What Does Joshua 21:1 Mean in the King James?
Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Levites’ place in Israel’s order begins with being brought into the same encounter as priestly and tribal authority.
THE MEANING
A voice enters shared order when it draws near to those who carry responsibility. Here the Levite heads stand before Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the tribal heads together; no single office stands for the whole community.
THE ROOT
וַיִּגְּשׁוּ
vayyiggəshū
GROWS FROM
נגשׁ
n-g-sh
To approach or draw near.
“came near” in this verse is vayyiggəshū. The verse begins with movement toward others: the Levite heads come near before anything else is said about their place. The same root can describe both approaching and bringing something near, so nearness becomes the opening of an encounter.
ALSO GROWS
nagash: Approach, draw near.
נָגַשׁ
This is the root verb behind “came near,” making the Levites’ movement the verse’s first act.
higgish: Bring near, present.
הִגִּישׁ
The causative form shows the same root can mean bringing something into reach, as well as drawing near oneself.
רָאשֵׁי
rashei
GROWS FROM
ראשׁ
r-ʾ-sh
Head, top, or beginning.
Hebrew repeats rosh in “heads of the fathers” and “heads of the tribes.” English makes them sound like separate titles, while the repeated word frames both as headship within the community’s family and tribal structure.
ALSO GROWS
rosh: Head, chief, top.
רֹאשׁ
This is the word repeated for both groups of leaders in the verse.
reshit: Beginning, first part.
רֵאשִׁית
The same root’s sense of “beginning” connects headship with the point from which something is ordered.
rishon: First, foremost.
רִאשׁוֹן
This branch carries the root’s sense of what stands at the front or leads.
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
Yehoshua
GROWS FROM
ישע
y-sh-ʿ
Deliver, bring out into safety and spaciousness.
Joshua’s name joins the divine name with the root yasha: “YHWH delivers.” The Levite heads approach a leader whose name carries deliverance as nature, movement from constriction into room.
ALSO GROWS
yesha: Deliverance, rescue.
יֵשַׁע
This noun carries the root’s movement toward safety.
yeshuah: Deliverance.
יְשׁוּעָה
The word makes explicit the nature held in Joshua’s name.
moshia: Deliverer, one who brings out.
מוֹשִׁיעַ
This form names the one who enacts the root’s movement of deliverance.
THE PATTERN
A concern enters shared order when people bring it before those entrusted with hearing and response.
And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.THE THREAD
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?“Came near” here and “drew near” in Genesis 18:23 translate forms of the same Hebrew root, נגשׁ (n-g-sh), meaning to approach. In both verses, nearness opens a consequential encounter: the Levite heads come before Israel’s leaders, while Abraham brings his question before God.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us