📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 6:74
What does 1 Chronicles 6:74 mean?
"and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs,"
— 1 Chronicles 6:74 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
To the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, and Ashtaroth with its suburbs;
and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs,
Ramoth with its suburbs, and Anem with its suburbs;
and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs,
Hukok with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs;
and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, Hammon with its suburbs, and Kiriathaim with its suburbs.
To 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;
Explanation
First Chronicles 6:74 is part of a long list detailing the towns given to the Levites as their dwelling places, since the Levites did not receive a large tribal territory of their own like the other tribes of Israel. This particular verse says that from the territory belonging to the tribe of Asher, the towns of Mashal and Abdon, along with the pastureland or "suburbs" surrounding them, were assigned to the Levites. The term "suburbs" (sometimes translated "pasturelands" or "common lands") refers to the open fields around the towns used for grazing livestock, since the Levites depended on flocks and herds rather than farmland for their livelihood.
The book of 1 Chronicles was likely compiled after the Babylonian exile, drawing on older records, genealogies, and administrative lists to help the returning Jewish community understand its identity, heritage, and proper worship structures. Chapter 6 focuses specifically on the descendants of Levi, tracing the priestly and Levitical lines and then listing the cities allotted to each Levitical family. This verse belongs to the section describing the inheritance of the Gershonite clan, one of the three main divisions of the Levites (along
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