The number forty-eight appears in the Bible in contexts that often relate to the organization and structure of the Israelite community, particularly in the distribution of cities to the Levites. This number is significant in understanding the Levitical priesthood and the division of land among the tribes of Israel.

Levitical Cities

The most prominent biblical reference to the number forty-eight is found in the allocation of cities to the Levites. According to the Book of Numbers, the Levites were given forty-eight cities along with their surrounding pasturelands. This allocation was commanded by God to ensure that the Levites, who were set apart for religious duties and did not receive a territorial inheritance like the other tribes, had places to live and sustain themselves.

Numbers 35:7 states: "The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands." This distribution was crucial for maintaining the spiritual and religious life of Israel, as the Levites were responsible for teaching the Law, performing sacrifices, and maintaining the tabernacle and later the temple.

Cities of Refuge

Among these forty-eight cities, six were designated as cities of refuge. These cities provided asylum for individuals who had committed unintentional manslaughter, allowing them to escape the avenger of blood until a fair trial could be conducted. The cities of refuge were strategically located to be accessible from anywhere in Israel, underscoring the importance of justice and mercy in the community.

Joshua 21:41-42 further confirms this allocation: "So the total number of cities for the Levites, including the cities of refuge, was forty-eight, along with their pasturelands. Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities."

Symbolic Significance

While the number forty-eight does not carry the same symbolic weight as numbers like seven or forty, its use in the context of Levitical cities highlights the importance of order, provision, and the centrality of worship in the life of Israel. The careful distribution of these cities reflects God's provision for the Levites and His desire for His people to have access to spiritual guidance and justice.

Conclusion

The number forty-eight, through its association with the Levitical cities, underscores the organized structure of the Israelite society and the provision for the spiritual needs of the community. It serves as a reminder of the importance of the priestly role and the accessibility of religious and judicial support for all Israelites.705. arbaim -- forty
... 1), 45,650* (2), 46,500* (2), 642* (2), 648* (1), 743* (2), 745* (1), 845* (1),
945* (1), fortieth (3), forty (73), forty times (1), forty-eight* (2), forty ...
/hebrew/705.htm - 6k

8083. shemoneh -- eight (a cardinal number)
... 1), 8,600* (1), 800,000* (1), 822* (1), 832* (1), 845* (1), 928* (1), 98* (2), eight
(36), eighteen* (8), eighteenth* (11), eighth (3), forty-eight* (2), ninety ...
/hebrew/8083.htm - 6k

Getting the Kernel
... TALK FORTY-EIGHT. GETTING THE KERNEL. One afternoon a mother with her children
about her knees sat cracking nuts. The older children ...
/.../naylor/heart talks/talk forty-eight getting the kernel.htm

What Happened to the Hebrews During Thirty-Eight Years in the ...
... commanded the Hebrews, according to the will of God, that when they should gain
the possession of the land of Canaan, they should assign forty-eight good and ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 what happened to.htm

Heart Talks
... TALK FORTY-SIX. BE BRAVE. TALK FORTY-SEVEN. "BUT JESUS SENT HIM AWAY" (LUKE 8: 38).
TALK FORTY-EIGHT. GETTING THE KERNEL. TALK FORTY-NINE. TWO SUNSETS. TALK FIFTY ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/

That Varro Has Made Out that Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight ...
... their own. These twenty-four sects again are doubled, and become forty-eight
by adding a difference taken from the New Academy. For ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 1 that varro has made.htm

Enthusiasm.
... Tell him that I will have him chained with my dogs within forty-eight hours." When
the king heard that he had such men arrayed against him, it struck terror to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/to the work to the work/chapter v enthusiasm.htm

Fragment i. On the Mythical Chronology of the Egyptians and ...
... For why should I speak of the three myriad years of the Phoenicians, or
of the follies of the Chaldeans, their forty-eight myriads? ...
/.../africanus/the writings of julius africanus/fragment i on the mythical.htm

The Life of Jesus Christ in Its Historical Connexion
... Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and
forty-eight, by HARPER & BROTHERS, in the Clerk's Office of the District ...
/.../neander/the life of jesus christ in its historical connexion/title page.htm

How the Hebrews Fought with the Midianites, and Overcame Them.
... 4. Moses also now built those ten cities which were to be of the number of the
forty-eight [for the Levites;]; three of which he allotted to those that slew ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 how the hebrews.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... From which Olympiad to the invasion of Xerxes, two hundred and ninety-seven years;
from which to the beginning of the Peloponnesian war, forty-eight years; and ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

The Life of St. Christopher
... Lord, thou hast given to Christopher so great plenty of virtues, and such grace
of doctrine, that he called from the error of Paynims forty-eight thousand men ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the life of st christopher.htm

Forty-eight (4 Occurrences)
Forty-eight. Forty, Forty-eight. Forty-first . Multi-Version
Concordance Forty-eight (4 Occurrences). Numbers 35:7 All ...
/f/forty-eight.htm - 7k

Pasturelands (42 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Numbers 35:7 All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall
be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs. (See NIV). ...
/p/pasturelands.htm - 16k

Eight (81 Occurrences)
... NIV). Numbers 35:7 All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall
be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs. (WEB ...
/e/eight.htm - 31k

Suburbs (75 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT). Numbers 35:7 All the cities which you shall give to the
Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs. ...
/s/suburbs.htm - 29k

Pasture (120 Occurrences)
... (See NAS RSV NIV). Numbers 35:7 All the cities which you shall give to the Levites
shall be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs. (See NAS RSV NIV). ...
/p/pasture.htm - 33k

Forty (142 Occurrences)
... NIV). Numbers 35:7 All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall
be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs. (WEB ...
/f/forty.htm - 38k

648 (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance 648 (1 Occurrence). Nehemiah 7:15 The children
of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight. (See NAS NIV). ...
/num/648.htm - 6k

Levite (43 Occurrences)
...Forty-eight cities also were assigned to them, thirteen of which were for the
priests "to dwell in", ie, along with their other inhabitants. ...
/l/levite.htm - 26k

Forty-first (1 Occurrence)
Forty-first. Forty-eight, Forty-first. Forty-five . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(BBE NAS RSV NIV). Forty-eight, Forty-first. Forty-five . Reference Bible
/f/forty-first.htm - 6k

Music-makers (18 Occurrences)
... given their places, (BBE). Nehemiah 7:44 The music-makers: the children
of Asaph, a hundred and forty-eight. (BBE). Nehemiah 7:73 ...
/m/music-makers.htm - 12k

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