1 Chronicles 6:66

And the residue of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their coasts out of the tribe of Ephraim.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(66) And the residue of the families.—The Hebrew text can hardly mean this; and Joshua 21:20 shows that it is incorrect. The original text must have been, “And to the families of the sons of Kohath:—and the cities of their border were of the tribe of Ephraim.” The construction breaks off, and a new start is made by the words “and the cities,” &c. The verse is abridged as compared with Joshua, 50100

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 6:66. Had cities of their coasts — Or, of their borders, that is, of their country contained within its borders: these cities were assigned the families of the sons of Kohath, though they were not priests, for their support in a lower ministry.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:1-81 Genealogies. - We have an account of Levi in this chapter. The priests and Levites were more concerned than any other Israelites, to preserve their descent clear, and to be able to prove it; because all the honours and privileges of their office depended upon their descent. Now, the Spirit of God calls ministers to their work, without any limit as to the families they came from; and then, as now, though believers and ministers may be very useful to the church, none but our great High Priest can make atonement for sin, nor can any be accepted but through his atonement.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Unto the sons of Kohath which were left - i. e. to such of them as were not priests.

Out of the half tribe ... ten cities - The half tribe furnished two cities only (1 Chronicles 6:70, and compare Joshua 21:25). It is evident therefore that something has fallen out. We may supply from Joshua the words "out of Ephraim and out of Dan, and" before "out of the half tribe."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

62. to the sons of Gershom—Supply "the children of Israel gave."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Of their coasts, or, of their borders, i.e. of their country contained within its borders, as that word is oft used, as hath been noted before.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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 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 (h), 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 (i).

(h) T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 48. 2.((i) Tacit. Annal. l. 3. c. 62.

Geneva Study Bible

And the residue of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their coasts out of the tribe of Ephraim.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

66–70 (= Joshua 21:20-25). The [ten] cities of the non-Aaronite Kohathites

66. the residue of the families] R.V. some of the families.

of their coasts] R.V. of their borders.

1 Chronicles 6:66

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(1 Chronicles 6:51-55). The cities of the remaining Kohathites; cf. Joshua 21:20-26. For וּממּשׁפּחות we must read וּלמשׁפּחות, for the preposition מן gives no suitable sense: it is never used to introduce a subject. The sense is, "as regards the families of the sons of Kohath, the cities of their dominion in the tribe of Ephraim were (the following). They gave them." The plur. המּקלט ערי instead of the sing., as in 1 Chronicles 6:57. As to the four cities of the tribe of Ephraim, 1 Chronicles 6:52, 1 Chronicles 6:53, see on Joshua 21:21-22, where instead of יקמעם we find the name קבצים. Before 1 Chronicles 6:54 a whole verse has been lost, which was as follows: "And of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and her pastures, Gibbethon and her pastures;" cf. Joshua 21:23. Then follows 1 Chronicles 6:69, which contains the names of the two other cities of the tribe of Dan. In 1 Chronicles 6:70 we have the names of the cities of half Manasseh, Aner and Bileam, i.e., Ibleam (Joshua 17:11), correctly given; but the names Taanach and Gath-rimmon in Joshua 21:25 are incorrect, and have been inserted through a transcriber's error, arising from the copyist's eye having wandered to the preceding verse. The singular למשׁפּחת, 1 Chronicles 6:70, is incorrect; and the plural למשׁפּחות is to be substituted (as in 1 Chronicles 6:66). The words וגו לבני למשׁפּחות are a subscription, which corresponds to להם ויּתּנוּ in 1 Chronicles 6:67.