The children of Merari according to their families had twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun.
Parallel translations
- KJV The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
- BSB And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
- NKJV The children of Merari according to their families had twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.
- NASB To the sons of Merari according to their families twelve cities were given from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.
- NLT The clan of Merari was allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
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 Merarites receive twelve cities from Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. This Levite clan is settled both east of the Jordan and in the north.
Overview
The Merarites, who bore the heavy structural parts of the tabernacle, were given cities including those among the eastern tribes. Their placement ensured that even the Transjordan tribes had Levites among them. The careful distribution across all regions shows God's concern that no part of Israel be without those who could teach His law and lead in worship.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Josh 21:34–40To the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its suburbs, Kartah with its suburbs,
- Exod 6:19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
- 1 Chr 6:77–81To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs;
- 1 Chr 6:63To the sons 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.
- Num 3:20The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 21:7 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.