What Does Joshua 21:19 Mean in the King James?
All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
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 priests’ “suburbs” are open ground, so the verse counts the space around a place as part of its provision.
THE MEANING
A life given to service still requires a place to dwell and open ground around it. The verse holds the dwelling and its surrounding margin together, showing provision as more than an address.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
That a life of service should have only a place to sleep, with no surrounding space counted as part of its provision.
THE ROOT
מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶן
migresheihen
GROWS FROM
גרש
Drive out, expel, send away.
The Hebrew word for “suburbs,” migresheihen, is a form of מִגְרָשׁ (migrash), open common land around a town, sharing the consonants of גָּרַשׁ (garash), “drive out.” The verse includes both the inhabited city and the open land around it, so provision reaches beyond the walls.
ALSO GROWS
garash: Drive out, expel, send away.
גָּרַשׁ
This verb carries the action associated with the root behind “suburbs.”
migrash: Open common land around a town; suburbs.
מִגְרָשׁ
This noun names the surrounding land counted alongside the cities in the verse.
THE PATTERN
Provision for sacred service includes a place to dwell and the material ground that sustains it.
Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.THE THREAD
Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.“Suburbs” here and in Joshua render מִגְרָשׁ (migrash), the open common land around a town. Numbers names both parts of the provision; Joshua gives the count of the cities assigned to Aaron’s descendants.
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