overruled by the unerring providence of the Divine Lawgiver that the cities of the priests lay within the territories of Judah and Benjamin. This was a provision, the admirable wisdom and propriety of which were fully manifested on the schism that took place in the reign of Rehoboam.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":41,"content":["All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs--This may appear too great a proportion compared with those of the other tribes. But it must be borne in mind that the list given here contains the names of every Levitical city (see on 1Ch. 6:39-66); whereas only those cities of the other tribes are mentioned which lay on the frontier or along the boundary line. Besides, the Levites were not the exclusive inhabitants of those forty-eight cities; for there must have been also a considerable number of people kept there to cultivate the glebe lands and tend the cattle. Still further, the Levitical cities had nothing but \"their suburbs round about them\" [Jos 21:42]; whereas the other cities in Israel possessed a group of independent villages (see Jos. 17:1-19:51).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":43,"content":["GOD GAVE THEM REST. (Jos 21:43-45)\n\nthe Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers--This is a general winding up of the history from the thirteenth chapter, which narrates the occupation of the land by the Israelites. All the promises made, whether to the people or to Joshua (Jos 1:5), had been, or were in the course of being fulfilled; and the recorded experience of the Israelites (Jos 21:45), is a ground of hope and confidence to the people of God in every age, that all other promises made to the Church will, in due time, be accomplished.\n\n\n\n\nNext: Joshua Chapter 22\n\n"]}],"introduction":"EIGHT AND FORTY CITIES GIVEN BY LOT OUT OF THE OTHER TRIBES UNTO THE LEVITES. (Jos 21:1-8)\n\nThen came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites--The most venerable and distinguished members of the three Levitical families, on behalf of their tribe, applied for the special provision that had been promised them to be now awarded (see on Num 35:2). Their inheritance lay within the territory of every tribe. It was assigned in the same place and manner, and by the same commissioners as the other allotments. While the people, knowing the important duties they were to perform, are described (Jos 21:3) as readily conceding this \"peculiar\" to them, it had most probably been specified and reserved for their use while the distribution of the land was in progress.\n\n"},"thisChapterLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/JOS/21.json","thisChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"JOS","chapter":21},"nextChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/JOS/22.json","nextChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"JOS","chapter":22},"previousChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/JOS/20.json","previousChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"JOS","chapter":20},"numberOfVerses":4}