What Does Joshua 21:6 Mean in the King James?
And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
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 Hebrew word for each “tribe” also means a staff or rod, so Gershon’s cities are placed among four branches of a wider people.
THE MEANING
This verse places Gershon’s families in thirteen cities across Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half of Manasseh in Bashan. Their dwelling is distributed among four tribal territories, weaving the Levites into the wider inheritance.
THE ROOT
מַטֶּה
matteh
GROWS FROM
נטה
To stretch out, extend, or incline.
The word מַטֶּה (matteh), used here for “tribe,” also means a staff or rod and is linked to נָטָה (natah), “to stretch” or “extend.” English “tribe” hides the staff image: the verse places Gershon’s families among four distinct branches of the people.
ALSO GROWS
natah: To stretch out, extend, or incline.
נָטָה
This verbal root gives the sense of extension carried by the tribal word.
matteh: A staff or rod; also a tribe or lineage.
מַטֶּה
The same Hebrew word holds both the image of a rod and the name for a people’s lineage, linking the verse’s tribal groupings to its language of branches.
THE PATTERN
Distinct branches are placed throughout a wider whole rather than gathered in one center.
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 now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.THE THREAD
Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.Numbers 17:2 uses מַטֶּה (matteh), the same Hebrew word translated “tribe” in Joshua 21:6, for each tribal rod. The shared word carries both the lineage and the staff image, casting the four territories here as branches through which Gershon’s families are placed.
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