Joshua 21:36

Bezer and Ramoth were the cities of refuge under the Merarites and beyond Jordan, Josh. 20:8.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 36. Jahazah] See Clarke on Jos 13:18.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

36. Bezer] See ch. Jos_20:8; Jahazah, ch. Jos_13:18 (Heb.).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs,.... Which was a city of refuge, and the fifth of them in this account, though not observed as such here, but is in the Greek version; see Jos 20:8,

and Jahazah with her suburbs; called Jahaz; see Gill on Num 21:23.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Four cities. There are no more, though there be five names: for Misor is the same city as Bosor, which is to be observed in some other places, where the number of names exceeds the number of cities. (Challoner) --- With regard to the 36th and 37th verses, there seems to have been great confusion in the Hebrew manuscripts both ancient and modern. In some they have been totally omitted, in others only a part. (Haydock) --- The famous manuscript of Hillel, and the Masorets, reject them, (Calmet) because they had reckoned only 656 verses in Josue, and these two verses would destroy their authority. Hence they erased them wherever they might be found; and Kimchi assures us, that he never could meet with them "in any manuscript (thus) corrected." Yet the Paralipomena universally acknowledge them, (Kennicott) as the context of Josue must also do, otherwise there will be only eight cities instead of twelve, and four will be wanting to complete the number of forty-eight. The Protestant version therefore is forced to admit them, (Haydock) as they are found in the Eng. Polyglot, on the authority of some ancient manuscripts. They do not, however, express them so fully as the Septuagint have done. (Kennicott) --- These read, "And beyond the Jordan, over-against Jericho, out of the tribe of Ruben, the city of refuge for the slayer Bosor, in the wilderness, (Misor) and her suburbs, and Jazer and her suburbs, (37) and Gedson and her suburbs, and Mapha (Alexandrian copy reads Maspha) and her suburbs, four cities." (Grabe) --- Protestants only admit, "And out of the tribe of Ruben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah....Kedemoth....and Mephaath with her suburbs, four cities." Kennicott finds in some Hebrew manuscripts, "the city of refuge for the slayer, Bosor;" one manuscript has, "in the wilderness," &c. (Haydock) --- These verses were not in the Hebrew text of the Hexapla, as they are obelized in the Septuagint and in the Syriac manuscript of Masius; and yet, as they are found in the old Greek and Syriac versions, and in the Chaldean paraphrase, they were probably omitted between the year 100 and 200. They are left out in several printed editions of the Hebrew Bible, and even in that of Jablonski, (1699) though in opposition to his better judgment and all the manuscripts which he had consulted: legunt omnia nostra manuscripts. Michaelis (1720) reprinted this text, with some few emendations, particularly with these two verse very laudably inserted. (Kennicott, 2 Diss.) --- In the Bened.[Benedictine?] edition of St. Jerome, Martianay observes, that the Hebrew manuscripts of St. Jerome seem to have been mutilated, for if they had admitted this 36th verse, St. Jerome would have translated it, and it would have been found in the more ancient manuscripts of the Latin edition, where it is wanting. Hence this editor leaves it out. He also remarks that other Hebrew manuscripts omit "a city of refuge for the slayer, in the desert." The last word, he says, occurs in several copies of the best not; and Houbigant inserts it on the authority of the oratorian manuscript 54. (Haydock) --- In some editions of the Vulgate, this verse is transposed, and placed after the cities of Gad. (Louvain; R. Steph.; &c.) --- It is therefore, probably that St. Jerome found it not in Hebrew but, if he inserted it, he borrowed it from the Septuagint. The Syriac version places these verses before the 34th and 35th. All this shews that the Hebrew manuscripts have not been kept with great care in this place. Some have surmised that the Septuagint have inserted this necessary supplement from Paralipomenon. But they do not entirely agree with that book, so that it seems that they found these verses in their Hebrew copies. (Calmet) --- We have already given the Hebrew and Septuagint as it is found in the common editions. In Paralipomenon (vi. 78,) it is thus expressed: Beyond the Jordan also, over-against Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Ruben, Bosor in the wilderness, with its suburbs, and Jassa....79. Cademoth also....and Mephaath with its suburbs. The word Misor, which Grabe’s Septuagint and the Vulgate leave untranslated, is the Hebrew word which denotes a plain, (Haydock) as Aquila and Symmachus agree, and as appears [in] chap. xx. 8. Deuteronomy iv. 43, where Bosor is said to have been upon the plain of the wilderness. This city was the famous Bosra, in the desert Arabia, between Philadelphia and Jazer, towards the east. (Calmet) --- We might translate, "the cities of refuge, Bosor in the wilderness, which is also the plain" of Moab, ver. 21. (Haydock) --- Jaser, or Jassa, (chap. xiii. 18,) different from that [in] ver. 37, which lay on the river of the same name in the tribe of Gad. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Bezer, a city of refuge, as it is called Jos 20:8, and therefore needless to be here repeated.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And out of the tribe of Reuben. This verse and the succeeding have the Masoretic note appended that they are not found in the Masora or true tradition. Kimchi therefore rejects them. But they are found in the LXX and the rest of the ancient versions, and they are necessary to make up the number of forty-eight cities. Dr. Kennicott, as well as Michaelis, Rosenmuller, and Maurer defended their genuineness. So does Knobel, who complains that Rabbi Jacob Ben Chajim, in his Rabbinical Bible of 1525, has very improperly omitted these towns on the authority of the Masora, and that many editors have foolishly imitated him They have no doubt been omitted by the mistake of a copyist, who passed on from the bra (four) of ver. 35 to that of ver. 37, omitting all that lay between. The LXX adds here "the city of refuge for the slayer," words which may have possibly formed part of the original text, as they do in every other instance. Jahazah. It is worthy of remark that this city, with Heshbon and Jazer and Mephaath, fell into the hands of the Moabites in later times, a sad indication of religious declension. (see Isa 15,isa 16 Jer_48:21, Jer_48:34)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To the clans of Merari were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer

This can be stated in active form. AT: "The clans of Merari received from the tribe of Reuben Bezer" (See: Active or Passive)

four cities

This refers to the total number of cities. (See: Numbers)

Bezer ... Jahaz ... Kedemoth ... Mephaath ... Ramoth

names of cities (See: How to Translate Names)

Out of the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth

This can be stated in active form. AT: "They received from the tribe of Gad Ramoth" (See: Active or Passive)

Mahanaim

This is the name of a city. (See: How to Translate Names)

translationWords

clan

tribe

Reuben

Gad

Gilead

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.