And these are their dwelling-places according to their encampments, within their borders. For the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites, for theirs was the lot;
After chapter after chapter of names, the record turns to geography: where the tribe of Levi lived. The list starts with Aaron's line among the Kohathites, not with the eldest branch. And it starts with a lot. So why does a tribe with no land of its own have towns at all, and who chose them?
One writer reads the order of the list as deliberate, and points to the phrase about the lot:
In verses 54 to 81 we find the cities given to the Levites, including the cities of refuge. Here again Kohath comes first instead of Gershom, because it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot." Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge. So the priesthood, which came out of Kohath, is closely joined here to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship began. The other members of Kohath's family find their dwelling place in Ephraim and Manasseh... These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — speak to us, in a way that is still unclear, of the Messiah's features: king, firstborn, and high priest.
Every other tribe received land. Levi received towns out of what the other tribes owned:
Levi is dedicated to the service of God, and separated from ordinary Israelites. No inheritance is given to them as to the other tribes. They are Jehovah's pensioners. He provides for them out of Israel's abundance. Each tribe gave a portion to the Levites, few cities from those that had less, many from those that had more.
The word that divided and scattered Levi sounded like a penalty. One commentator shows what God made of it:
First, in these Levite cities scattered through the land, we see the prophetic word about Levi come true: "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." Yet it comes true in a way we would never have thought! Grace shows itself in absolute sovereignty over all the sin. What seemed to be only penalty has become blessing. This is just how God works in grace: the one who was under it becomes a blessing to others... The government of God is maintained, and for Levi's own sake he must be scattered. Seed must not lie in a heap, or it does not do its work. Levi must be God's witness in Israel. Levi is also the seal that the whole land is set apart to God — a people whose portion is God alone: "They shall teach Jacob Your rules and Israel Your law."
Another writer looks back over how Israel took the land, and finds God's word at both ends of the story:
At Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim the Lord established Israel in the land, in obedience to the solemn words of His law. On that day Israel formally took possession of their inheritance. Now the whole land is divided among them, and the crowning act is spreading the Levites through the nation. God entrusted them with upholding His word in Israel. So the first and the last great acts of taking the land are both tied to the law, because the Levites had to teach Israel the word of Jehovah. Israel's prosperity from first to last depended on their obedience to that word. The Levites held a position of great responsibility. So do the ministers of God, whom He has appointed to teach His people.
Korah's descendants belonged to the family of Kohath. One writer asks how they come to be here at all:
Who are these sons of Korah? Many readers will ask: did the sons of Korah not go down alive into the pit? Did the earth not open its mouth and swallow those wicked men Korah, Dathan, and Abiram? But in Numbers 26:11 we read, "But the sons of Korah did not die." Yes, in the riches of sovereign grace they were saved from going down alive into the pit. And that was not all. As part of the family of Kohath they were given the cities of refuge, of which Hebron is named first (1 Chronicles 6:54-67). Oh, how our God delights in mercy! Grace spares them from the pit, and gives them the place of Abraham, for Abraham lived in Hebron.
- Lot. God's free choice set the order, not human seniority. Kohath comes before the elder branch, because "theirs was the first lot."
- Portion. Levi got dwelling places, not an inheritance. They lived on what the other tribes supplied, each giving as it had.
- Scattered. The word that divided and scattered Levi turned into blessing. Seed spread through the land does its work; seed in a heap does not.
- Taught. Levites lived inside every tribe to teach God's law. Israel's wellbeing hung on obeying it. Those who teach God's people today carry the same charge.
- Refuge. Hebron heads the list, and it went to the family of Korah's sons. Grace saved them from the pit, then gave them the place where Abraham lived.
and they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and its suburbs round about it;
Hebron heads the list of towns set aside for Levi, and here it goes to Aaron's sons — the priests — inside Judah, the royal tribe. Why give the priests a city with such a past, and why does a book of family records pause over its fields?
The order of this list does not match the earlier records. One commentator explains why:
In verses 54 to 81 we find the cities given to the Levites listed, including the cities of refuge. The cities of refuge are not named in the order in which they were set apart, but in the order of Joshua 21:11-40, which begins with Hebron. Here again Kohath comes first instead of Gershom, for it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot" (v. 54). Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge (vv. 55, 57). So the priesthood, coming from Kohath, is bound here to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship was established.
Another writer notes how the Levites got these cities, and where the priests came to live:
When the Lord provided the cities of refuge, the Levites claimed the cities and the surrounding land, which Moses had commanded the tribes to give them out of their inheritance. The lots for Levi's families fell this way. The children of Aaron, the priest, received their cities out of Judah's portion, where Simeon also had a share, and out of Benjamin's. So the hand of the Lord settled the families of the priests in the districts around the royal city, Jerusalem. Design marks every detail of Israel's possession of the inheritance. Divine order and beauty are stamped on the whole of the nation's portion.
Levi's portion worked on a different principle from every other tribe's:
Levi is dedicated to the service of God, and set apart from ordinary Israelites. They receive no inheritance like the other tribes. They live on what the Lord provides out of Israel's abundance. Each tribe gave a portion to the Levites — few cities from those who had less, many from those who had more.
This verse mentions the land around the city. The law guarded those fields more firmly than the houses inside:
As for the Levites, the law was different. They had no tribal possession of land as their brothers had. God assigned them their cities with the surrounding land. Their cities or houses could be sold, subject to the right of redemption at any time, and with the certainty of going out free at the Jubilee. But the fields of the pasture land around their cities could never be sold — they were a permanent possession. So those set apart to serve God could never be completely stripped of the possessions the Lord had secured for them.
Hebron already carried layers of meaning before the priests lived there:
Hebron was above all the place of death, for the tombs of Sarah, Abraham, Jacob and the patriarchs were there. From this same place Joseph, a picture of Christ in rejection, went out to look for his brothers. Hebron then became a city of refuge from the avenger of blood, a picture of the cross which shelters a guilty people. Last of all, it was the chief home of the priests, the sons of Aaron. They picture the priesthood that now makes Christ's death the focus of its praises. So this place speaks in a striking way of the cross as the foundation of royal glory and as the basis of all our blessings.
Hebron heads the whole list of Levite cities. One writer weighs its two names:
The whole series is headed by a city of refuge. The repetition of its names seems to give it special weight: first the city of Arba, the father of Anak, and then the refuge for the manslayer. A divine Man has taken the place of the man who shows the pride and independence of the fallen human heart, and in Him the whole counsel of God is found. Hebron, as expressing the communion of the whole Godhead, naturally fills the first place in the list. How blessed and wonderful a portion for the priests of God!
One writer traces the sons of Korah to this very list of cities.
In Numbers 16:25 there is no statement that the sons of Korah went down with their father. But in Numbers 26:11 we read, "the sons of Korah did not die." Yes, in the riches of sovereign grace they were saved from going down alive into the pit. And that was not all. As part of the family of Kohath they received the cities of refuge, of which Hebron is named first (1 Chr. 6:54-67). Oh, how our God delights in mercy! Grace spares them from the pit, and gives them the place of Abraham; for Abraham lived in Hebron.
- Lot — The list starts with Hebron and with Kohath, not the older order. The reason is the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot."
- Gift — Levi had no territory. Their cities and pasture land came out of the other tribes, and the fields could never be sold.
- Grace — Grace spared Korah's sons from the pit and gave them the town where Abraham had lived.
- Refuge — Hebron held the tombs of the patriarchs and sheltered anyone fleeing the avenger of blood. Commentators read it as a picture of the cross.
- Communion — Hebron expresses the communion of the whole Godhead, a fitting home for the priests, who lived close to the royal city.
but the fields of the city, and the hamlets thereof gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
Hebron appears twice in this list of Levite towns. The city itself goes to Aaron's sons as a place of refuge, while the fields and villages around it stay with Caleb — one hill with two owners.
One writer follows Caleb's choice down to the split this verse records:
He had then a right to pick and choose his inheritance in all the best of the land given to the fathers. And after forty-five years of patience he chose that city, with its pasture lands, where the sons of Anak lived. It was the place where the spies had felt with terror how small they were... It was simple faith, holding out to the end. It had the humility, and also the boldness, that faith gives — no pretension, no boasting, but the quiet confidence of a man who walked with God. And the "fields of the city" and the villages of it were made his for ever (Joshua 21:12). The "first lot," given to the sons of Aaron, the priest, was the city itself. Such is the choice of faith, working by love.
The verse calls him "the son of Jephunneh." A different Caleb, the son of Hezron, also appears in these lists:
By birth, Caleb had no right of citizenship in Israel at all. His faith won him that right in the middle of Judah. He was brought into the family of Caleb the son of Hezron, as 1 Chronicles 2:49 shows, and the passages already cited in Joshua show the same.
The name of the place he held carries its own weight:
Joshua 14:14 tells us that Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb. His reward for faithfulness was owning the city whose name means "communion" — surely a most precious possession.
Another writer asks why this town stands first in the whole list:
A city of refuge heads the whole series. The point seems to be stressed by the repetition: first the city is called the city of Arba, the father of Anak, and then it is called the refuge for anyone who has killed a person. A divine Man has taken the place of him who represents the pride and independence of man's heart as fallen. In Him the whole counsel of God is found. Hebron expresses in this way the communion of the whole Godhead, so it fills the first place in the series. How blessed and wonderful a portion for the priests of God!
One writer sees a design in where the priests were settled:
Here again, Kohath comes first instead of Gershom, for it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot" (v. 54). Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge (vv. 55, 57). So the priesthood comes from Kohath. Here it is closely joined to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship was set up... So we see Judah and Joseph, who had the birthright, joined together by the Levitical priesthood living among them. These three names, Judah, Joseph, and Levi, speak to us in a way that is still unclear of the Messiah's features as king, as first-born, and as high priest.
Levi held a different place from the other tribes:
Levi is dedicated to the service of God and kept separate from ordinary Israelites. They receive no inheritance as the other tribes do. They are Jehovah's pensioners. He provides for them out of Israel's abundance.
Two rules governed what they did hold:
They could sell their cities or houses. But the right to buy them back stood at any time, and they were sure to go free at the Jubilee. The fields of the pastureland around their cities, however, could never be sold. They were a perpetual possession. So nothing could ever completely strip those set apart for the service of God of the possessions which Jehovah had secured for them.
- Faith claimed it. Caleb waited forty-five years and chose the hardest city in the land. Its fields and villages became his for ever.
- Grace granted it. By birth he had no right of citizenship in Israel, yet faith placed him inside Judah and inside its records.
- The lot divided it. The city itself fell by the Lord's free choice to Aaron's sons, so priests and the man of faith shared one hill.
- Security marked it. Levi received no tribal inheritance and lived on what God provided. The pastureland around their towns could never be sold.
- Christ fills it. Hebron means communion, and as a city of refuge it heads the whole list. Priesthood settled beside kingship points to the Messiah as king, first-born and high priest.
And to the children of Aaron they gave the city of refuge, Hebron; and Libnah and its suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa and its suburbs,
Chronicles breaks off its long family line of Levi to record where the priests lived. The list opens with the cities of refuge, and Hebron comes first. Why did the priests live in towns of mercy, and why does Hebron head the list?
The verse says "sons of Aaron," but Aaron had four sons, and only one line carried the priesthood forward. One writer names all four sons and shows how the line narrowed to one:
Aaron's sons are Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu were judged for their sin. And so in the priestly family we again see that the history of the natural man comes first and then is entirely set aside. After Nadab and Abihu come Eleazar and Ithamar. Eleazar is the priest according to the election of grace. Ithamar is the responsible priest, set aside to make room for Eleazar.
Levi received no block of land like the other tribes. What the tribe got instead had a purpose:
The Levites had no inheritance in the land. So that they might be free to serve the Lord, they received tithes. They also received forty-eight cities to live in, with the pasturelands around them for their cattle. Six of these cities were to be CITIES OF REFUGE.
The same towns appear in Joshua, but in a different order. One writer follows the order here and what Hebron's place joins together:
These are not listed in the order in which they were set apart as holy, starting with Kedesh and Shechem as in Joshua 20:7-9. They follow the order of Joshua 21:11-40 instead, starting with Hebron. Here again, Kohath comes first instead of Gershom, for it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot." Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge. So the priesthood, which came from Kohath, is joined here to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship began.
The same writer gathers three names out of this arrangement:
So we see Judah and Joseph, who had the birthright, united through the Levitical priesthood dwelling among them. These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — still speak to us dimly. They speak of the Messiah's features as king, as firstborn, and as high priest.
The towns of shelter were also Levite towns. One writer treats the two as one provision:
The cities of refuge formed part of those given to the Levites. They belong with Levite ministry in spiritual meaning as much as in fact. In both we find a provision for the control of sin. The Levitical cities lay scattered through the land like a garrison of the Lord, keeping the people in the knowledge and fear of Him.
The man who fled there was not shut in for life. One writer notes who chased him and what set him free:
Note especially that their purpose was to shelter those who had killed a person without meaning to. The avenger of blood chased that person, and the city of refuge gave him shelter. The Hebrew word for the avenger is goel, which means to redeem. The death of the high priest resulted in liberty for all who were in the cities of refuge. It was the signal that they could return to their possessions.
One writer stacks up what Scripture says about Hebron and draws one lesson:
Hebron was one of the "cities of refuge" (1 Chronicles 6:57); you breathe an air of safety and mercy there. It was a "fortified city" (2 Chronicles 11:10). From there you could look out on Samson's victory over the Philistines (Judges 16:3). We can enjoy safety, strength and victory now in what Hebron speaks of — the company of the people of God.
Hebron carries two names in Scripture, and one writer weighs both:
A city of refuge heads the whole list, marked out, it seems, by being named twice: first as the city of Arba, the father of Anak, and then as the refuge for the one who had killed someone. A divine Man has taken the place of him who shows the pride and independence of man's fallen heart. In Him we find the whole counsel of God. Hebron expresses the communion of the whole Godhead, so it rightly fills the first place in the list. How blessed and wonderful a portion for the priests of God!
- Chosen — God's free choice, not natural standing, set the priestly line. Eleazar keeps it while Ithamar steps aside, and Kohath is named before Gershom because "theirs was the lot."
- Given — Levi owned no land. Tithes and forty-eight scattered towns left the Levites free to serve the Lord.
- Sheltered — The six refuge cities were Levitical cities. Mercy for the accidental killer rested with those who served God. His release came when the high priest died.
- Fellowship — Hebron comes first, and it speaks of company: safety, strength and victory among God's people.
- Christ — Judah, Joseph and Levi meet in this list. Together they sketch the Messiah as king, firstborn and high priest, and the refuge itself points to Him.
and Hilen and its suburbs, Debir and its suburbs,
Two towns, each with its pastureland, sit in a long list of places given to Aaron's descendants. Why does God record the addresses of His priests, and why these towns?
The order of these towns is not random. One writer follows the priests into the territory of Judah, and sees three names meet there:
Verses 54 to 81 list the cities given to the Levites, including the cities of refuge... Here again Kohath comes first instead of Gershom, because it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot." Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge. So the priesthood, which came from Kohath, is here closely united with the tribe of Judah and with the place where the kingship was established... So we see Judah and Joseph, who had the birthright, joined together through the priesthood of Levi living among them. These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — speak to us, in a way still unclear, of the Messiah's features as king, as firstborn, and as high priest.
In the earlier lists, this town carries a different name.
City in Judah assigned to the priests. 1 Chr. 6:58. Called HOLON in Joshua 15:51; Joshua 21:15.
One writer reads the names of these towns as a picture of Christ, and Holon's own name is a lowly one:
Then the number of humiliation brings us to Holon, "night-lodging on the sand."
Debir reached this list with a history behind it.
City in the highlands of Judah near Hebron. It was one of the cities of the Amorites that was destroyed and its king killed. Joshua, as the leader of Israel, is described as taking it. But in Judges we find that Othniel took it. Caleb gave Othniel his daughter Achsah in marriage for capturing it. In the end the priests received it. Its former name was KIRJATH-SEPHER or KIRJATH-SANNAH.
The same writer turns to Debir, and finds Christ's own voice in its name:
Thirdly, Debir, "oracle," a familiar word, gives us what He was in the world, the one perfect divine voice in it. We must not separate the two things joined here: complete obedience to the will of God, and the personal knowledge of human circumstances and sorrows. As far as these are found in those who follow Him, they will enable them too, in their measure, to "speak as oracles of God."
The open land around each town is not a detail to skip. It was how a tribe with no land of its own lived.
The Levites had no inheritance in the land. So that they might be free to serve the Lord, they received tithes. They also received forty-eight cities to live in, with the open land around them for their cattle. Six of these cities were to be CITIES OF REFUGE.
One writer notes which tribes gave up these towns, and why that mattered.
The Levites then received these cities by lot, beginning with the families of the Kohathites. Aaron was from that family, and his family — the priests — received thirteen cities by lot, from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. This was fitting. Jerusalem, God's centre, lay on the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and Simeon's portion lay inside Judah. So the priests would be near God's sanctuary, to serve there.
An old word over Levi promised to divide him and scatter him. This list shows how God kept it.
First, these Levite cities scattered through the land fulfil the prophetic word about Levi: "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." Yet how different this is from what we would have expected! Grace shows itself in complete sovereignty over all the sin. What looked like nothing but penalty has become blessing... Seed must not lie in a heap, or it does not do its work. Levi must be God's witness in Israel.
- Lot — The towns came by lot. The choice was God's, not man's, and it set the priests beside Judah, the royal tribe.
- Gift — Hilen is the Holon of the earlier lists. Debir was a war prize, once called Kirjath-sepher, won by Othniel and later handed to the priests.
- Names — Read as a picture of Christ, Holon speaks of a lowly lodging. Debir means "oracle" — obedience joined to the one perfect voice in the world.
- Pasture — Levi owned no tribal land. Each town came with grazing ground, and the tribe lived on tithes so it could serve.
- Scattering — What sounded like a curse on Levi became God's way of placing His witnesses across the whole land.
and Ashan and its suburbs, and Beth-shemesh and its suburbs;
Verse 59 names two of the towns given to Aaron's descendants out of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. Why did the priests live in other tribes' land instead of holding land of their own? And do names like Ashan and Beth-shemesh mean anything?
Levi alone received no block of land. Its towns came out of the other tribes' portions.
Levi is dedicated to the service of God, and separated from common Israelites. They receive no inheritance like the other tribes. They live on Jehovah's support. He provides for them out of Israel's plenty. Each tribe gave a share to the Levites: a few cities from those that had less, many from those that had more.
The priests did not pick these towns. The lot decided, and even the order of the list rests on God's choice.
Here again, Kohath comes first instead of Gershom (cf. v. 20), for it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot" (v. 54). Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge (vv. 55, 57). So the priesthood, which comes from Kohath, is closely joined here to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship was set up.
These three tribes were not a random choice. Their land lay around the place God chose as His centre.
Aaron was from that family. His family, the priests, received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. This was fitting. Jerusalem, God's centre, was on the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and Simeon's land lay inside Judah. So the priests would be near God's sanctuary, to serve there. The priests pictured the worshippers, so in the service of God they came first.
Ashan was one of Simeon's towns, yet here it serves the priests. One writer sets the two tribes side by side.
In Genesis 49:6-7 both Levi and Simeon were to be scattered in Israel. Levi was indeed scattered — but with what honour and blessing! He was appointed to keep up the worship of Jehovah, with no care or worry except what belonged to the worship of God. Simeon was small in Israel… Both were scattered in Israel. But how wonderfully and graciously it was fulfilled in Levi! His scattering was his exaltation.
Another writer names God's reason for spreading them out.
They were scattered through the whole land of Israel… God's purpose in spreading them over the land was surely this: that they might have a good influence in the things of God. They were to urge the tribes to worship Jehovah, to remind them of His goodness and to hold them back from idolatry.
The list in Joshua names a different town in this spot, and commentators differ over which name is original.
One of the Levitical cities in the south. It was first given to Judah, but later allotted to Simeon… In 1 Chronicles 6:59 the margin suggests that Ashan is the same place as Ain, a Levitical city, although 1 Chronicles 4:32 mentions both Ain and Ashan.
One writer argues for Ashan on the strength of what the name means and how it fits the sequence of towns.
The first name here in Joshua is Ain, but 1 Chronicles 6:59 reads Ashan. Both are among Simeon's cities, but one would seem to be a mistake. Most commentators prefer Ashan, and the context leans that way. Ain, as we have understood it, does not seem fitting here; but Ashan, "smoke," which seems to point to the smoke of incense, fits perfectly. The One we have seen below in His ministry among men is now above, still working for them.
The second name carries its own picture.
Beth-shemesh, "the house of the sun," may well represent divine glory in the face of Jesus, as we now behold it, by faith, in heaven. So the third series is complete.
The town also has a hard history. The ark came back here from Philistine hands, and looking into it cost lives.
A Levitical town on the north border of Judah. God guided the ark here by a miracle when the Philistines sent it back from Ekron, and here the people were struck down for looking into it… Later the Philistines occupied it.
- No land — Levi held no territory. God fed His servants from what the other tribes gave, so they leaned on Him and not on land.
- By lot — the priests did not choose their towns. The lot tied them to Judah and to the place where the kingship was set up.
- Near the centre — their towns lay around God's chosen centre. The worshippers lived within reach of the sanctuary.
- Scattered on purpose — the word that sounded like a curse became Levi's honour. Spread through the tribes, they kept Israel worshipping and away from idols.
- Names that speak — Ashan, "smoke," points to the incense and to Christ still working for His own above. Beth-shemesh, "house of the sun," points to His glory, seen now by faith.
and, out of the tribe of Benjamin, Geba and its suburbs, and Allemeth and its suburbs, and Anathoth and its suburbs all their cities, thirteen cities, according to their families.
This verse closes the list of towns where Aaron's descendants lived: four from Benjamin, thirteen towns in all. Why does Scripture stop to record addresses, and why do these towns matter?
The lot decided where these priests lived. One writer sees a plan in the result.
The lots for the families of Levi fell so that the children of Aaron, the priest, received their cities from Judah's portion — where Simeon also held land — and from Benjamin's. So the hand of Jehovah placed the families of the priests in the districts around the royal city, Jerusalem. A design marks every detail of how Israel received its inheritance, and divine order and beauty mark the whole of the nation's portion.
These towns placed the family of Aaron among the tribe the kings came from.
The priesthood, which came from Kohath, is closely united here with the tribe of Judah and with the place of the kingship. The other members of the family of Kohath find their homes in Ephraim and Manasseh. So we see Judah and Joseph, who had the birthright, united through the Levitical priesthood living among them. These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — speak to us, in a way still unclear, of the Messiah's features as king, as firstborn, and as high priest.
Each town here comes "with its pasturelands." That phrase goes back to how God first provided for the tribe of Levi.
God called the men of the tribe of Levi to His service, so they had no section of the promised land of their own. They were to receive forty-eight cities, spread through the portions given to the other tribes. Around each city they were also to have land reaching out 2,000 cubits — at least 1,000 yards, and probably a little more. This land was for their cattle and their goods; that is, we suppose, to support them by farming.
One of these towns, Anathoth, turns up later in the story of a well-known prophet.
Although known as a prophet, Jeremiah belonged to the family of "the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin." As far as we know, he never acted as a priest. His village of Anathoth lay a little over three miles northeast of Jerusalem. It had been given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites (Josh. 21:18; 1 Chron. 6:60). Abiathar the priest was from Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26). In Zerubbabel's time 128 of its people came back from captivity, after the edict of Cyrus, king of Persia, and filled the village again. Jeremiah was a Levite, but people counted him a Benjaminite, because he was born in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.
Some writers also read the town names themselves as a picture of the believer's life.
The next two are Anathoth and Almon, and they correspond respectively to the two former. Anathoth, "afflictions," answers naturally to Gibeon, the cross. We have to take up our cross — how different from His, however — and to follow Him. Almon, "concealment," answering to Geba, speaks of a "life hidden with Christ in God," the effect of a heart occupied with a hidden Saviour.
Alemeth in this verse is the town Joshua 21:18 calls Almon.
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There was a reason these towns lay all over the land.
The Kohathites and the children of Aaron had thirteen cities in the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon... The divine purpose in scattering them over the land was, no doubt, that they might exercise a good influence in divine things, to urge the tribes to worship Jehovah, to remind them of His goodness, and to hold them back from idolatry.
- Chosen, not chance. The lot placed Aaron's sons in Judah, Simeon and Benjamin, the districts around Jerusalem. Their address was design, not chance.
- Given, not owned. They had no tribal territory. Instead they got cities with pastureland around them, enough for their cattle and their living.
- Near the throne. Living among Judah and Benjamin tied the priesthood to the kingship. The names Judah, Joseph and Levi hint at the Messiah as king, firstborn and high priest.
- Spread for service. They lived among all the tribes. There they reminded Israel of God's goodness and held the people back from idolatry.
- Named for later. Anathoth, listed here as a priests' town, is the town Abiathar the priest came from, the town where Jeremiah was born, and the town 128 exiles returned to. Scripture keeps coming back to this one line.
And to the children of Kohath that remained [were given] by lot out of the families of the tribe [of Ephraim and of the tribe of Dan and] of the half tribe, half Manasseh, ten cities.
These verses list the towns given to Levi, and here the Kohathites who were not priests receive ten of them from half the tribe of Manasseh, chosen by lot. Two questions follow: why did this tribe get towns instead of a territory, and who decided where each family lived?
The tribes handed over towns from their own inheritance, but they did not pick which ones. One writer holds both facts together, then gives the reason God spread Levi so wide:
The people obeyed and gave them cities out of their various inheritances. But the cities were also assigned by lot, so the Lord was the one who gave them their homes. How it must have pleased Him to see His Word remembered, obeyed and acted upon! They were scattered across the whole land of Israel. … God's purpose in scattering them over the land was surely to make them a good influence in the things of God. They were to urge the tribes to worship the Lord, to remind them of His goodness, and to hold them back from idolatry.
Another writer draws a principle from it for everyone God calls into His service:
In these arrangements we see the gracious care of God for those whom He calls to give their lives to His service… now we find that God Himself arranged even the places where they lived. God places His servants as it seems good to Him. He does not leave them to pick and choose for themselves.
Ten towns is a small share next to a full tribal territory. Levi lived on what God provided through the other tribes:
Levi is set apart for the service of God, and separated from ordinary Israelites. They receive no inheritance as the other tribes do. They are the Lord's pensioners. He provides for them out of Israel's abundance. Each tribe gave a portion to the Levites: fewer cities from the tribes that had less, more from those that had more.
This verse covers the Kohathites left over after Aaron's sons received their cities. One commentator explains why Kohath comes first, and what the two regions point to:
Here again, Kohath comes first instead of Gershom (compare v. 20), for it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot" (v. 54). Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge (vv. 55, 57). So the priesthood, which came from Kohath, is joined here to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship was set up. The other members of Kohath's family find their homes in Ephraim and Manasseh… So we see Judah and Joseph, who had the birthright, joined together by the Levitical priesthood living among them. These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — still speak to us, though not yet clearly, of the Messiah's features as king, as firstborn, and as high priest.
Manasseh was one tribe living in two places, which is why the verse says "half-tribe." A dictionary entry locates both halves:
Being a large tribe, they had a big possession in the north, east of the upper Jordan and the Sea of Galilee… Those east of the Jordan are often called the half-tribe of Manasseh. The other half were west of the Jordan, near the middle of the land, between Ephraim and Issachar.
One writer sees two things at once in this scattering — judgment on Levi, and grace turning that judgment into blessing:
After the inheritance has been described, the Levites receive their portion. As a tribe they have no territory, so they are given forty-two cities scattered throughout Israel. This shows two things at once. It shows the unbending judgment of God, "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." It also shows His grace, which rejoices over judgment and turns it into a means of blessing. For the Levites, scattered through the land and linked with God's centre at the tabernacle, would match the meaning of their name; and as those "joined" to all the tribes, they would unite them into one whole.
- The lot — The tribes handed over the towns, but the lot placed them. The Lord Himself chose where each Levite family lived.
- The portion — Levi received no territory. They were the Lord's pensioners, living on Israel's abundance: fewer towns from the smaller tribes, more from the larger.
- The placing — Aaron's sons lived beside Judah and the kingship. The rest of Kohath lived in Ephraim and Manasseh, so Levi tied the tribe of the birthright to the royal tribe.
- The purpose — God spread them across the land to stir the tribes to worship, to remind them of His goodness, and to hold them back from idolatry.
- The person — Judah, Joseph and Levi together hint at the Messiah as king, firstborn and high priest.
And to the children of Gershom according to their families out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
Gershom's branch of Levi receives thirteen towns from four tribes, including the half-tribe east of the Jordan in Bashan. That raises the question this whole chapter turns on. Why does one tribe in Israel get no land of its own, only scattered towns inside everyone else's territory?
Levi is the one tribe with no block of land. That gap is not poverty but position. God feeds this tribe out of what the other tribes produce.
God has dedicated Levi to His service and set the tribe apart from ordinary Israelites. They receive no inheritance as the other tribes do. They live at the Lord's expense. He provides for them out of Israel's abundance. Each tribe gave a portion to the Levites — few cities from the tribes that had less, many from those that had more.
The tribes handed over the cities, but a lot decided which town went to which Levite family. The spread across Israel had a purpose.
Moses gave no inheritance to the Levites. The Lord was their inheritance… The people were obedient and gave them cities out of their own inheritances. But the cities were also assigned by lot, so it was the Lord who gave them their homes. How it must have pleased Him to see His Word remembered, obeyed and acted upon! They were scattered throughout the whole land of Israel… God's purpose in scattering them over the land was, no doubt, that they might be a good influence in the things of God: to urge the tribes to worship the Lord, to remind them of His goodness and to hold them back from idolatry.
Scattering was first spoken over Levi as a punishment. The same words describe these cities, but the outcome is turned around.
The inheritance has been described. Now the Levites receive their portion. As a tribe they have no territory, so their portion is forty-two cities scattered throughout Israel. This shows two things at once. It shows the unbending judgment of God: "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." It also shows His grace, which rejoices over judgment and turns it into a means of blessing. For the Levites, scattered through the land and linked with God's centre at the tabernacle, would live up to the meaning of their name. "Joined" to all the tribes, they would unite them into one whole.
Gershom's name means a stranger there. His job at the tabernacle matched his name.
Gershom means "a stranger there." It speaks of the kind of service for God that does not settle down in the world, but serves God without selfish, material motives. Gershom's service had to do with the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle, and the hangings for the door and for the court. So the spiritual meaning of his service is this: it encourages a godly walk through a world where we are strangers — a walk that honors God, though the world does not understand it.
The four tribes named in this verse fit that lesson.
Gershon stands for the inward side of ministry. He has thirteen cities in Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and half of Manasseh. Practical walk, happiness and overcoming all need the lesson of living as a stranger, and that is the lesson he can teach them. In the other, eastern half of Manasseh he has only to confirm them in it.
The first town on Gershom's list carries the lesson in its name. A stranger needs gladness more than most.
A city of refuge heads Gershon's list. Golan means "exultation" — the full joy in Christ Jesus. Gershon, the "exile," is close in spirit to Manasseh, whose name means "forgetter." For both of them joy is a needed part of strength: joy in One who is absent. As Peter puts it, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory." How much a Levite needs to own a joy like that! A joy in Christ that is "full of glory" is itself a ministry of Christ to others.
The stranger's character is not automatic. A church can put it down, along with the coverings Gershom once carried.
The Church has laid down the rams' skins and badgers' skins, and with them the Gershonite character. In other words, the Church has stopped walking in the footsteps of her rejected Lord and Master. The result is this. She should be the tired, worn stranger, crossing the dry and barren desert with the burden on her shoulders. Instead she has settled down in the green places of the world and made herself at home.
- No portion. Levi alone received no land. The tribe lived on what God supplied through Israel's giving.
- Portion by lot. The tribes handed over the towns, but God placed each family. Gershom's thirteen cities were an assignment, not a leftover.
- Portion scattered. Divided and scattered was once a punishment on Levi. It became the way God tied every tribe to His centre.
- Portion taught. Gershom's name means stranger. His cities sat where practical walk, happiness and overcoming most needed that lesson.
- Portion of joy. His list opens with Golan, gladness. A stranger's strength is joy in a Lord he has not yet seen, and that joy is itself a ministry to others.
To the children of Merari [were given] by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
This verse closes the list of Levite towns. Merari, the third son of Levi, gets twelve cities from Reuben, Gad and Zebulun — and two of those tribes lived east of the Jordan. Why does a whole family of Levi get scattered towns instead of one block of land? And who decided where they went?
Levi alone among the tribes had no region to call his own. One writer calls that loss Levi's richest gain. He also notes Levites living on both sides of the Jordan, just as this verse shows.
Levi was "scattered in Israel," just as Jacob had prophesied. But Levi's portion was the most sacred and most precious of all. Wherever the other tribes lived, there was Levi... The Lord — not a position — was Levi's lot. Some Levites lived among the two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan, others among the nine and a half in Canaan. But Levi's inheritance was not the special position of the land where their cities stood. It was the Lord Himself, and the sacrifices made by fire to Him.
The scattering of Levi began as a penalty. Jacob had said of Levi, "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." These cities are where that sentence lands, and where it changes character.
First, in these Levite cities, scattered through the land, we see the prophetic word about Levi fulfilled: "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." Yet it is fulfilled here in a way we would never have expected! Grace shows itself in absolute sovereignty over all the sin. What seemed only a penalty has become blessing. In full keeping with God's way in grace, the one who was under that penalty becomes a blessing to others... The government of God is maintained, and for Levi's own sake he must be scattered. Seed must not lie in a heap, or it does not fulfil its purpose.
Spread among all the tribes, the Levites could have held Israel together. Another writer notes that they did not.
The Levites lived in all the tribes, and this ought to have kept Israel united. Yet it did not stop the tribes from splitting apart in the time of Rehoboam... In fact, sad to say, the Levites themselves seemed to have little sense of the great dignity given to them. God had chosen them for the work He gave them.
The tribes gave up the cities from their own land. But they did not choose which Levites lived where.
The people were obedient and gave them cities out of their several inheritances. But the cities were also assigned by lot, so that the Lord assigned them their dwelling places. How it must have pleased Him to see His Word remembered, obeyed and acted on! They were scattered throughout the entire territory of Israel... The Merarites were in Zebulun and among Gad and Reuben. God's purpose in scattering them over the land was, no doubt, that they should be a good influence in divine things. They were to urge the tribes to worship the Lord, to remind them of His goodness and to hold them back from idolatry.
Each family of Levi carried a different part of the tabernacle — Israel's tent of worship — through the wilderness. Merari's load was the frame. One writer reads the name and the job together.
Last of Levi's three sons we find Merari, which means "bitter." His two sons are Mahli, "sick," and Mushi, "yielding." No stranger words could be tied to Levi's sons. These families have charge of the boards of the tabernacle and its bars, its pillars and sockets. They also care for those of the court, and the pegs and cords. Here it is clear that Merari is occupied not so much with Christ Himself as with the people of the Lord... and who that has engaged in this has not found the bitterness that expresses itself in Merari's name? A man would be little fitted for ministry who could not feel it.
The same writer finds meaning in the number twelve, and a warning for today.
The Merarite cities are twelve in number, and supplied by three tribes — Zebulun, Reuben, and Gad. We have already seen that Merari's ministry has to do with the upkeep of the Church itself. Perhaps this is why its cities are twelve, the number of visible divine government. Sadly, we have lost much of that display. We lost it through the many human rules and machinery brought in, and through the self-will that keeps breaking all bounds.
- Scattered. Jacob's word over Levi divided him and scattered him. These twelve cities are where that word came true.
- Turned. What looked like only a penalty became blessing — seed must not lie in a heap, or it never does its work.
- Allotted. The tribes gave the cities. The lot placed them. So the Lord Himself chose where each Levite family lived.
- Sent. Merari's towns sat in Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. His task there was to urge worship, recall God's goodness, and hold the tribes back from idols.
- Portioned. Not the land they stood on but the Lord Himself was Levi's inheritance — the same portion east of the Jordan as west of it.
And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their suburbs.
This verse closes the long list of Levite towns in 1 Chronicles 6. Israel handed the Levites towns and open land out of its own inheritance. Why did one tribe need housing from the rest? And what did God intend by placing His servants in every corner of the land?
Every other tribe received a block of land. Levi's list names only towns.
The Levites have their cities marked out, though they have no inheritance in the land like their brothers. Jehovah Himself is their inheritance.
So Levi lived on what the other tribes gave, and each tribe gave what it could spare.
Levi is dedicated to the service of God, and separated from common Israelites. They receive no inheritance like the other tribes. They are Jehovah's pensioners. He provides for them out of Israel's abundance. Each tribe gave a portion to the Levites, few cities from those that had less, many from those that had more.
Handing over those towns cost the tribes real land. One writer calls that cost a privilege.
The Lord's servants were wholly cast upon Him for their portion. They had no inheritance or possession except Himself. Blessed inheritance! Precious portion! None like it, in the judgement of faith... God took care of His dependent servants. He also let the whole congregation of Israel taste a holy privilege — and that is truly what it was. They became co-workers with Him in providing for those who had willingly devoted themselves to His work, giving up everything else.
The open ground around each town was how the Levites made a living.
They were to receive forty-eight cities, scattered through the portions given to the other tribes. They were also to own land around each of these cities, reaching out 2,000 cubits — which means at least 1,000 yards, and probably a little more. This land was to be for their cattle and for their goods; that is, we suppose, for their support by cultivation. The land attached to each city may look small and not enough to us. But remember that these cities were very small, judged by our standards.
A word spoken over Levi said his descendants would be divided and scattered in Israel. These forty-eight towns are that word coming true — though not in the way we would expect.
First, in these Levite cities, scattered through the land, we have the fulfilment of the prophetic word about Levi, "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." Yet it is fulfilled here in a very different way from what we would have thought! Grace shows itself in absolute sovereignty over all the sin. What seemed only penalty has become blessing. And this fits God's way in grace exactly: the one who had been its subject becomes a blessing to others. Seed must not lie in a heap, or it does not fulfil its office. Levi must be God's witness in Israel. Levi must also be the seal of the sanctification of the whole land to God — a people whose portion is God alone: "They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law."
Levites lived in every region, and that shaped the whole nation.
The Levites were set apart from the rest of Israel for the service of the sanctuary and to think deeply on God's word. They went up in their turns to attend the worship of God, then returned to the cities from their sacred office. These journeys kept the whole of Israel mindful of the Lord, whose cloud overshadowed the tabernacle at Shiloh.
The Levite towns included the cities of refuge, and the order of this list matters. Aaron's sons received Hebron in Judah, the tribe of the throne.
In verses 54 to 81 we find the cities apportioned to the Levites, including the cities of refuge... Here again, Kohath comes first instead of Gershom, for it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot" (v. 54). Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge. So the priesthood, coming from Kohath, is closely tied here to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship was set up... These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — still speak to us, though dimly, of the Messiah's features as king, as firstborn, and as high priest.
- No portion. Levi received no territory, because God Himself was their inheritance. Their towns had to come from their brothers.
- Portion supplied. God met that need out of Israel's abundance. The whole nation became co-workers with Him in keeping His servants.
- Portion measured. Cities came with pasture land for cattle and crops; tribes with more gave more, tribes with less gave less.
- Portion spread. The scattering once spoken over Levi became blessing. Seed must not lie in a heap, so God sowed His witnesses across the land.
- Portion pointing forward. Priests settled in Judah, beside the throne. Judah, Joseph and Levi together sketch the Messiah as king, firstborn and high priest.
And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities which were mentioned by name.
Levi received no land of its own, so the other tribes handed over towns for the Levites to live in — here out of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. Two questions press: why did a lot decide the towns, and why does Scripture record them by name?
One commentator notes that the list does not follow the order of birth, and gives the reason:
In verses 54 to 81 we find the cities given to the Levites listed, including the cities of refuge. Here again Kohath comes first instead of Gershom, because it is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot."
The lot was no game of chance. It let God settle the question:
By the lot, it is clear, God expressed His mind more plainly than He could in any other way. As the voice of inspiration itself says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:33).
These three tribes housed Aaron's priestly line. Writing on the account in Joshua, one commentator ties the lot, the tribes and God's purpose together:
The cities were also assigned by lot, so that the Lord assigned them their homes. How it must have pleased Him to see His Word remembered, obeyed and acted on! They were scattered throughout the whole territory of Israel. The Kohathites and the children of Aaron had thirteen cities in the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon... God's purpose in scattering them over the land was, no doubt, that they might have a good influence in divine things. They were to urge the tribes to worship the Lord, to remind them of His goodness, and to hold them back from idolatry.
One commentator finds in these towns the fulfilment of an old word spoken over Levi:
In these Levite cities scattered through the land we have the fulfilment of the prophetic word about Levi: "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." Yet it came true in a very different way from what we would have thought! Grace shows itself in absolute sovereignty over all the sin. What seemed to be nothing but penalty has become blessing. In complete accordance with God's way in grace, the one who had been under it becomes a blessing to others... The government of God is maintained, and for Levi's own sake he must be scattered. Seed must not lie in a heap, or it does not do its work. Levi must be God's witness in Israel, and the seal that the whole land is set apart to God — a people whose portion is God alone.
Every other tribe held land of its own. Levi did not:
Levi is dedicated to the service of God, and set apart from ordinary Israelites. They receive no inheritance as the other tribes do. They live on what the Lord provides. He supplies them out of Israel's abundance. Each tribe gave a portion to the Levites — few cities from those who had less, many from those who had more. God's care for His holy things shows in how carefully He kept the record of Levi's sons, and gave each one his own work.
The list is not only geography. These towns did two jobs at once:
The cities of refuge were part of those given to the Levites, and they belonged with Levite ministry, in spiritual meaning as much as in fact. In both we find a provision for the control of sin. The Levitical cities scattered through the land were like a garrison of the Lord, keeping the people in the knowledge and fear of Him.
Rossier draws one more point from where the priests were placed:
The priesthood, which came from Kohath, is closely united here with the tribe of Judah and the place where the kingship was established, while the other members of Kohath's family find their home in Ephraim and Manasseh... So we see Judah and Joseph, who had the birthright, united through the Levitical priesthood living among them. These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — speak to us, in a way still unclear, of the Messiah's features as king, as firstborn, and as high priest.
- Scattered. The old word that Levi would be divided and scattered comes true here, town by town, in the record of where the tribe lived.
- Scattered by God. The lot removed the choice from human hands, so the Lord Himself decided which tribe housed which Levite family.
- Scattered as blessing. What began as a penalty became privilege — seed spread out does its work; piled in a heap it does nothing.
- Scattered, not landed. Levi held no inheritance of its own. It lived on what the other tribes gave — much from the large tribes, little from the small.
- Scattered for others. The result was a witness for God in every region, and within those same towns a refuge for the one who needed shelter.
And to the families of the children of Kohath who had the cities of their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim,
Verse 66 closes a long list of towns. Some families of Kohath — the branch of Levi that Aaron came from — held cities inside Ephraim's land. Levi owned no land at all. So why do these families hold towns in another tribe's fields, and why does the record say so?
The list of Levite towns puts Kohath before Gershom. One writer sees the Lord's own choice in that order, and follows where each branch of Kohath settled.
Here again, Kohath comes first instead of Gershom. It is a matter of the Lord's free choice: "theirs was the lot." Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge. So the priesthood came out of Kohath. Here it stands closely tied to the tribe of Judah and to the place where the kingship began. The other members of Kohath's family find their home in Ephraim and Manasseh. For this reason Judah and Ephraim hold a prominent place among the sons of Israel. So we see Judah and Joseph, who had the birthright, united by the Levitical priesthood living among them. These three names — Judah, Joseph, and Levi — speak to us, in a way still dim, of the Messiah's features as king, as first-born, and as high priest.
Kohath needed cities inside Ephraim because Levi owned no land. That was provision, not poverty.
Levi belongs to the service of God, separated from ordinary Israelites. They receive no inheritance as the other tribes do. They are Jehovah's pensioners. He provides for them out of Israel's abundance. Each tribe gave a portion to the Levites, few cities from those that had less, many from those that had more.
Ephraim handed over towns. But which towns, and to whom, was not Ephraim's decision.
The people were obedient and gave them cities out of their several inheritances. But the cities were also assigned by lot, so that the Lord assigned them their homes. How it must have pleased Him to see His Word remembered, obeyed and acted upon! They were scattered throughout the whole territory of Israel. The Kohathites and the children of Aaron had thirteen cities in the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon, and two more in Ephraim, Dan and Manasseh. … God's purpose in scattering them over the land was, no doubt, that they might have a good influence in divine things. They were to urge the tribes to worship Jehovah, to remind them of His goodness and to hold them back from idolatry.
A sentence of judgment once fell on Levi: they would be divided and scattered. Their scattered towns carry out that sentence — and Levi's name, which means joined, shows what God made of it.
The Levites as a tribe have no territory. Their portion falls to them in the forty-two cities scattered throughout Israel. This shows at once the unbending judgment of God — "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel" — and His grace, which rejoices over judgment and turns it into a means of blessing. For the Levites scattered in this way through the land, and linked with God's centre at the tabernacle, would answer to the meaning of their name. As those "joined" to all the tribes, they would unite them into one whole.
This detail clears up a puzzle about Samuel's family.
Elkanah was an Ephraimite. But from 1 Chronicles 6:20-28 we learn that Samuel and his father were of Levitical descent. This has been pointed out as a contradiction. It is however not at all inconsistent with the statement that Samuel's father was of Ephraim. He was one of those Levites to whom cities were assigned in the portion given to the tribe of Ephraim.
Living among Ephraim gave the Levites the chance to hold Israel together. Their later history shows they wasted it.
The Levites were present in all the tribes. That ought to have helped to maintain unity in Israel. Yet their presence did not keep the tribes from dividing in the time of Rehoboam. In fact, sad to say, the Levites themselves seemed to have little sense of the great dignity God gave them in choosing them for this work. Instead of being drawn together in unity, we see in the book of Judges an independent spirit in Levites that only sought their own will.
- No inheritance. Levi received no territory like the other tribes. God provided for them out of Israel's abundance, each tribe giving from what it had.
- Lot, not preference. Kohath heads the list ahead of Gershom because the placing rested on the Lord's free choice — "theirs was the lot."
- Scattered on purpose. Inside Ephraim's borders they could urge the tribes to worship God, remind them of His goodness, and hold them back from idols.
- Judgment made a blessing. God's judgment scattered Levi, yet His grace turned that scattering into the means of joining the tribes into one.
- Three names, one Person. Judah, Joseph and Levi meet here. Kingship, birthright and priesthood sketch the Messiah as king, first-born and high priest.
they gave the city of refuge, Shechem and its suburbs in mount Ephraim; and Gezer and its suburbs,
This verse lists towns given to the Levite family of Kohath inside Ephraim's territory. The first one named, Shechem, was a city of refuge — so why does a tribe with no land of its own receive towns at all, and why is a killer's place of escape part of the gift?
The Levites were the one tribe with no land of their own. Their towns came out of every other tribe's portion, and commentators see both judgment and kindness in that.
The portion of the Levites, who as a tribe have no territory, is given to them in the forty-two cities scattered throughout Israel. This shows at once the unbending judgment of God — "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel" — and His grace, which rejoices over judgment and turns it into a means of blessing. For the Levites, scattered through the land and linked with God's centre at the tabernacle, would answer to the meaning of their name; and, as "joined" to all the tribes, they would unite them into one whole.
The cities of refuge were not a separate arrangement. They came out of the Levites' own towns.
The cities of refuge formed part of those given to the Levites. They were tied to Levite ministry, in spiritual meaning as much as in fact. In both we find a provision for the control of sin: the Levitical cities, scattered through the land, were like a garrison of the Lord, keeping the people in the knowledge and fear of Him.
Commentators read the town's own name as a picture, and its position between two mountains fills it out.
Shechem means "shoulder," the part that bears the burden, and it is a clear picture of "service." On each side of it stood Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, and from those mountains Israel heard the curses and blessings of the law after they entered the land. So here the city of refuge speaks of Christ as the servant of God, doing His will, listening to the voice of the law — and even, though He Himself was perfect, to its curses for breaking it. He magnified the law and made it honourable by submitting to a penalty that others had earned.
Others read the same name more simply, as the strength that carries the rescued one:
Shechem (shoulder) reminds us of the Lord Jesus carrying the sheep that was lost on His shoulders, the place of strength, of certainty, or security.
A city of refuge only sheltered someone who had killed without intending it. Commentators apply this to the nation that handed Christ over to death.
God's holiness shows in this: He would not shield the guilty. If the case was examined before qualified judges and witnesses, the guilty man had to be handed over. His grace shines in keeping the unintentional slayer safe inside the refuge, so the avenger of blood could not lay hands on him... Here we see a picture of the Lord's gracious dealings with Israel — the beloved but blinded nation, answerable to Him for the shedding of the blood of Christ. He graciously treats Israel as a "slayer" and not a "murderer," to be restored in due time to the good land, the land of their possession.
God also made that escape easy to reach:
See the gracious care our God takes to make the city of refuge as easy to reach as possible for the slayer. The three cities were to be "in the midst of your land." It would not do to have them in far corners, or in places that were hard to reach... The city of refuge was to be "brought near," just as "the righteousness of God" is brought near to the poor, broken-hearted, helpless sinner.
The second town in this verse has a sad record. Israel was given it but never took hold of it.
An ancient Canaanite city and its people. Joshua captured it, and it went to Ephraim, and afterwards to the Kohathites (1 Chronicles 6:67; 1 Chronicles 7:28); but the original inhabitants kept hold of it.
The loss was one city, and it mattered:
Ephraim loses only one place to the Canaanites — Gezer. It is a very important place, though, being a Levitical city... Ephraim's one lost city is no light loss!
One writer reads the whole list together. Kohath's family settled in Judah and in Ephraim, and that ties the two leading tribes to the priesthood.
Among them, the sons of Aaron received "Hebron in the land of Judah" as a city of refuge... while the rest of the family of Kohath made their home in Ephraim and Manasseh. So we see Judah and Joseph, who held the birthright, joined together through the Levitical priesthood living among them. These three names — Judah, Joseph and Levi — point, in a way that is still not clear, to the Messiah as king, as firstborn, and as high priest.
- Scattered — God spread the landless tribe through Israel. What looked like judgment turned into a blessing for every other tribe.
- Refuge — God carved the escape for the accidental killer out of the Levites' own portion, so shelter and service stood in the same towns.
- Shoulder — Shechem means the part that carries the load — a picture of Christ, who bore both the burden and the penalty others had earned.
- Near — God set the refuge in the middle of the land, never in a far corner, so the slayer could reach it in time.
- Unclaimed — Gezer stood on the Levites' list yet stayed in enemy hands. A gift named is not yet a gift enjoyed.