All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
The priests who were descendants of Aaron received a total of thirteen cities along with the surrounding pasturelands.
This verse is counting up the total number of cities given to Aaron's priestly descendants as their inheritance in the Promised Land.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Joshua, after the Israelites conquered the Promised Land, the land was divided among the twelve tribes as part of God's fulfillment of His covenant. The Levites, including the priests descended from Aaron, were not given a territorial inheritance like the other tribes because their role was dedicated to serving God in the tabernacle and later the temple. Joshua 21:19 specifically lists the thirteen cities with their suburbs allocated to Aaron's descendants to ensure they had places to live and pasture for their livestock.
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