1 Chronicles 6:64

And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(64, 65) “So the sons of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their pastures. And they gave by the lot, out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, those cities which are called by names;” named, that is, in the list of 1Chronicles 6:55-60, above. This is clearly a summing up of the whole account so far. The eleven tribes have all been mentioned in 1Chronicles 6:61-65.

The “cities” of 1Chronicles 6:64 are those included in 1Chronicles 6:61-63. So the parallel verse (Joshua 21:8) refers back to Joshua 21:5-7, which is parallel to our 1Chronicles 6:61-63. Joshua 21:9 (=our 1Chronicles 6:65) introduces the names of the cities which fell to the Aaronites. But there is no real divergence between that account and this; because 1Chronicles 6:65 also refers back to the list of the same cities in 1Chronicles 6:55-60. The chronicler adds Benjamin, with reference to 1Chronicles 6:60, to make his tribal list complete.

(66–81) The names of the cities numbered in 1Chronicles 6:61-64. (Comp. Joshua 21:20-26.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:1-81 Genealogies. - We have an account of Levi in this chapter. The priests and Levites were more concerned than any other Israelites, to preserve their descent clear, and to be able to prove it; because all the honours and privileges of their office depended upon their descent. Now, the Spirit of God calls ministers to their work, without any limit as to the families they came from; and then, as now, though believers and ministers may be very useful to the church, none but our great High Priest can make atonement for sin, nor can any be accepted but through his atonement.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Unto the sons of Kohath which were left - i. e. to such of them as were not priests.

Out of the half tribe ... ten cities - The half tribe furnished two cities only (1 Chronicles 6:70, and compare Joshua 21:25). It is evident therefore that something has fallen out. We may supply from Joshua the words "out of Ephraim and out of Dan, and" before "out of the half tribe."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

62. to the sons of Gershom—Supply "the children of Israel gave."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

To the Levites, i.e. to the tribe of Levi, consisting of priests and other Levites.

These cities, which are numbered or named in this chapter.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now these are their dwelling places,.... The dwelling places of the priests and Levites, assigned and given to them in the several tribes of Israel; and the account of them agrees with that in Joshua 21:1 with some few variations of names of places, which have been there observed: see the notes there; only in 1 Chronicles 6:57 two cities are omitted, Juttah and Gibeon, through want of care in transcribing, since they are said to be "thirteen", as they should be, whereas eleven only are mentioned. The Jews say (h), the cities of the suburbs (those here mentioned) ceased from the time the first temple was destroyed; and yet Ezra, who lived after the captivity, and the building the second temple, here gives a very particular account of them; the suburbs belonging to every city, which he particularly mentions, were 2000 cubits, both to the cities of refuge, and the rest, Numbers 35:5 Hebron, the first city mentioned in the next verse, was a city of refuge, and had suburbs of such a space; and it is remarkable, that some of the temples with the Heathens, which were asylums, or places of refuge, had the space of 2000 paces assigned them for the same sanctity and privilege (i).

(h) T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 48. 2.((i) Tacit. Annal. l. 3. c. 62.

Geneva Study Bible

And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

1 Chronicles 6:64

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(1 Chronicles 6:49-50). 1 Chronicles 6:64 and 1 Chronicles 6:65 are not here in their proper place; for their contents show that they should be in the middle of the thirty-ninth verse, after the general superscription, and before the words "for the sons of Aaron." They are found also in Joshua 21:8-9, as a superscription before the enumeration by name of the cities assigned to the priests; but how the confusion has arisen in our text cannot be certainly ascertained. Bertheau thinks "the wish to make mention of the cities of the high-priestly family at the beginning of the enumeration, has induced the author of the Chronicle to communicate the introductory remarks belonging to the lists of cities with other statements as to the tribal domains, only after the enumeration of the cities of the sons of Aaron." By that supposition the position of 1 Chronicles 6:61 is certainly explained, but not that of 1 Chronicles 6:64 and 1 Chronicles 6:65; for even with the supposed desire, 1 Chronicles 6:64 and 1 Chronicles 6:65 should have been placed before 1 Chronicles 6:61. But besides, this, the clause וגו אהרן לבני in 1 Chronicles 6:54 neither has anything to connect it with the preceding superscription nor a verb; and the subject of ויּתּנוּ, 1 Chronicles 6:55, is also wanting. That which was missed before 1 Chronicles 6:54 and in 1 Chronicles 6:55 is contained in 1 Chronicles 6:64 and 1 Chronicles 6:65; whence it is manifest that 1 Chronicles 6:64 and 1 Chronicles 6:65 ought to stand before 1 Chronicles 6:54, and have by some inexplicable accident fallen out of their proper place, and have come into an unsuitable position after 1 Chronicles 6:63. The plurals יקראוּ and שׁמות, instead of the singulars יקרא and שׁם, as in Joshua 21:9, bring the words into more manifest correspondence with the circumstances, since the subject of יקראוּ, "the sons of Israel," may be easily supplied from 1 Chronicles 6:53, and many names of cities are mentioned. The masc. אתהם instead of the fem. אתהן is probably only an oversight. With 1 Chronicles 6:66 begins the enumeration of the cities of the other Levitic families only summarily given in 1 Chronicles 6:61, which forms a very suitable continuation of 1 Chronicles 6:63.