1 Chronicles 6 (cf. Genesis 46.11 and Joshua 21)
So far we have looked at five chapters of genealogies. Chapter 1 presents Adam to Abraham, chapter 2 gives the selective genealogy from Jacob to David, chapter 3 shows the genealogy from David into the captivity. After this, each tribe is presented with portions of their genealogies. Chapter 4 presents Judah and Simeon, chapter 5 we looked at Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, and chapter 6, our current study, presents the tribe of Levi.
This genealogy and chapter can be divided as:
- The High Priestly Line-6.1–15
These verses present the priests of the tribe. This listing of chief or high priests starts at Levi and ends with Jehozadak who is led captive into Babylon. He becomes the father of Joshua (Haggai 1.1), the High Priest of Zechariah 3.
- The Levitical Line-6.16–30
One name should stand out for those who follow these posts and that is Kohath. He is the ancestor of the Korahites.
- The Musicians’ Guild-6.31–48
David had appointed some 4,000 singers and musicians during his reign.
- The Generations of Aaron-6.49–53
- Cities of the Priests and Levites-6.54–81
Remember the Levites did not receive an inheritance among the nations of land. They did, however, receive cities and offerings. There were cities throughout Israel given to the Levites some of which were Cities of Refuge (Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K., 1983).
Cities of Refuge
Six cities of refuge were designed throughout Israel in Old Testament times to provide a haven for people who killed other persons by accident. Protection like this was necessary because of the “avenger of blood,” the relative who considered it his duty to slay the killer. Eligibility for refuge was determined by a judge. For convenience, three of the cities were located on either side of the Jordan River.
- Bezer: Located in the wilderness plateau of Moab, Bezer was a walled city within the territory of Reuben (Deut. 4:43).
- Golan: Located in the area known as Bashan, Golan was 17 miles east of the Sea of Galilee. This general area today is often called the Golan Heights (Deut. 4:43).
- Hebron: The southernmost of the six cities, Hebron was 20 miles south of Jerusalem. It was also known as Kirjath Arba (Josh. 20:7).
- Kedesh: Also known as Kedesh Naphtali, this city was located in Galilee in the mountains of Naphtali (Josh. 20:7).
- Ramoth: Also known as Ramoth Gilead, Ramoth was an important walled city in the territory of Gad. It was located about 25 miles east of the Jordan River near the border of Syria (Deut. 4:43).
- Shechem: Located in the mountains of Ephraim, this is the city where the Lord appeared to Abraham with the promise, “To your descendants I will give this land” (Gen. 12:6, 7). (Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1996).
This needs more research and it will be done at a later time.
