Joshua 21:38
New International Version
from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,

New Living Translation
From the tribe of Gad they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Mahanaim,

English Standard Version
and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,

Berean Standard Bible
And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,

King James Bible
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,

New King James Version
and from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Mahanaim with its common-land,

New American Standard Bible
And from the tribe of Gad, they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

NASB 1995
From the tribe of Gad, they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

NASB 1977
And from the tribe of Gad, they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

Legacy Standard Bible
From the tribe of Gad, they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

Amplified Bible
From the tribe of Gad, they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

Christian Standard Bible
From the tribe of Gad they gave: Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
From the tribe of Gad they gave: Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,

American Standard Version
And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

English Revised Version
And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with her suburbs;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The tribe of Gad also gave them four cities with pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for murderers), Mahanaim,

Good News Translation
From the tribe of Gad they received four cities: Ramoth in Gilead, with its pasture lands (one of the cities of refuge), Mahanaim,

International Standard Version
From the tribe of Gad were allocated Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, to serve as a city of refuge for the unintentional killer, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

Majority Standard Bible
And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,

NET Bible
from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Mahanaim,

New Heart English Bible
Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

Webster's Bible Translation
And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

World English Bible
Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And out of the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge [for] the manslayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its outskirts, and Mahanaim and its outskirts,

Young's Literal Translation
And out of the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge for the man-slayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs, and Mahanaim and its suburbs,

Smith's Literal Translation
The original Julia E. Smith Bible records the following as a verse reference for Josh 21:36And from the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge of the slayer, Ramath in Gilead and her area; and Mahanaim and her area,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Galaad, one of the cities of refuge, and Manaim

Catholic Public Domain Version
from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth of Gilead, one of the cities of refuge, and Mahanaim

New American Bible
From the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge for homicides at Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

New Revised Standard Version
Out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the slayer, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the slayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And from the tribe of Gad, the city of salvation of manslayers: Ramath Gelad and its villages and Makhanim and its fields
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with the open land about it, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with the open land about it;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And out of the tribe of Gad the city of refuge for the slayer, both Ramoth in Galaad, and its suburbs; Camin and its suburbs;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
37Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 38And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim, 39Heshbon, and Jazer—four cities in all, together with their pasturelands.…

Cross References
1 Chronicles 6:77-81
The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands. / From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah, / Kedemoth, and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands. ...

Numbers 35:6-8
Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities. / The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands. / The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”

Deuteronomy 4:41-43
Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east / to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities: / Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

Joshua 20:7-9
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. / And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. / These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

1 Chronicles 6:54-56
Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them: / They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands. / But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

Numbers 35:1-5
Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho: / “Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities. / The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock. ...

Joshua 13:24-28
This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Gad: / The territory of Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, near Rabbah; / the territory from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir; ...

1 Chronicles 6:63-65
The Merarites, according to their clans, were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. / So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands. / They assigned by lot the cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

Joshua 19:32-39
The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali: / Their border started at Heleph and the great tree of Zaanannim, passing Adami-nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. / Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and ran from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the south side, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan on the east. ...

1 Chronicles 6:71-76
The Gershomites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands. / From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kedesh, Daberath, / Ramoth, and Anem, together with their pasturelands. ...

Hebrews 4:8-10
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. / There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. / For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.

Acts 7:45
And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,

Hebrews 11:30-31
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. / By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.

Acts 13:19
And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.


Treasury of Scripture

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,

Ramoth

Joshua 20:8
And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

1 Kings 22:3
And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?

1 Chronicles 6:80
And out of the tribe of Gad; Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, and Mahanaim with her suburbs,

Mahanaim

Genesis 32:2
And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

2 Samuel 17:24
Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

2 Samuel 19:32
Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.

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Accused City Lands Mahanaim Mahana'im Manslayer Man-Slayer Murder Open Pasture Ramoth Refuge Safe Slayer Suburbs Taker Tribe
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Accused City Lands Mahanaim Mahana'im Manslayer Man-Slayer Murder Open Pasture Ramoth Refuge Safe Slayer Suburbs Taker Tribe
Joshua 21
1. Forty-eight cities given by lot, out of the other tribes unto the Levites.
43. God gives the land, and rest unto the Israelites, according to his promise














And from the tribe of Gad
The tribe of Gad was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named after Gad, the seventh son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Historically, the tribe of Gad settled on the eastern side of the Jordan River, in a region known for its fertile land and strategic location. This area was part of the Transjordan, which was significant for its role in trade and military defense. The Gadites were known for their bravery and warrior spirit, as seen in 1 Chronicles 12:8, where they are described as "mighty men of valor." The allocation of cities to the Levites from the tribe of Gad underscores the unity and shared responsibility among the tribes of Israel.

they gave Ramoth in Gilead
Ramoth in Gilead was a city of refuge, a concept established by God to provide sanctuary for those who committed unintentional manslaughter. The Hebrew root for "Ramoth" means "heights," indicating its elevated position, which was typical for cities of refuge to be easily accessible. Gilead, a region east of the Jordan River, was known for its balm, a valuable commodity in ancient times. The city's designation as a refuge highlights God's provision for justice and mercy, ensuring protection and due process for the accused.

a city of refuge for the manslayer
The cities of refuge were part of a divine legal system that balanced justice and mercy. The Hebrew term for "manslayer" refers to someone who kills unintentionally, distinguishing them from a murderer. These cities were strategically located so that anyone seeking asylum could reach them quickly. This provision reflects God's concern for justice, ensuring that the innocent were protected from vengeance while awaiting a fair trial. It also symbolizes the spiritual refuge found in God, who offers protection and forgiveness to those who seek Him.

Mahanaim
Mahanaim, meaning "two camps" in Hebrew, was a significant city in the history of Israel. It was located in the territory of Gad, near the Jabbok River. The name originates from the encounter between Jacob and the angels of God, as recorded in Genesis 32:1-2, where Jacob named the place Mahanaim. This city later became a royal city during King David's reign, serving as a refuge for him during Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 17:24). Mahanaim's inclusion as a Levitical city emphasizes its spiritual and historical importance, serving as a reminder of God's presence and protection throughout Israel's history.

Verse 38. - To be a city of refuge (see above, ver. 13). Mahanaim (see Joshua 13:26). Perhaps the unquestionable entente cordiale between David and the sacerdotal party may have determined him to fix on this as his refuge when fleeing from Absalom, in addition to its situation beyond Jordan, and near the fords (2 Samuel 17:22, 24).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And from the tribe
וּמִמַּטֵּה־ (ū·mim·maṭ·ṭêh-)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4294: A staff, rod, shaft, branch, a tribe

of Gad [they received]
גָ֗ד (ḡāḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1410: Gad -- a son of Jacob, also his tribe and its territory, also a prophet

Ramoth
רָמֹ֥ת (rā·mōṯ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7433: Ramoth-gilead -- a city East of the Jordan

in Gilead,
בַּגִּלְעָ֖ד (bag·gil·‘āḏ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1568: Gilead -- a region in Palestine, also the name of several Israelites

a city
עִיר֙ (‘îr)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 5892: Excitement

of refuge
מִקְלַ֣ט (miq·laṭ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4733: Refuge, asylum

for the manslayer,
הָרֹצֵ֔חַ (hā·rō·ṣê·aḥ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7523: To dash in pieces, kill, to murder

Mahanaim,
מַחֲנַ֖יִם (ma·ḥă·na·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4266: Mahanaim -- 'two camps', a place East of the Jordan


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OT History: Joshua 21:38 Out of the tribe of Gad Ramoth (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 21:37
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