And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,
Parallel translations
- WEB To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge, Hebron; Libnah also with its suburbs, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its suburbs,
- BSB So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,
- NKJV And to the sons of Aaron they gave one of the cities of refuge, Hebron; also Libnah with its common-lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common-lands,
- NASB To the sons of Aaron they gave the following cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah together with its pasture lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands,
- NLT So the descendants of Aaron were given the following towns, each with its pasturelands: Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The priests received cities of refuge including Hebron, plus Libnah, Jattir, and Eshtemoa with their pasturelands. These towns served both as priestly homes and as places of legal sanctuary.
Overview
Several of the Levitical cities doubled as cities of refuge, where someone guilty of accidental killing could flee for protection until a fair trial (Numbers 35:6). Placing these under the priests linked justice and mercy with the ministry of God's appointed servants. The cities of refuge beautifully foreshadow Christ, to whom sinners flee for refuge and find safety (Hebrews 6:18).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Josh 15:48And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,
- Josh 21:13–14Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs,
- Josh 15:42Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,
- Josh 10:29Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
- Josh 20:7–9And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
- Num 35:13–15And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
- Josh 21:19All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
- 1 Chr 4:17And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The genealogies and the everlasting covenant with David trace the single thread of promise running through the generations straight to the Christ in whom the line reaches its goal.
How 1 Chronicles 6:57 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.