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,
Study Helps
Interpretation
By mixing the Levites with the other tribes, they were made to see that the eyes of all Israel were upon them, and therefore it was their concern to walk so that their ministry might not be blamed. Every tribe had its share of Levites' cities.
Read with
This thought runs through Joshua 21:34-38.
Glossary
- Gad Person
- Fortune; luck. (1. ) Jacob’s seventh son, by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and the brother of Asher ( Gen. 30:11-13 ; 46:16 , 18). In the Authorized Version of 30:11 the words, “A troop cometh: and she called,” etc.
- City People
- The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
- Gilead Place
- Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell edh Dhahab esh Sherqiyeh.
- Mahanaim Place
- Two camps, a place near the Jabbok, beyond Jordan, where Jacob was met by the “angels of God,” and where he divided his retinue into “two hosts” on his return from Padan-aram ( Gen. 32:2 ). Modern identification: Tell edh Dhahab el Gharbi.
- Ramoth Place
- Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tall er Rumeith.