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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
The Allotment in General
v. 1. Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar, the priest, and unto Joshua, the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;
v. 2. and they spake unto them at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, where the division of the land had taken place, this city being the capital of the tribes, saying, The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs, meadow-lands, thereof for our cattle, Num_35:2-6. The Levites had not deemed it opportune to urge their claims before, mainly because they knew that they would receive these cities for their habitation only after the other tribes had been given their inheritance.
v. 3. And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs, as listed in this catalog, in the present chapter.
v. 4. And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites, descendants of the second son of Levi, the families of whose three sons, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, together with the descendants of Moses, formed the division of the Kohathite Levites, while the descendants of Aaron were vested with the priesthood. Note that the cities were selected by the Israelites themselves, but that the Lord decided, by directing the drawing of the lots, which of these cities each particular family should have. And the children of Aaron, the priest, which were of the Levites, descendants of Levi, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah and out of the tribe of Simeon and out of the tribe of Benjamin, all in Southern Canaan, thirteen cities. So it was even at this time that the Lord arranged to settle the priests in the cities near the place where He intended to have the permanent Sanctuary. There is never an element of chance in His government of the world and of His Church.
v. 5. And the rest of the children of Kohath, who were Levites only, had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim and out of the tribe of Dan and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, all in Central Canaan, ten cities.
v. 6. And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar and out of the tribe of Asher and out of the tribe of Naphtali, in Northern Canaan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, in the northern section of the territory east of Jordan, thirteen cities.
v. 7. The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben and out of the tribe of Gad, in the southern section east of Jordan, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, this one portion of Northern Canaan, twelve cities.
v. 8. And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, their pasture- or meadow-lands, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses. While provision was here made also for the future, it should be noted that the priests and Levites did not occupy these cities alone, but other people lived there as well. It was merely that they were sure of a place to live, and that they, by living in the very midst of the people, should serve as an example to the entire nation.