What Does Joshua 21:23 Mean in the King James?
And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her 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 verse counts the open ground around a town as part of its inheritance: the dwelling extends beyond its built center.
THE MEANING
The verse names each town together with its surrounding open land, holding the center and its margin as one place. The land around a dwelling belongs to its shape, too.
THE ROOT
מִגְרָשֶׁיהָ
migrasheha
GROWS FROM
גרש
To drive out or expel; מִגְרָשׁ names the open ground around a town.
“suburbs” in this verse is migrasheha. The verse’s מִגְרָשֶׁיהָ (migrasheha, its open lands) belongs to the גרש family, whose verb means to drive out or expel. Here the noun names the open margin beyond the town’s built center, while counting that land as part of the town’s place.
ALSO GROWS
garash: To drive out, expel
גָּרַשׁ
This verb shares the root’s consonants and connects the open margin to the space outside the built center.
megorash: Driven out, expelled
מְגֹרָשׁ
This form shows the root’s action as a resulting state; מִגְרָשׁ names the open area around the settlement.
THE PATTERN
Dwelling takes shape through the space assigned around 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.Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof.And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;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.The same Hebrew noun מִגְרָשׁ (migrash, open land around a town) appears in Numbers’ instruction for the Levites’ cities. That verse makes Joshua’s repeated phrase concrete: each town’s place includes its surrounding open margin.
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