They remind us that God’s provision for worship extended throughout Israel, ensuring that His people would have constant guidance wherever they lived.
“From the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands” (v.23). In this verse, the text names two cities, Elteke and Gibbethon, which the tribe of Dan contributed to the Levites. The Levites, serving as priests and worship leaders for Israel, did not receive a separate territory of their own, but were instead given designated cities scattered throughout the land so that people in every region could benefit from their ministry and spiritual guidance. Here, Elteke and Gibbethon become such Levitical cities, granting the Levites and their families secure places to dwell and cultivate.
The tribe of Dan originally settled in the southwestern portion of Canaan, near the land of the Philistines, and later some families from Dan migrated northward (Judges 18). Assigning these particular cities to the Levites emphasized God’s design that priestly instruction and worship should be accessible to every Israelite. The presence of “pasture lands” underscores the practical needs of these priestly families because they depended partly on livestock for sustenance, and so these surrounding fields would help supply their physical needs while they focused on their spiritual service.
Set to dark mode
Joshua 21:23 meaning
“From the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands” (v.23). In this verse, the text names two cities, Elteke and Gibbethon, which the tribe of Dan contributed to the Levites. The Levites, serving as priests and worship leaders for Israel, did not receive a separate territory of their own, but were instead given designated cities scattered throughout the land so that people in every region could benefit from their ministry and spiritual guidance. Here, Elteke and Gibbethon become such Levitical cities, granting the Levites and their families secure places to dwell and cultivate.
The tribe of Dan originally settled in the southwestern portion of Canaan, near the land of the Philistines, and later some families from Dan migrated northward (Judges 18). Assigning these particular cities to the Levites emphasized God’s design that priestly instruction and worship should be accessible to every Israelite. The presence of “pasture lands” underscores the practical needs of these priestly families because they depended partly on livestock for sustenance, and so these surrounding fields would help supply their physical needs while they focused on their spiritual service.