Lexical Summary migrash or migrashah: Pastureland, open land, common land, outskirts Original Word: מִגְרָשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cast out, suburb Also (in plural) feminine (Ezek. 27:28) migrashah {mig-raw-shaw'}; from garash; a suburb (i.e. Open country whither flocks are driven from pasture); hence, the area around a building, or the margin of the sea -- cast out, suburb. see HEBREW garash NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom garash Definition a common, common land, open land NASB Translation open space (1), open spaces (2), pasture (2), pasture lands (109). Brown-Driver-Briggs מִגְרָשׁ noun masculineNumbers 35:2 common, common-land, open land (perhaps originally pasture-land, as place of [cattle] driving) — absolute ׳מ Ezekiel 45:2 2t. + Ezekiel 48:15 (Co מגרשָׁהּ); construct מִגְרַשׁ Leviticus 25:34; 2Chronicles 31:19; (on מִגְרָשָׁהּ Ezekiel 36:5 compare גרשׁ); elsewhere plural, absolute מִגְרשׁוֺת Ezekiel 27:28 (Baer); Co מרעשׁת assumed from רָעַשׁ, compare ᵐ5; construct מִגְרְשֵׁי Numbers 35:4 2t.; suffix מִגְרָשֶׁיהָ Joshua 21:13 (twice in verse) + 42 t.; מִגְרָשֶׁהָ Joshua 21:11 46t. in Joshua 21 (generally ֑ or ֔ + but also ֖ Joshua 21:21); מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם Numbers 35:3 4t.; מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶן Numbers 35:7 8t. — common-land, usually plural, and usually as attached to a city or town, especially as surrounding Levitical cities Numbers 35:2,3,4,5,7; Joshua 14:4; Joshua 21:2 55t. Joshua 21 (all P; in Manuscripts & old Vrss. are two verses Joshua 21, between Joshua 21:35; Joshua 21:36, with ׳מ4t.; omitted by Masora, Editions, Baer, but compare Theile, & Di on the passage); 1 Chronicles 6:40 40t. 1 Chronicles 6; 1 Chronicles 13:2; 2Chronicles 11:14; so also׳שְׂדֵה מ Leviticus 25:34 (H), ׳שְׂדֵי מ2Chronicles 31:19; lands surrounding the holy city Ezekiel 48:15,17; open land or space about the temple Ezekiel 45:2; only 1 Chronicles 5:16 כלמִֿגְרְשֵׁי שָׁרוֺן of (pasture-) lands in a district, compare שׁרון. — Ezekiel 27:28 מגרשׁות, if true text, = open country about Tyre (opposed to sea, compare context), but see Da & compare above גֹּרֹתָיו see גּוֺר below II. גור. גשׁם (√ of following; compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Pasturelands in Israel’s Sacred Geography The term מִגְרָשׁ designates the belt of open, uncultivated ground that encircled a city—especially the Levitical towns. It functioned as pasture for flocks, a commons for the community, and a protective buffer between habitation and farmland. Foundational Command (Numbers 35) At Sinai the LORD charged Moses: “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to inhabit, along with pasturelands around the towns” (Numbers 35:2). Verses 4–5 specify a first ring of one thousand cubits and an outer ring of two thousand cubits. The design ensured: Inalienable Sanctity (Leviticus 25:34) “But the pasturelands around their cities must not be sold, for this is their permanent possession” (Leviticus 25:34). While houses inside walled Levitical towns could be redeemed or released in Jubilee, the surrounding migrash could never change hands. This guarded both the economic livelihood of the Levites and the perpetual provision of ministry across generations. Comprehensive Distribution (Joshua 21) When the land was allotted, forty-eight Levitical cities received migrash. Refrains such as “Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands” (Joshua 21:32) appear more than two dozen times, underscoring equal treatment in every tribal territory. The list is repeated in 1 Chronicles 6, preserving the same emphasis centuries later. Ongoing Royal and Post-Exilic Concern Hezekiah revived proper priestly support: “The sons of Aaron the priests…were allotted portions city by city, to every male of the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogies” (2 Chronicles 31:19). After the exile, Nehemiah noted singers living in “the villages around Jerusalem and the fields” (Nehemiah 12:28-29), confirming that the concept of migrash remained integral to restored worship. Prophetic Vision (Ezekiel 45–48) Ezekiel’s temple blueprint includes “an open area of fifty cubits all around” (Ezekiel 45:2) and a broad swath of pastureland flanking the future city (Ezekiel 48:15-17). The prophet projects the migrash principle into the messianic age: sacred service safeguarded by space that is neither commercial nor merely agricultural. Statistical Distribution Approximately 115 Old Testament occurrences cluster as follows: Theological Themes 1. Stewardship—Pasturelands teach that ministry must be tangibly supported yet free from commercial exploitation. Practical Ministry Principles • Provision for clergy is not an afterthought but embedded in covenant law. Typological and Eschatological Insight The open space foretells a greater reality: “The LORD is my portion” (Lamentations 3:24). As the Levite needed no farm because God supplied, believers find sufficiency in Christ, awaiting the city “whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Summary מִגְרָשׁ frames a biblical theology of space dedicated to sustain and safeguard worship. From Sinai’s mandate to Ezekiel’s horizon, the pasturelands witness to God’s provision for His servants, the necessity of tangible holiness, and the promise of a future order where every dwelling is surrounded by the peace of His presence. Forms and Transliterations וּלְמִגְרָ֑שׁ וּמִ֨גְרְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם וּמִגְרְשֵׁי֙ וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶ֑ן וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶ֖ן וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶ֗ם וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶֽן׃ וּמִגְרָ֗שׁ וּמִגְרָשֶׁ֖יהָ ולמגרש ומגרש ומגרשי ומגרשיה ומגרשיהם ומגרשיהן ומגרשיהן׃ מִגְרְשֵׁ֖י מִגְרְשֵׁ֥י מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶ֑ן מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶֽם׃ מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶֽן׃ מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם֙ מִגְרַ֤שׁ מִגְרַ֥שׁ מִגְרָ֥שׁ מִגְרָשֶֽׁהָ׃ מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ׃ מִגְרָשֶׁ֑הָ מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ מִגְרָשֶׁ֔הָ מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ מִגְרָשֶׁ֖הָ מִגְרָשֶׁ֖יהָ מִגְרָשֶׁ֗הָ מִגְרָשֶׁ֙הָ֙ מִגְרָשֶׁ֙יהָ֙ מִגְרָשָׁ֖הּ מִגְרָשׁ֮ מִגְרֹשֽׁוֹת׃ מגרש מגרשה מגרשה׃ מגרשות׃ מגרשי מגרשיה מגרשיה׃ מגרשיהם מגרשיהם׃ מגרשיהן מגרשיהן׃ miḡ·rā·šāh miḡ·rā·še·hā miḡ·raš miḡ·rāš miḡ·rə·šê miḡ·rə·šê·hem miḡ·rə·šê·hen miḡ·rō·šō·wṯ miḡraš miḡrāš miḡrāšāh miḡrāšehā migRash migraShah migraSheha migraSheiha miḡrəšê miḡrəšêhem miḡrəšêhen migreShei migresheiHem migresheiHen migroShot miḡrōšōwṯ ū·lə·miḡ·rāš ū·miḡ·rā·še·hā ū·miḡ·rāš ū·miḡ·rə·šê ū·miḡ·rə·šê·hem ū·miḡ·rə·šê·hen ūləmiḡrāš ulemigRash ūmiḡrāš ūmiḡrāšehā umigRash umigraSheiha ūmiḡrəšê ūmiḡrəšêhem ūmiḡrəšêhen umigreShei umigresheiHem umigresheiHenLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 25:34 HEB: וּֽשְׂדֵ֛ה מִגְרַ֥שׁ עָרֵיהֶ֖ם לֹ֣א NAS: But pasture fields of their cities KJV: But the field of the suburbs of their cities INT: fields pasture of their cities not Numbers 35:2 Numbers 35:3 Numbers 35:4 Numbers 35:5 Numbers 35:7 Joshua 14:4 Joshua 21:2 Joshua 21:3 Joshua 21:8 Joshua 21:11 Joshua 21:13 Joshua 21:13 Joshua 21:14 Joshua 21:14 Joshua 21:15 Joshua 21:15 Joshua 21:16 Joshua 21:16 Joshua 21:16 Joshua 21:17 Joshua 21:17 Joshua 21:18 Joshua 21:18 Joshua 21:19 115 Occurrences |
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be bulky, massive, 
body, Syriac 
id.)