The leaders of Levi's ask for their allotment. Cities are appointed to them, according to three main family divisions: Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites. They are "sprinkled" among the rest of the tribes.
My notes: The order to establish special cities for the Levites is given in Numbers 35: 1-8. The forty-eight cities listed here were hardly the exclusive possession of the Levites; at least the more important of them, such as Hebron, Shechem and Ramoth in Gilead, were certainly peopled for the most part by the tribe in whose territory they were situated. But in all these cities the Levites had special property rights which they did not possess in other cities.
2 comments:
1-8 The Levites now point out that God had commanded that they be given towns to live in among the Israelites in the New/Promised Land. Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin gave 13 towns. Ephraim, Dan, and Manasseh gave 10 towns. Issachar, Asher Naphtali gave 13 towns. Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun gave 12 towns.
9-40 The actual towns are named, some are refuge cities.
41 The total is 48 towns with pastureland.
43 They're all settled in now!
44-45 "The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to the forefathers. Not one of theri eneimies withstood tehm; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord's good promised to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."
QUESTION: What is the lesson to be learned from this whole story? (ref: 44-45)
Answer: I'll use the last line as well: "Not a single promise that the LORD made to the house of Israel was broken; every one was fulfilled."
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