Joshua 21:24
Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; four cities.
Original Language Analysis
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
1 of 11
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
וְאֶת
H853
וְאֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
3 of 11
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
מִגְרָשֶׁ֑הָ
with her suburbs
H4054
מִגְרָשֶׁ֑הָ
with her suburbs
Strong's:
H4054
Word #:
4 of 11
a suburb (i.e., open country whither flocks are driven from pasture); hence, the area around a building, or the margin of the sea
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
5 of 11
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
וְאֶת
H853
וְאֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
8 of 11
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
מִגְרָשֶׁ֑הָ
with her suburbs
H4054
מִגְרָשֶׁ֑הָ
with her suburbs
Strong's:
H4054
Word #:
9 of 11
a suburb (i.e., open country whither flocks are driven from pasture); hence, the area around a building, or the margin of the sea
Historical Context
Aijalon (Yalo) controlled the Aijalon Valley, a major invasion route parallel to Beth-horon. The valley's strategic importance made it perpetually contested. The city was inhabited by Benjamites after the exile (Nehemiah 11:35), though originally Danite, showing tribal boundary fluidity. Gath-rimmon's location is uncertain; some identify it with Tell Jerisheh north of Joppa. The parallel list in 1 Chronicles 6:69 has textual variants, complicating identification. Both cities were on Dan's western border facing Philistine pressure.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Aijalon's association with the sun-and-moon miracle emphasize that God's servants depend on His supernatural provision?
- What does the pattern of cities being lost during apostasy (Aijalon under Ahaz, Gibbethon to Philistines) teach about the connection between spiritual and physical inheritance?
- Why did God allocate Levitical cities in vulnerable border regions facing Philistine pressure rather than in secure interior locations?
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Analysis & Commentary
Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; four cities (אַיָּלוֹן וְגַת־רִמּוֹן אַרְבַּע עָרִים, Ayalon veGat-Rimon arba arim)—Aijalon's valley witnessed another cosmic miracle when Joshua commanded, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon" (Joshua 10:12). This city, where the moon halted, became a Levitical possession—a perpetual reminder that the God who controls celestial bodies provides for His servants. Aijalon later became a border fortress fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:10) and was captured by Philistines during Ahaz's apostasy (2 Chronicles 28:18), another example of spiritual decline leading to territorial loss.
Gath-rimmon ("wine-press of the pomegranate") appears in Joshua's initial allotment to Dan (Joshua 19:45). The summary four cities from Dan completed the non-Aaronic Kohathites' allocation, which continues with additional cities from Manasseh in verses 25-26. These ten cities (four from Ephraim, four from Dan, two from Manasseh) provided for Kohathite Levites who were not priests.