Levitical Cities

Biblical Text

In Numbers 35:1-8, God commands the children of Israel to give the Levites, out of their own inheritance, cities to dwell in along with the land surrounding them. There were forty-eight cities in all, six of which were cities of refuge. Tribes that received much were to give much, and tribes that received little were to give little (Numbers 35:8).

The actual allotment is recorded in Joshua 21. The heads of the Levitical families came to Eleazar and Joshua to request their cities, and the cities were distributed by lot. Arranged by the families of Levi's three sons, the allotment was as follows:

• The descendants of Aaron (the priestly house within the Kohathite clan): thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
• The rest of the Kohathites: ten cities from the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
• The Gershonites: thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
• The Merarites: twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

The same list appears in 1 Chronicles 6:54-81, though some of the city names differ.

Background

The tribe of Levi received no land as an inheritance. Scripture says that the Lord was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20-24; Deuteronomy 18:1-2; Joshua 13:33), and the Levites were supported by the tithes that Israel offered.

The land surrounding the cities is called migrash in Hebrew and refers to pastureland for grazing livestock. Numbers 35:4-5 gives its extent as a thousand cubits from the city wall, while also specifying two thousand cubits on each side. Interpreters differ on how these two figures should be reconciled.

Leviticus 25:32-34 gives special protection to Levitical property. A Levite who sold a house within his city could redeem it (that is, buy it back) at any time, and a house that was not redeemed returned to him in the Year of Jubilee. The fields surrounding the cities could not be sold at all.

The Levitical cities were not inhabited by Levites alone. Hebron was both a priestly city and a city of refuge, yet its fields and villages were given to Caleb (Joshua 21:11-13). The list also includes cities such as Gezer, from which the Canaanites were never fully driven out (Joshua 16:10; 21:21).

Significance Across Scripture

In Genesis 49:5-7, Jacob declares that Simeon and Levi will be scattered in Israel. A common interpretation sees Levi's dispersal among the various tribes as the fulfillment of this word. This interpretation is sometimes linked with the golden calf incident, when the sons of Levi stood on the Lord's side (Exodus 32:26-29), and is presented as an example of a curse turned into a position of service.

The Levitical cities appear several more times in Israel's later history:

• The Levites of Beth-shemesh took down the Ark of the Covenant when it returned from the Philistines (1 Samuel 6:15).
• Anathoth was the place to which the priest Abiathar was banished (1 Kings 2:26) and was the hometown of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1).
• In the time of Jeroboam, the Levites of the north abandoned their pasturelands and possessions and came to Judah (2 Chronicles 11:13-14).

The New Testament does not mention the Levitical cities directly. Hebrews 7 teaches that the Levitical priesthood gives way to the priesthood of Christ after the order of Melchizedek. First Peter 2:5, 9, which calls the church a priestly people, is used in Protestantism as a basis for the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. The account of Barnabas, a Levite who sold a field and gave the proceeds (Acts 4:36-37), is cited as evidence that Levites did own land in the New Testament era.

Interpretations and Issues

• Date of the list: Views differ on whether the list records the actual allotment made shortly after the settlement. It has traditionally been read that way. Among scholars, however, some hold that it reflects the administration of the time of David and Solomon, while others regard it as an idealized scheme compiled at a later date.
• Location of the cities: Not all of the individual cities have been firmly identified archaeologically.
• What the text does not say: Sermons often add, drawing on passages such as Deuteronomy 33:10, that the Levitical cities served as centers for teaching the Law. The text itself, however, does not directly define the role of the cities in this way.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the arrangement by which the Levites lived on tithes rather than land is frequently cited to explain pastors' financial support and tithing. Others counter that the Old Testament Levitical system cannot be transferred directly to the finances of today's church, making this one of the points at issue in the tithing debate.