📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 6:79
What does 1 Chronicles 6:79 mean?
"Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs;"
— 1 Chronicles 6:79 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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;
and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its suburbs, and Jahzah with its suburbs,
Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs;
and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, Mahanaim with its suburbs,
Heshbon with its suburbs, and Jazer with its suburbs.
Explanation
This verse is a brief entry in a long list of towns assigned to the Levites, the tribe set apart for priestly and religious service in Israel. In plain terms, it simply records that Kedemoth and Mephaath, two towns located in the territory allotted to the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan River, were given to a particular Levitical family along with their surrounding pasturelands ("suburbs" in older translations refers to the open grazing land around a town, not a modern suburb). These towns provided homes and livestock grazing areas for Levites who did not receive a tribal inheritance of land like the other tribes of Israel.
The context is genealogical and administrative. First Chronicles was likely compiled after the Babylonian exile, drawing on older records, to help the returning Jewish community reconnect with its heritage and re
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.