1 Chronicles 6:77

Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

THE CITIES OF THE MERARITES.

(Comp. Joshua 21:34-38.) 1Chronicles 6:77-81.

(77) Unto the rest of the children of Merari.—Rather, Unto the sons of Merari, the remaining Levites, as at Joshua 21:34. The cities of the Kohathites and Gershonites having been rehearsed, it was natural to speak of the Merarites as “those who were left.”

Were given.—They gave, as before (1Chronicles 6:71).

Rimmon . . . Tabor.—Heb. Rimmônô. The reading of Joshua 21:34-35 is quite different. We there find mention of Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal, “four cities.” The first pair of names may be accidentally omitted from our text. Dimnah, in Joshua, should probably be Rimmonah, answering to the present Rimmono or Rimmon (Joshua 19:13). Rimmon, the Assyrian Rammânu. (See Note on 2Kings 5:18.) Nahalal is mentioned again (Joshua 19:15) as a city-of Zebulun; while Tabor is only known as the name of the mountain which rises north-east of the plain of Esdraelon, and is famous as the traditional scene of the Transfiguration (Judges 8:18; Psalm 89:12). Nahalal means “pasture,” or “sheep-walk” = Nahalôl (Isaiah 7:19); and the original reading of our text may have been, Nahalal-tabôr (pasturage of Tabor)—a compound proper name like Hamm-thôdôr, and many-others.

(78, 79) Bezer in the wilderness.—A city of refuge (Deuteronomy 4:43). The phrase “on the east or Jordan” fixes the meaning of the indefinite expression “on the other side Jordan.”

Jahzah is a form of Jahaz, originally meaning, “to Jahaz.” (Comp. the modern names Stamboul = ἐς τὰν πόλιν, Stanchio = ἐς τὰν χίω) Jahaz was assigned to Reuben at the partition of Canaan (Joshua 13:18), along with Kedemoth and Mephaath. Mesha, king of Moab, recovered it from Israel (see Note on 2Kings 1:1). Mephaath belonged to Moab temp. Jeremiah (Jeremiah 48:21). It was, according to Jerome, a garrison town in the Roman age. (See also Joshua 13:18; Joshua 21:37; Deuteronomy 2:26.)

(80) Ramoth in Gilead.—A city of refuge (Joshua 21:36). Jazer, Heshbon, Mahanaim, were given by Moses to the Gadites (Joshua 13:25-26). Ramoth Gilead (see 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18, and 2Kings 8:28). Its position is unknown.

Mahanaim, now Maneh, lay on the north border of Gad.

(81) Heshbon, now Hesbân, on the south border of Gad. (See also Isaiah 15:4; Jeremiah 48:2.)

Jazer belonged to Moab in the eighth century (Isaiah 16:8-9; Jeremiah 48:32).

In regard to this entire list of the Levitical cities, it has been asserted that it is based upon a theory which is historically false; the theory, namely, that certain towns with their pasture-grounds were assigned by lot to the Levites for their exclusive possession. The objection is irrelevant, for the sacred records neither affirm nor imply that none but Levitical families dwelt in the forty-eight Levitical cities. It is à priori probable that the bulk of their population would be ordinary Israelites of the tribes in which they were situated. (Comp. Leviticus 25:32-34, and 1Chronicles 6:55-57 supra, and Numbers 35:1-5.)

Variations in local names, such as we have noted in comparing this list with those in Joshua, are not at all surprising, when it is remembered that centuries elapsed between the composition of the two books; and that names of places, like other names, are liable to phonetic change in the course of time. Something also must be allowed for errors of transcription.

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 rest of the children of Merari - Rather, "Unto the rest the children of Merari" - that is to say, "unto the remainder of the Levites, who were descendants of Merari": - the two other branches, the Kohathites and the Gershomites, having been treated of previously.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

67-81. they gave unto them of the cities of refuge—The names of the cities given here are considerably different from those applied to them (Jos 21:13-19). In the lapse of centuries, and from the revolutions of society, changes might have been expected to take place in the form or dialectic pronunciation of the names of those cities; and this will sufficiently account for the variations that are found in the lists as enumerated here and in an earlier book. As to these cities themselves that were assigned to the Levites, they were widely remote and separated—partly in fulfilment of Jacob's prophecy (Ge 49:7), and partly that the various districts of the country might obtain a competent supply of teachers who might instruct the people in the knowledge, and animate them to the observance, of a law which had so important a bearing on the promotion both of their private happiness and their national prosperity.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

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

Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

77–81 (= Joshua 21:34-39). The [twelve] cities of the sons of Merari

77. Rimmon … Tabor] Against these two names there are four in Joshua 21:34-35; Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah and Nahalal. As regards the number of the cities the text of Joshua is certainly right. See Critical Note on 1 Chronicles 6:54-81.

Tabor] No city, but only a mountain named Tabor is known to us, as having certainly existed in Old Testament times. A city however named Tabor existed on the Mountain as early as 218 b.c., and it may have been as old as the times of the Chronicler. Mount Tabor was in Zebulun. Cp. Bädeker, p. 248.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 77. - Unto the rest of the children of Merari. Since none have yet been spoken of as having received their cities, we find the explanation of these words in their order in Joshua 21:34, "Unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites." To our list here, Jokneam and Kartah (Joshua 21:34) need to be supplied, and Rimmon and Tabor here appear (Joshua 21:35), there as Dimnah and Nahalai. 1 Chronicles 6:77

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(1 Chronicles 6:62). The cities of the Merarites; cf. Joshua 21:34-37. "To the sons of Merari the remaining," sc. Levites. In Joshua 21:34 it is more clearly put הנּותרים הלויּם, for the remaining Merarites are not spoken of. What is intended to be said is, that the Merarites, alone of the Levites, are still to be mentioned. In the tribe of Zebulun, in 1 Chronicles 6:77, only two cities are named, Rimmon and Tabor, instead of the four - Jokneam, Karthah, Dimnah, and Nahalal - in Joshua 21:34. The first two names have been dropped out of our text, while רמּונו corresponds to the דּמנה of Joshua, but is a more correct reading, since רמּון occurs in Joshua 19:13 among the cities of Zebulun, while דּמנה is not mentioned; and תּבור must consequently correspond to the נהלל in Joshua. Nahalal occurs in Joshua 19:15 and in Judges 1:30, in the form Nahalol, among the cities of Zebulun, and consequently seems to be the more correct name, but has not yet been pointed out with certainty, since its identification with Mlul (Arabic m‛lûl), south-west from Nazareth, rests upon very slender foundation. Bertheau's conjecture that the name of the city has been dropped out, and that of a more exact description of its position, perhaps תּבר כּסלת גּבוּל על, Joshua 19:12, only the last word has remained, is no more probable than that of Movers, that instead of the name of the city, only the neighbourhood in which the city lay, viz., Mount Tabor, is mentioned.