1 Chronicles 6:54

54 Now these are their dwelling-places according to their encampments in their borders: to the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites (for theirs was the [first] lot),

1 Chronicles 6:54 Meaning and Commentary

Ver. 54-81. 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 6:57-60 ) 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 ^F8, 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 ^F9.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 48. 2.
F9 Tacit. Annal. l. 3. c. 62.

1 Chronicles 6:54 In-Context

52 Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

53 Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

54 Now these are their dwelling-places according to their encampments in their borders: to the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites (for theirs was the [first] lot),

55 to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs of it round about it;

56 but the fields of the city, and the villages of it, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.