Joshua 21:3

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And the children of Israel out of their heritage gave to the Levites these towns with their grass-lands, by the order of the Lord.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּתְּנ֨וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל לַלְוִיִּ֛ם מִנַּחֲלָתָ֖ם אֶל־פִּ֣י יְהוָ֑ה אֶת־הֶעָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְאֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶֽן׃

Transliteration

And wayyitənû bənê yiśrāʾēl to the laləwiyyim from minnaḥălāṯām according to pî yhwh ʾeṯ the heʿārîm hāʾēlleh and ʾeṯ miḡrəšêhen

Grammar Details

• *wayyitənû*: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with waw consecutive - they gave
• *bənê*: construct plural of *bēn* - sons of/children of
• *yiśrāʾēl*: proper name - Israel
• *laləwiyyim*: preposition + definite article + plural noun - to the Levites
• *minnaḥălāṯām*: preposition + noun with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - from their inheritance
• *pî*: construct state - mouth of/command of
• *yhwh*: divine name - YHWH/the LORD
• *ʾeṯ*: direct object marker
• *heʿārîm*: definite article + plural noun - the cities
• *hāʾēlleh*: definite article + demonstrative plural - these
• *miḡrəšêhen*: plural noun with 3rd person feminine plural suffix - their pasture lands

Word Meanings

• *minnaḥălāṯām*: from their inheritance/possession/property
• *pî*: mouth/word/command
• *miḡrəšêhen*: their pasture lands/open lands/suburbs

Referenced Verses

• Gen 49:7 : 7 A curse on their passion for it was bitter; and on their wrath for it was cruel. I will let their heritage in Jacob be broken up, driving them from their places in Israel.
• Deut 33:8-9 : 8 And of Levi he said, Give your Thummim to Levi and let the Urim be with your loved one, whom you put to the test at Massah, with whom you were angry at the waters of Meribah; 9 Who said of his father, Who is he? and of his mother, I have not seen her; he kept himself separate from his brothers and had no knowledge of his children: for they have given ear to your word and kept your agreement. 10 They will be the teachers of your decisions to Jacob and of your law to Israel: the burning of perfumes before you will be their right, and the ordering of burned offerings on your altar.
• 1 Chr 6:54-81 : 54 Now these are their living-places, the limits inside which they were to put up their tents: to the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, because they had the first selection, 55 To them they gave Hebron and its outskirts in the land of Judah; 56 But the open country of the town, and the small places round it, they gave to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. 57 And to the sons of Aaron they gave Hebron, the town to which men might go in flight and be safe, and Libnah with its outskirts, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa with its outskirts, 58 And Hilen with its outskirts, Debir with its outskirts, 59 And Ashan with its outskirts, and Beth-shemesh with its outskirts; 60 And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its outskirts, and Alemeth with its outskirts, and Anathoth with its outskirts. All their towns among their families were thirteen towns. 61 And to the rest of the sons of Kohath there were given by the Lord's decision ten towns out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim and out of the tribe of Dan and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh. 62 And to the sons of Gershom, by their families, out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen towns. 63 And to the sons of Merari, by their families, twelve towns were given by the Lord's decision, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun. 64 And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the towns with their outskirts. 65 And they gave by the Lord's decision out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these towns whose names are given. 66 And to the families of the sons of Kohath were given towns by the Lord's decision out of the tribe of Ephraim. 67 And they gave them the town to which men might go in flight and be safe, Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim with its outskirts, and Gezer with its outskirts, 68 And Jokmeam with its outskirts, and Beth-horon with its outskirts, 69 And Aijalon with its outskirts, and Gath-rimmon with its outskirts; 70 And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its outskirts, and Bileam with its outskirts, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath. 71 To the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its outskirts, and Ashtaroth with its outskirts; 72 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its outskirts, and Daberath with its outskirts, 73 And Ramoth with its outskirts, and Anem with its outskirts; 74 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its outskirts, and Abdon with its outskirts, 75 And Hukok with its outskirts, and Rehob with its outskirts; 76 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its outskirts, and Hammon with its outskirts, and Kiriathaim with its outskirts. 77 To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its outskirts, Tabor with its outskirts; 78 And on the other side of Jordan, at Jericho, on the east side of Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the waste land with its outskirts, and Jahzah with its outskirts, 79 And Kedemoth with its outskirts, and Mephaath with its outskirts; 80 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its outskirts, and Mahanaim with its outskirts, 81 And Heshbon with its outskirts, and Jazer with its outskirts.