Why does Challoner say Ruben’s list contains four cities when five names appear?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Challoner says Misor is the same city as Bosor. This is a separate explanatory note; the chapter itself records the Levites’ cities, their suburbs and the fulfillment of the Lord’s promises to Israel.

Chapter breakdown

The heads of Levi’s families approach Eleazar the priest, Josue son of Nun and the heads of the kindreds of all Israel’s tribes in Silo in Chanaan. They say the Lord commanded through Moses that they receive cities to dwell in and suburbs to feed their cattle. From their own possessions, Israel gives the Levites cities and suburbs according to the Lord’s command, by lot. Aaron the priest’s family among the children of Caath receives thirteen cities from Juda, Simeon and Benjamin. The remaining children of Caath receive ten from Ephraim, Dan and half the tribe of Manasses. Gerson’s children receive thirteen from Issachar, Aser, Nephtali and half Manasses in Basan. Merari’s children receive twelve by their kindreds from Ruben, Gad and Zabulon. Israel gives these cities and their suburbs by lot as the Lord commanded through Moses.

Josue gives cities from Juda and Simeon to Aaron’s sons, of Caath’s family and Levi’s race, for whom the first lot falls. They receive the city of Arbe, the father of Enac, which is Hebron in mount Juda, with its surrounding suburbs. The city’s fields and villages have already been given to Caleb son of Jephone for his possession. The cities given to Aaron’s sons are Hebron, a city of refuge, and Lebna, Jether, Estemo, Holon, Dabir, Ain, Jeta and Bethsames, each with its suburbs: nine cities from the two tribes. From Benjamin they receive Gabaon, Gabae, Anathoth and Almon, each with its suburbs: four cities. Aaron’s sons, the priests, receive thirteen cities with their suburbs in all.

The remaining Levites of Caath’s family receive their cities by lot. From Ephraim they receive Sichem, a city of refuge in mount Ephraim, Gazer, Cibsaim and Beth-horon, each with its suburbs: four cities. From Dan they receive Eltheco, Gabathon, Aialon and Gethremmon with their suburbs: four cities. From half Manasses they receive Thanac and Gethremmon with their suburbs: two cities. These are ten cities with suburbs for Caath’s children of the lower degree.

Gerson’s children of Levi’s race receive Gaulon in Basan, a city of refuge, and Bosra from half Manasses, both with their suburbs: two cities. From Issachar they receive Cesion, Dabereth, Jaramoth and Engannim with their suburbs: four cities. From Aser they receive Masal, Abdon, Helcath and Rohob with their suburbs: four cities. From Nephtali they receive Cedes in Galilee, a city of refuge, Hammoth Dor and Carthan with their suburbs: three cities. Gerson’s families receive thirteen cities with their suburbs in all.

The remaining Levites, Merari’s children of the lower degree, receive cities by their families. From Zabulon they receive Jecnam, Cartha, Damna and Naalol with their suburbs: four cities. From Ruben beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho, the list names Bosor in the wilderness, a city of refuge, Misor, Jaser, Jethson and Mephaath with their suburbs, and gives four cities. Challoner’s separate note says these are four rather than five because Misor is the same city as Bosor. He adds that in other places the names can likewise exceed the number of cities. From Gad they receive Ramoth in Galaad, a city of refuge, Manaim, Hesebon and Jaser with their suburbs: four cities. Merari’s children receive twelve cities by their families and kindreds.

All the Levites’ cities within Israel’s possession total forty-eight, with their suburbs, each distributed by families. The Lord God gives Israel all the land he swore to give their fathers, and they possess it and dwell in it. He gives them peace from all the nations around them. None of their enemies dares stand against them; their enemies are brought under their dominion. Not one word he promised to perform is made void: all comes to pass.

The story inside

The Levites make a specific request to Israel’s leaders: cities for homes and suburbs for cattle, as commanded through Moses. Israel gives them from its own possessions by lot. The account distinguishes Aaron’s thirteen cities from the ten assigned to the remaining Caath families, Gerson’s thirteen and Merari’s twelve. The lists retain the cities of refuge and Hebron’s exception: the city and suburbs are given here, while its fields and villages belong to Caleb. A separate Challoner note explains Ruben’s five names and four cities by identifying Misor with Bosor. The total is forty-eight cities with suburbs. The closing verses state Israel’s possession, peace and the fulfillment of every promised word.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The requested cities and suburbs have named uses. The Levites ask for places to live and for land to feed cattle; Israel supplies them from its own possessions under the command given through Moses. This sequence explains the gift without an invented plan for political or religious control.
2
The family lists include exceptions and distinctions. Aaron’s sons and the remaining Caath families have separate totals, and Hebron’s fields and villages remain Caleb’s possession. Keeping those details prevents a broad summary from treating every part of each place as the same gift.
3
A note about names must remain separate from Scripture. Ruben’s list gives four cities; Challoner explains Misor and Bosor as the same city and notes similar name/count differences elsewhere. The chapter closes with forty-eight Levite cities and the stated fulfillment of the Lord’s promises, without adding a future guarantee or unstated condition.

Test your recall

What do the Levites ask for, how does Israel supply it, and why does Challoner count Ruben’s five listed names as four cities?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 24498–24530
Josue Chapter 21 Cities with their suburbs are assigned for the priests and Levites. 21:1. Then the princes of the families of Levi came to Eleazar the priest, and to Josue the son of Nun, and to the princes of the kindreds of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 21:2. And they spoke to them in Silo in the land of Chanaan, and said: The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, that cities should be given us to dwell in, and their suburbs to feed our cattle. 21:3. And the children of Israel gave out of their possessions according to the commandment of the Lord, cities and their suburbs. 21:4. And the lot came out for the family of Caath of the children of Aaron the priest out of the tribes of Juda, and of Simeon, and of Benjamin, thirteen cities. 21:5. And to the rest of the children of Caath, that is, to the Levites, who remained, out of the tribes of Ephraim, and of Dan, and the half tribe of Manasses, ten cities. 21:6. And the lot came out to the children of Gerson, that they should take of the tribes of Issachar and of Aser and of Nephtali, and of the half tribe of Manasses in Basan, thirteen cities. 21:7. And to the sons of Merari by their kindreds, of the tribes of Ruben and of Gad and of Zabulon, twelve cities. 21:8. And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, giving to every one by lot.
Lines 24532–24561
21:9. Of the tribes of the children of Juda and of Simeon Josue gave cities: whose names are these, 21:10. To the sons of Aaron, of the families of Caath of the race of Levi (for the first lot came out for them) 21:11. The city of Arbe the father of Enac, which is called Hebron, in the mountain of Juda, and the suburbs thereof round about. 21:12. But the fields and the villages thereof he had given to Caleb the son of Jephone for his possession. 21:13. He gave therefore to the children of Aaron the priest, Hebron a city of refuge, and the suburbs thereof, and Lebna with the suburbs thereof, 21:14. And Jether and Estemo, 21:15. And Holon, and Dabir, 21:16. And Ain, and Jeta, and Bethsames, with their suburbs: nine cities out of the two tribes, as hath been said. 21:17. And out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, Gabaon, and Gabae, 21:18. And Anathoth and Almon, with, their suburbs: four cities. 21:19. All the cities together of the children of Aaron the priest, were thirteen, with their suburbs,
Lines 24563–24579
21:20. And to the rest of the families of the children of Caath of the race of Levi was given this possession. 21:21. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Sichem one of the cities of refuge, with the suburbs thereof in mount Ephraim, and Gazer, 21:22. And Cibsaim, and Beth-horon, with their suburbs, four cities. 21:23. And of he tribe of Dan, Eltheco and Gabathon, 21:24. And Aialon and Gethremmon, with their suburbs, four cities. 21:25. And of the half tribe of Manasses, Thanac and Gethremmon, with their suburbs, two cities. 21:26. All the cities were ten, with their suburbs, which were given to the children of Caath, of the inferior degree.
Lines 24581–24598
21:27. To the children of Gerson also of the race of Levi out of the half tribe of Manasses, Gaulon in Basan, one of the cities of refuge, and Bosra, with their suburbs, two cities. 21:28. And of the tribe of Issachar, Cesion, and Dabereth, 21:29. And Jaramoth, and Engannim, with their suburbs, four cities. 21:30. And of the tribe of Aser, Masal and Abdon, 21:31. And Helcath, and Rohob, with their suburbs, four cities. 21:32. Of the tribe also of Nephtali, Cedes in Galilee, one of the cities of refuge: and Hammoth Dor, and Carthan, with their suburbs, three cities. 21:33. All the cities of the families of Gerson, were thirteen, with their suburbs.
Lines 24600–24619
21:34. And to the children of Merari, Levites of the inferior degree, by their families were given of the tribe of Zabulon, Jecnam and Cartha, 21:35. And Damna and Naalol, four cities with their suburbs. 21:36. Of the tribe of Ruben beyond the Jordan over against Jericho, Bosor in the wilderness, one of the cities of refuge, Misor and Jaser and Jethson and Mephaath, four cities with their suburbs. 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. 21:37. Of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Galaad, one of the cities of refuge, and Manaim and Hesebon and Jaser, four cities with their suburbs, 21:38. All the cities of the children of Merari by their families and kindreds, were twelve.
Lines 24621–24636
21:39. So all the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight, 21:40. With their suburbs, each distributed by the families. 21:41. And the Lord God gave to Israel all the land that he had sworn to give to their fathers: and they possessed it, and dwelt in it. 21:42. And he gave them peace from all nations round about: and none of their enemies durst stand against them, but were brought under their dominion. 21:43. Not so much as one word, which he had promised to perform unto them, was made void, but all came to pass.