Section Joshua 21:1–45 The clan of Levi received towns to live in

Paragraph 21:1–3

21:1a

Now: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now indicates the next event in the story. This begins a new section. Use a connecting word that is appropriate in your language to begin a new section.

the family heads of the Levites: The phrase the family heads of the Levites refers to the leaders of the Levite clan. This same phrase was used in 14:1. Translate it in a similar way to how you did in that verse.

approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun: Yahweh had told Moses in Numbers 34:16–17 that Eleazar and Joshua would assign land to all the clans of Israel. Yahweh had also told Moses in Numbers 35:1–8 to give the Levites towns to live in and pasturelands around the towns.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Then the heads of the families in the clan of Levi came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun
-or-
After that, the leaders of the families of the Levi clan went to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua son of Nun

21:1b

and the heads of the other tribes of Israel: In verse 21:1a the leaders were those of the Levi clan. They approached the leaders from all the other clans of Israel.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

and to the heads of the other Israel clans
-or-
and to the leaders of all the other clans of Israel

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