Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Joshua
Chapter 21: There Failed Not Ought of Any Good Thing
The Levites, who received no tribal territory, are given forty-eight cities scattered among all the tribes, so that the ministers of God and His Word would be near to everyone. Among them stand the six cities of refuge. And then the whole book of conquest and inheritance comes to its triumphant summary: 'The LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware... And the LORD gave them rest round about... There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.' Not one promise fell to the ground. The God who gives is the God who keeps every word.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Joshua chapter 21. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here the Levites receive forty-eight cities among all the tribes, the cities of refuge among them, and the book declares that not one of God's good promises failed. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Cities Among All
Forty-eight cities scattered through every tribe.
Near to Everyone
God's servants dispersed so His Word was close to all.
Cities of Mercy
The cities of refuge stood among the Levitical cities.
All Came to Pass
Not one good word of the LORD failed.
Cities to Dwell In (Joshua 21:1-8)
The Levites come to claim the cities God promised them through Moses, and receive forty-eight cities by lot, spread among all the tribes of Israel.
The LORD Commanded by the Hand of Moses
"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; And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle. And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs. And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities. And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities. 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 children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses."
Word Study
"Levites," Hebrew Lewiyim (לְוִיִּם). The Levites, set apart for the service of God, received no tribal territory of their own, "the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance" (13:33). Instead they were given "cities to dwell in" scattered among all the other tribes, forty-eight in all. This was the gracious turning of an old word of discipline. Jacob had prophesied over Levi, for his violence, that God would "scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:7); but God took that scattering and made it a blessing, for the tribe, dispersed among all, became the teachers of the law and the leaders of worship near to everyone. Because the Levites lived in cities throughout the land, no Israelite was ever far from someone who could teach him the ways of God. Moses had said of Levi, "they shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law" (Deuteronomy 33:10). The scattering that was discipline for Levi's sin became distribution for Israel's blessing, God's Word and worship spread near to all. There is a lesson here for the people of God. We are called to be salt and light, scattered through the world, not gathered into an isolated cluster but dispersed so that the knowledge of God is near to everyone around us. As the Levites lived among every tribe to keep God's Word close at hand, so believers are placed among all sorts of people to make Christ known. So Lewiyim shows God's grace turning a scattering into a ministry: the tribe with no land of its own was given a home in every tribe, that the Word of the LORD might dwell near to all His people. What was discipline, grace made a blessing.
Explanation
The landless Levites now receive their portion — not a single territory but forty-eight cities scattered throughout every tribe. What began as a curse becomes a blessing: Jacob had said God would "scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:7), and here that scattering places the tribe of worship and instruction in the midst of all the others. Wherever an Israelite lived, a city of Levites was near — teachers of the law and servants of the sanctuary spread among the whole people, so the knowledge of God would never be confined to one corner of the land.
Gospel Focus
The Levites come, like the daughters of Zelophehad and the tribes before them, to claim what God had promised: "The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in." They do not seize or bargain; they plead God's own command, and receive their cities "at the commandment of the LORD... by lot." And the arrangement is beautiful. The Levites, who had no inheritance of land because the LORD Himself was their inheritance, were given cities in the midst of every other tribe, Kohathites, Gershonites, Merarites, spread from Judah in the south to Naphtali in the north. God's ministers were placed among all His people, so that worship and the teaching of the law would be near to everyone. This was wise and gracious: no tribe was left without the presence of those set apart to God. For the Apostolic reader this pictures the calling of God's servants, and indeed of all His people. We are not to withdraw into isolation but to be placed among others, that the knowledge of God might be near to all. The Levites had no earthly territory, yet a home in every tribe; the believer's citizenship is in heaven, yet we are scattered through the world as salt and light, that Christ might be known near at hand. And the Levites' portion reminds us again of the best inheritance: they held no land, but they had God, and they had a place among all His people. So we take our place wherever God sets us, content that our inheritance is the Lord Himself, and eager that, like the Levites among the tribes, we might make His Word and worship near to everyone around us.
Forty and Eight Cities With Their Suburbs (Joshua 21:9-42)
The forty-eight Levitical cities are listed by family and tribe, and among them stand the six cities of refuge, mercy administered through the priesthood.
To Be a City of Refuge for the Slayer
"And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are here mentioned by name, Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot. And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it. But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession. Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs, And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs, And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs, And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, and Bethshemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes. And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs, Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities. All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs. And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs, And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs; four cities. And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs, Aijalon with her suburbs, Gathrimmon with her suburbs; four cities. And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two cities. All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained. And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities. And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs, Jarmuth with her suburbs, Engannim with her suburbs; four cities. And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs, Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs; four cities. And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities. All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs. And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs, Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four cities. And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs, Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs; four cities. And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs, Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs; four cities in all. So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs. These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities."
Word Study
"city of refuge," Hebrew ir miqlat (עִיר מִקְלָט). As the forty-eight Levitical cities are named, a phrase recurs like a refrain: "to be a city of refuge for the slayer." All six cities of refuge, Hebron, Shechem, Golan, Kedesh, Bezer, Ramoth, were Levitical cities. This is a beautiful and deliberate design. The places of mercy for the guilty were placed in the hands of the priests and Levites, the ministers of God. The refuge and the priesthood belonged together. This joins two truths we have already seen: the refuge (chapter 20) and the ministry of God's servants. Mercy was administered through the priesthood; the guilty who fled for refuge came into the care of those who served God and taught His law. And this points, as the cities of refuge do, to Christ, who is both our Refuge and our great High Priest. In Him the shelter of the sinner and the ministry of the priesthood are perfectly joined: He is the city we flee to, and He is the Priest who receives us and by whose death we go free. The mercy and the priesthood meet in one Person. So ir miqlat among the Levitical cities preaches that God's mercy for the guilty is bound up with His priesthood. The refuge was in the care of the Levites; and our refuge is our High Priest Himself. Where we flee for shelter, there we find our Priest; and where our Priest ministers, there mercy is administered to the guilty who come. In Christ, refuge and priesthood are one.
Explanation
The forty-eight cities are named tribe by tribe, each given "with their suburbs" — the surrounding pasture-lands for the Levites' flocks — so that the tribe with no farmland could still live. And through the long list a phrase keeps returning: certain of these towns were also cities "to be a city of refuge for the slayer." So the same tribe that taught the law and tended the altar also housed the places of asylum. The Levites became a distributed network across Israel — of worship, of teaching, and of mercy — woven through every tribe's inheritance.
Gospel Focus
The long list of forty-eight cities, given "with their suburbs" (the surrounding pasture lands for the Levites' flocks), again shows God's careful faithfulness in providing for His servants. Even the tribe with no inheritance of land was exactly provided for, a home in every region. Two details stand out. First, "the fields of the city... gave they to Caleb," a reminder that faithful Caleb kept his hard-won Hebron even as the city itself became a Levitical and refuge city, faith's reward honored alongside God's larger purpose. Second, and most striking, the six cities of refuge are named among the Levitical cities, each with the refrain, "to be a city of refuge for the slayer." The places of mercy were entrusted to the ministers of God. This is no accident. God intended that His mercy toward the guilty be administered through His priesthood, that the one who fled for refuge would come into the care of those set apart to God. For the Apostolic reader this joins two of the richest pictures of Christ. He is the city of refuge to whom we flee; and He is the great High Priest into whose care we come. In the old covenant, refuge and priesthood were bound together in the Levitical cities; in Christ they are perfectly united in one Person. We flee to Him for shelter, and He is Himself our Priest, receiving us, interceding for us, and setting us free by His own death. So the list of Levitical cities, seemingly a dry record, quietly preaches the gospel: mercy is administered through the priesthood, and our Refuge and our High Priest are one, even Jesus Christ, to whom we flee and in whom we are safe.
All Came to Pass (Joshua 21:43-45)
The book of conquest and inheritance closes with a triumphant summary: God gave the land, gave rest, subdued every enemy, and not one of His good promises failed.
There Failed Not Ought of Any Good Thing
"And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass."
Word Study
"failed," Hebrew naphal (נָפַל), "to fall." The verb means to fall, to fall down; "there failed not (did not fall) ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken." The image is of a word that does not fall to the ground unfulfilled. Not one of God's good promises "fell"; every one stood, was kept, came to pass. This is the great summary not only of the book of Joshua but of the faithfulness of God in all of Scripture. Centuries before, God had sworn the land to Abraham; through Moses He had promised rest and victory; and now, at the end of the conquest, the divine testimony is recorded: "all came to pass." The same word is used later of God's word through His prophets: "there shall not one word of all the good things... fail; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof" (Joshua 23:14, using the same idea); and Solomon declared, "there hath not failed one word of all his good promise" (1 Kings 8:56). God's promises do not fall to the ground. Jesus said, "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18), and, "the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Every promise God has made will as surely come to pass as the land was given to Israel. "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). So naphal stands as one of the most reassuring words in the Bible: God's good words do not fall. What He has spoken, He performs; what He has promised, He keeps. Not one good thing He has said to His people will fail; all will come to pass. On this the believer may rest every hope, for the God who kept every promise to Israel keeps every promise still.
Explanation
These three verses are the summit of the book, and they ring with the word all: "the LORD gave... all the land... the LORD gave them rest... according to all... there stood not a man of all their enemies before them." And the crown of it: "there failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken... all came to pass." Solomon would echo it centuries later — "there hath not failed one word of all his good promise" (1 Kings 8:56). God's faithfulness on His side was total and unbroken; whatever land remained to be possessed was Israel's task, not God's failure.
Gospel Focus
These three verses are the mountain-peak of the book, its triumphant conclusion. Everything the LORD had promised is gathered up and declared fulfilled. "The LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers": the promise made to Abraham some six centuries earlier, kept. "The LORD gave them rest round about": the rest promised through Moses, given. "There stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand": every foe subdued. And the crowning testimony: "There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass." Not one promise fell to the ground. This is the settled ground of all faith: God keeps His word. The waiting had been long, centuries from the promise to Abraham to the possession under Joshua; the way had been hard, through slavery, wilderness, and war; and the people had often faltered. But God did not fail. Every good thing He had spoken came to pass. For the Apostolic reader this is the anchor of hope. The God who kept every promise to Israel is the God who has promised us far greater things in Christ, forgiveness, the Spirit, adoption, resurrection, an eternal inheritance, and He will keep every one, for "all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen." Though His promises sometimes tarry, and the way to their fulfillment is often long and hard, not one will fall to the ground. As surely as Israel possessed the land and rested from war, so surely will God's people receive all He has promised in Christ. So we rest our whole hope on His faithfulness. He who has begun a good work will finish it; the God who spoke will perform; and at the last it will be said of all His promises to us, as it was of Israel, "all came to pass." Not one good word of the LORD will fail.
Chapter 21 in Review
Joshua 21 gives the Levites their portion: "forty and eight cities with their suburbs," scattered among all the tribes, so that God's ministers and His Word would be near to everyone. Among these were the six cities of refuge, each named "to be a city of refuge for the slayer," so that mercy was administered through the priesthood. Then the book of conquest closes with its great summary: "The LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware... And the LORD gave them rest round about... There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter gathers up the whole message of Joshua. The Levites, scattered among all the tribes, show God's grace turning discipline into ministry, and remind us that His people are placed among others as salt and light, that His Word might be near to all; and that our best inheritance is not land but the Lord Himself and a place among His people. The cities of refuge among the Levitical cities join mercy and priesthood, a shadow of Christ, who is both our Refuge and our High Priest, the shelter we flee to and the Priest who receives us. And the closing summary is the anchor of all faith: not one of God's good promises failed; "all came to pass." The land was given, the rest was granted, every enemy subdued, exactly as God had sworn to Abraham centuries before. Though the waiting was long and the way was hard, God kept every word. So it will be with every promise He has made us in Christ. His good words do not fall to the ground; what He has spoken, He performs. We rest our whole hope on His unfailing faithfulness, confident that as surely as Israel entered its rest, we shall receive all that God has promised, and that of every good word He has spoken to us it will one day be said, "all came to pass."
- The Levites, scattered among all tribes, kept God's Word near to everyone (21:3-8; Deuteronomy 33:10).
- God's grace turned Levi's scattering (discipline) into a ministry (blessing) (21:3; Genesis 49:7).
- The cities of refuge were Levitical cities: mercy administered through the priesthood (21:13, 21, 27, 32, 36, 38).
- Christ is both our Refuge and our High Priest, perfectly joined in one Person (21:13; Hebrews 6:18; 7:27).
- God gave the land and the rest exactly as He had sworn to the fathers (21:43-44).
- "There failed not ought of any good thing... all came to pass": God keeps every promise (21:45).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you placed, like the Levites, among others to make God's Word near to them?
- Do you find in Christ both your refuge and your High Priest?
- Which of God's promises are you tempted to think might fail?
- How does "there failed not ought of any good thing" anchor your hope today?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The Levites' cities among all the tribes; scattering turned to ministry: Joshua 21:1-8; Numbers 35:1-8; Genesis 49:5-7; Deuteronomy 33:8-11; Malachi 2:4-7; Matthew 5:13-16. The forty-eight cities; the cities of refuge among them: Joshua 21:9-42; Joshua 20:7-8; 1 Chronicles 6:54-81; Hebrews 6:18; 7:24-27. God's perfect faithfulness; not one promise failed: Joshua 21:43-45; Genesis 15:18-21; Joshua 1:6; 11:23; 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 10:23. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The Levites given cities among all tribes; scattering turned to ministry: Joshua 21:1-8; Deuteronomy 33:10.
- The forty-eight cities; the cities of refuge among them; refuge and priesthood joined: Joshua 21:9-42; Hebrews 7:27.
- God gave the land and rest exactly as He had sworn: Joshua 21:43-44; Genesis 15:18.
- "There failed not ought of any good thing... all came to pass": Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Corinthians 1:20.