'Cities' in the Bible

Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now the cities [of the Hivites] were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim.

he [and his people] feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.”

Now when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking the Amorites dead in a very great defeat, until they were wiped out, and the surviving remnant among them had entered the fortified cities,

Joshua captured all the cities of these kings, and all their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.

But Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood [walled and fortified] on their mounds, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned.

The sons of Israel took as their plunder all the spoil of these cities and the cattle; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They left no one alive.

Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the Ammonites;

with Heshbon, and all its cities which are on the plain: Dibon and Bamoth-baal and Beth-baal-meon,

even all the cities of the plain and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck down along with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.

The border of the sons of Reuben was the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the sons of Reuben according to their families, with their cities and villages.

Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the sons of Ammon, as far as Aroer east of Rabbah;

This is the inheritance of the sons of Gad according to their families, with their cities and their villages.

Their region extended from Mahanaim, all Bashan, the entire kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities;

also half of Gilead, with Ashtaroth and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan; these were for the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the sons of Machir according to their families (clans).

For the sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and no portion was given in the land to the Levites except cities in which to live, with their pasture lands for their livestock and for their property.

So now, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke that day, for you heard on that day that the [giant-like] Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”

Then the border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron; then the border curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).

The cities of the tribe of the sons of Judah in the extreme south toward the border of Edom were Kabzeel and Eder and Jagur,

and Lebaoth and Shilhim and Ain and Rimmon; in all twenty-nine cities with their villages.

and Shaaraim and Adithaim and Gederah and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.

and Gederoth, Beth-dagon and Naamah and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.

and Keilah and Achzib and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.

and Goshen and Holon and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.

and Humtah and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.

Kain, Gibeah and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.

and Maarath and Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.

and Nibshan and the City of Salt and Engedi; six cities with their villages.

Then the border went down to the brook of Kanah, south of the brook (these cities belonged to Ephraim, among the cities of Manasseh), and Manasseh’s border was on the north side of the brook and it ended at the sea.

But the sons of Manasseh were not able to [drive out the inhabitants and] take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land.

So the men set out and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came back to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.

Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho and Beth-hoglah and Emek-keziz,

and Chephar-ammoni and Ophni and Geba; twelve cities with their villages;

and Zelah, Haeleph and the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of [the tribe of] the sons of Benjamin according to their families (clans).

and Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;

Ain, Rimmon and Ether and Ashan; four cities with their villages;

and all the villages which were around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negev (South country). This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families.

Included were Kattah and Nahalal and Shimron and Idalah and Bethlehem; twelve cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the sons of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

The border reached to Tabor and Shahazumah and Beth-shemesh, and their border ended at the Jordan; sixteen cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

Included were Ummah, and Aphek and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath and Chinnereth,

and Yiron and Migdal-el, Horem and Beth-anath and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families (clans), these cities with their villages.

“Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge (asylum), of which I spoke to you through Moses,

He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city; and they shall take him into [the protection of] the city and give him a place [to stay], so that he may live among them.

These were the appointed cities for all the Israelites and for the stranger sojourning (living temporarily) among them, so that whoever killed any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the blood avenger until he had stood before the congregation [for judgment].

They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasture lands for our cattle.”

So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these [forty-eight] cities and their pasture lands, in accordance with the command of the Lord.

The [first] lot (allotment) came out for the families of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were sons (descendants) of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of Simeon and from the tribe of Benjamin.

The rest of the sons of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim and from the tribe of Dan and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.

The sons of Gershon received thirteen cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Asher and from the tribe of Naphtali and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

The sons of Merari according to their families received twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben and from the tribe of Gad and from the tribe of Zebulun.

The sons of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their pasture lands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

They gave these cities which are mentioned here by name from the tribe of the sons of Judah and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon;

and Ain with its pasture lands and Juttah with its pasture lands and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; nine cities from these two tribes (Judah and Simeon).

Anathoth with its pasture lands and Almon with its pasture lands; four cities.

All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

Then the cities from the tribe of Ephraim were allotted to the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites, even to the rest of the sons of Kohath.

and Kibzaim with its pasture lands and Beth-horon with its pasture lands; four cities.

Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; four cities.

From the half-tribe of Manasseh, they allotted Taanach with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; two cities.

All the cities with their pasture lands for the families of the rest of the sons of Kohath totaled ten.

To the sons of Gershon, one of the families of the Levites, they gave from the other half-tribe of Manasseh, [the city of] Golan in Bashan, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands, and Be-eshterah with its pasture lands; two cities.

Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands; four cities.

Helkath with its pasture lands and Rehob with its pasture lands; four cities.

From the tribe of Naphtali, they gave Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands and Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands and Kartan with its pasture lands; three cities.

All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

Dimnah with its pasture lands and Nahalal with its pasture lands; four cities.

Kedemoth with its pasture lands and Mephaath with its pasture lands; four cities.

Heshbon with its pasture lands and Jazer with its pasture lands; four cities in all.

All [these were] the cities of the sons of Merari according to their families, the rest of the families of the Levites; and their lot was twelve cities.

All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the property of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands.

These cities each had its surrounding pasture lands; so it was with all these cities.

I gave you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you live in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’