Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Joshua 21 Bible study: Nothing failed
The tribe with no land asked, and was given forty-eight cities spread through every tribe, by lot, just as the LORD commanded by Moses (21:2, 21:8, 21:41). Then the book sums itself up in three verses and one Hebrew picture: of all the good the LORD had spoken, not one word fell. "All came to pass" (21:45).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“Nothing failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Joshua 21 the heads of the Levites came to Eleazar and Joshua and asked for the cities the LORD had commanded through Moses.”
Is that in Joshua 21, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
What Moses was told, carried out
In the plains of Moab the LORD had said, "Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance" (Numbers 35:2), "forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands" (Numbers 35:7). Now, at Shiloh, the heads of the Levites' fathers' houses come and say it back: "The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their pasture lands for our livestock" (21:2) (tap pasture lands). And it is done: "The children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of the LORD, these cities with their pasture lands" (21:3). The chapter ends the list where Numbers began: "All the cities of the Levites among the possessions of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands" (21:41). Chapter 13 has already said why Levi had no land of its own: "The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance" (13:33), and chapter 14 that they would have "cities to dwell in" (14:4). This is those cities.
Where it leads to Jesus
In him is the "Yes"
Joshua 21:45leads to2 Corinthians 1:20
"Nothing failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass" (21:45). Paul writes of "the Son of God, Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:19): "For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.”" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Paul doesn't cite Joshua 21, so setting the two side by side is a reading. Some hear Paul saying of every promise of God, in Jesus, what Joshua 21:45 says of the LORD's good word to Israel: none of it failed. Others read 2 Corinthians 1:20 within its own setting, where Paul says his own word to the Corinthians "was not ‘Yes and no’" (2 Corinthians 1:18), and Joshua 21:45 within its own, the LORD's word "to the house of Israel", each in its own place.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Joshua 21
That was a taste
The rest of Joshua 21 is waiting in Favor
- Four lots, forty-eight cities
- Not one word fell
- Priests' towns, later in the Bible
- Not one word fell, said again
- The cities of refuge, in the list
- 16 questions as you read
- 9 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Joshua 21 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
מִגְרָשׁmigrashsay mig-RASH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "common, common-land, open land". Strong's: "a suburb (i.e. open country whither flocks are driven from pasture)". The Levites asked for "cities to dwell in, with their pasture lands for our livestock" (21:2), and every city in the list comes "with its pasture lands". In Hebrew, the book of Joshua uses the word 58 times, more than any other book of the Hebrew Bible, and 57 of them are in this chapter; the other is 14:4. The chapter's last word on it: "Each of these cities included their pasture lands around them. It was this way with all these cities" (21:42). Numbers 35 gave the command (Numbers 35:2-5).
For your group
Joshua 21 Bible study questions
- 1The Levites came and asked for what the LORD had commanded through Moses (21:2). Is there a promise of God you have stopped bringing to him? What would it look like to ask again?
- 2The Levites had no land of their own and lived in cities spread among all the tribes (21:41). Where has God placed you among other people, and how could you serve there this week?
- 3"Nothing failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass" (21:45). When you look back, where have you seen God keep his word to you?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Joshua 21 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Joshua 21 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Joshua 21 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Joshua 21
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home