Numbers 35:1-8 · Bible study
Numbers 35:1-8 Commentary: Levite Cities and Pasturelands
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Levites receive 48 cities with pasturelands instead of a tribal territory? Explore the meaning, measurements, and purpose of this provision.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Levites, who had no tribal territory, were given 48 scattered cities with pasturelands for their dwellings and livestock.
- Key words: Pasturelands (H4054 מִגְרָשׁ, migrash, open common land); cities of refuge (H4733 מִקְלָט, miqlat, asylum).
- Main debate: The relationship between the 1,000-cubit and 2,000-cubit measurements in verses 4, 5, complementary descriptions or conflicting numbers?
- Theological theme: God provides for those set apart for His service; equity and justice in distribution; Christ as refuge foreshadowed.
- Best use: Preaching God’s detailed care, teaching on support for ministry, and the typology of refuge in Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:
2“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.
3The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.
4The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the wall on every side.
5You are also to measure two thousand cubits outside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.
6Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.
7The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands.
8The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
1Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
2“Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites.
3They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.
4“The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it.
5You shall measure outside of the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.
6“The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities.
7All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their pasture lands.
8Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many, and from the few you shall take few. Everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give some of his cities to the Levites.”
KJV King James Version 1769
1And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.
3And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
4And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
5And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
6And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.
7So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.
8And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites.
3And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.
4And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
5And ye shall measure without the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
6And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee unto: and besides them ye shall give forty and two cities.
7All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities; them shall ye give with their suburbs.
8And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many; and from the few ye shall take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inheriteth shall give of his cities unto the Levites.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho, saying,
2`Command the sons of Israel, and they have given to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to inhabit; also a suburb for the cities round about them ye do give to the Levites.
3And the cities have been to them to inhabit, and their suburbs are for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
4`And the suburbs of the cities which ye give to the Levites are , from the wall of the city and without, a thousand cubits round about.
5And ye have measured from the outside of the city, the east quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the south quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the west quarter, two thousand by the cubit, and the north quarter, two thousand by the cubit; and the city is in the midst; this is to them the suburbs of the cities.
6`And the cities which ye give to the Levites are the six cities of refuge, which ye give for the fleeing thither of the man-slayer, and besides them ye give forty and two cities;
7all the cities which ye give to the Levites are forty and eight cities, them and their suburbs.
8And the cities which ye give are of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many ye multiply, and from the few ye diminish; each, according to his inheritance which they inherit, doth give of his cities to the Levites.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan of Jericho, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, that of the inheritance of their possession they give unto the Levites cities to dwell in; and a suburb for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites.
3And the cities shall they have to dwell in, and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
4And the suburbs of the cities that ye shall give unto the Levites shall be from the walls of the city outward, a thousand cubits round about.
5And ye shall measure, without the city, the east side two thousand cubits, and the south side two thousand cubits, and the west side two thousand cubits, and the north side two thousand cubits, and the city shall be in the midst: they shall have this as suburbs of the cities.
6And [among] the cities that ye shall give unto the Levites [shall be] the six cities of refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither, — and besides them ye shall give forty-two cities:
7all the cities that ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, they and their suburbs.
8And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have much ye shall take much, and from them that have little ye shall take little; each one according to his inheritance which he will inherit shall give of his cities to the Levites.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1And the Lord spoke these things also to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, over against Jericho:
2Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites out of their possessions,
3Cities to dwell in, and their suburbs round about: that they may abide in the towns, and the suburbs may be for them cattle and beasts:
4Which suburbs shall reach from the walls of the cities outward, a thousand paces on every side:
5Toward the east shall be two thousand cubits: and toward the south in like manner shall be two thousand cubits: toward the sea also, which looketh to the west, shall be the same extent: and the north side shall be bounded with the like limits. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs without.
6And among the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, six shall be separated for refuge to fugitives, that he who hath shed blood may flee to them: and besides these there shall be other forty-two cities,
7That is, in all forty-eight with their suburbs.
8And of these cities which shall be given out of the possessions of the children of Israel, from them that have more, more shall be taken: and from them that have less, fewer. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the extent of their inheritance.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Numbers 35:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this passage provides dwelling places for the Levites, who received no territorial inheritance (Numbers 18:20). The Hebrew term translated “suburbs” (מִגְרָשׁ, migrash) denotes open pastureland for livestock, not residential suburbs. Calvin emphasized that scattering the Levites throughout the tribes was “that they might be, as it were, guards regularly posted for the preservation of the worship of God.” Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible note that God made generous provision for them. On the pastureland dimensions (1,000 cubits in verse 4, 2,000 in verse 5), Clarke, Wesley, and Calvin offer explanations: verse 4 describes the immediate space from the wall; verse 5 gives the total area measured outward, so the two are complementary. Keil and Delitzsch affirm this reading. The inclusion of six cities of refuge among the Levitical cities (v.6) is seen by Barnes, JFB, and Wesley as fitting: Levites were best suited to judge cases of manslaughter and to typify Christ as refuge. The proportional giving by tribe (v.8) reflects God’s equitable justice.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Complementary measurements: Verse 4 refers to the immediate 1,000-cubit zone from the wall; verse 5 to the outer boundary of a 2,000-cubit square, so the two are complementary (Wesley, Calvin, Keil).
- Textual harmonization: The Septuagint reads 2,000 cubits in verse 4, suggesting an attempt to remove the perceived contradiction; this view treats verses 4–5 as originally consistent (Clarke notes this reading).
- Ideal scheme: The Cambridge Bible argues the square plots of 2,000 cubits could not fit Palestine’s terrain, so the passage presents an idealized law rather than a historical command.
What is clear: The Levites received no tribal territory but were granted cities and pasturelands from the inheritance of the other tribes for their dwelling and livestock.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Pastureland measurements (vv.4, 5) | The Levites received designated open land around each city for practical use. | Some (Clarke, Wesley, Calvin) see 1,000 and 2,000 cubits as complementary, describing inner and outer zones; others (some Jewish interpreters) see a textual or measurement discrepancy. |
| Historicity of the 48 cities | The law prescribes 48 cities; they were later assigned by Joshua (Joshua 21). | The Cambridge Bible argues this is an ideal scheme that could not have been fully realized in Palestine’s terrain; traditional commentators accept it as historical. |
| Purpose of dispersing the Levites | Levites were to teach the law and maintain true worship (Deuteronomy 33:10). | Calvin emphasizes preservation of worship; others (Matthew Henry) stress the Levites’ role as judges and examples. |
| Cities of refuge as a type of Christ | The cities provided asylum for the accused, reflecting God’s mercy. | Wesley and JFB see them as a direct type of Christ; other traditions view them as a legal provision without explicit typology. |
| Proportional giving (v.8) | Tribe size determined the number of cities given. | Some apply this as a principle for church giving (proportionality); others see it as a one-time land distribution only. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The setting is the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan near Jericho (v.1). This is Israel’s final encampment before entering Canaan; the narratives of Numbers 22, 36 take place here, with the land allocation in view. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh had already requested territory east of the Jordan (Numbers 32), but the Levites were given no tribal land. As Numbers 18:20 states, “I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.”
Land in ancient Israel was divided by tribe, with each family receiving an ancestral holding that was to remain in the family (Leviticus 25:23, 28). The Levites, set apart for service at the tabernacle, could not participate in this distribution. Instead, they were to be supported by the tithes and offerings of the people (Numbers 18:21, 24). The cities and pasturelands commanded here gave them a permanent home base without disrupting the tribal allotments.
The pasturelands (מִגְרָשׁ, migrash) were open common lands surrounding each city, measured as a square of 2,000 cubits per side with the city in the center (v.5). This arrangement allowed Levites to keep livestock and garden space. Commentators note that the Levites had no right to sell or alienate this land (Leviticus 25:34). The dispersion of the Levites across all tribes, rather than concentration in one region, served a pedagogical purpose: they were to teach the law and maintain true worship (Deuteronomy 33:10; Malachi 2:7).
The six cities of refuge (v.6) form part of this same system. They provided asylum for those who killed unintentionally until a fair trial. Placing these cities among the Levites ensured impartial judgment (Barnes, JFB). The total of forty-eight cities (v.7) was later assigned by lot in Joshua 21.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note a variant in the Septuagint and Coptic versions, which read “2,000 cubits” in verse 4 instead of 1,000, harmonizing it with verse 5 (Clarke). However, no Hebrew manuscripts support this reading, and most ancient versions (Syriac, Vulgate) follow the Masoretic Text. The consensus among the consulted commentators is that the two numbers describe the same space from different perspectives, not a textual error.
Reception History
Jewish tradition in the Talmud (e.g., Makkot 10a) elaborated the laws of cities of refuge, discussing the roads and markers. Early Christian writers, such as Augustine in Questions on the Heptateuch, saw the Levitical cities as a figure of the Church’s provision for ministers. The Reformation commentators (Calvin, Geneva Bible) emphasized the teaching function of the scattered Levites, applying it to pastoral ministry. In Puritan thought, the proportional giving of cities influenced arguments for equitable support of clergy. Modern scholarship often focuses on the historical geography of the lists in Joshua 21, questioning whether the system was fully implemented as described.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God Provides for His Servants (vv.2, 3). The Levites had no tribal land, yet God commanded the other tribes to give them cities and pasturelands. This shows His care for those set apart for His service.
- God Scatters His Teachers (vv.4, 7). Dispersion among the tribes meant the Levites could teach the law everywhere, preserving worship and knowledge of God (Calvin, Matthew Henry).
- God Blends Mercy and Justice (vv.6, 8). The cities of refuge offered protection for the accused, and the proportional giving ensured fairness: larger tribes gave more, smaller gave less.
Five-point outline
- The Setting (v.1). God speaks at the threshold of the Promised Land, showing that provision for worship was part of entering the inheritance.
- The Command (vv.2, 3). Give cities to live in and pasturelands for livestock, a practical, generous arrangement.
- The Dimensions (vv.4, 5). The careful measurement (1,000 cubits within the 2,000 square) shows God’s attention to detail and equity.
- The Integration (vv.6, 7). Cities of refuge were included among Levite cities, linking grace and ministry.
- The Equity (v.8). Proportional giving: “from the many you shall take many, and from the few you shall take few.”
Illustration hooks
- A town’s public library is centrally located so everyone can access it; similarly, Levite cities were spread among all tribes.
- A church provides a parsonage for its pastor, a modern echo of God’s care for the Levites’ housing.
- Fair tax systems where the wealthy contribute more than the poor mirror the proportional principle in verse 8.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did the Levites not get land like everyone else?
- What is the difference between a city of refuge and a sanctuary city?
- How does this passage apply to supporting pastors and church workers today?
Leading a Discussion
This passage may seem like a logistical instruction, but it reveals God’s heart for those who serve Him and His desire for justice and teaching throughout the land. As your group explores Numbers 35:1, 8, notice how every detail reflects God’s provision and purpose.
Discussion questions
- What is the setting of these instructions? (v.1) Why does that matter?
- What were the Levites to receive, and why? (vv.2, 3) How does this connect to Numbers 18:20?
- How are the dimensions of the pasturelands described? What does the Hebrew word migrash tell us about the intended use? (vv.4, 5)
- What is the connection between Levite cities and cities of refuge? (v.6) Why would God place them together?
- Why do you think God commanded proportional giving from each tribe? (v.8) What does this teach about fairness?
- How does this passage inform our support of those who minister full-time today?
- What does this passage reveal about God’s character, His provision, justice, and mercy?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 22:1 | The children of Israel traveled, and encamped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. |
| Numbers 26:63 | These are those who were counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who counted the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. |
| Numbers 31:12 | They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho. |
| Numbers 33:50 | Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, |
| Numbers 36:13 | These are the commandments and the ordinances which Yahweh commanded by Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. |
| Leviticus 25:32 | “‘Nevertheless, in the cities of the Levites, the Levites may redeem the houses in the cities of their possession at any time. |
| Leviticus 25:34 | But the field of the pasture lands of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession. |
| Joshua 14:3 | For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan; but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke resolves the apparent contradiction between the two measurements by drawing on Maimonides: the first 1,000 cubits from the wall were the suburbs proper, and the 2,000 beyond that were for fields and vineyards, making 3,000 cubits total on each side of the city.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes specifies that the Hebrew term often translated as "suburbs" actually means "pasture-grounds" for the Levites' livestock. He describes a precise boundary system: a 1000-cubit strip outside each city wall created a rectangular space adapted to the terrain. He adds that the cities of refuge were properly chosen from these Levitical cities because the priests were best suited to judge cases of manslaughter.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees God's goodness in turning Jacob's curse on Levi into a blessing: the Levites were scattered across the land not as a mark of disgrace but as appointed guardians of worship and teachers of the law, stationed to keep the other tribes faithful. He resolves the apparent city-measurement discrepancy as an explanatory repetition, not a doubling.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator argues that this law for Levitical cities is a purely ideal arrangement that could never have been carried out. This is shown by the impossibility of finding 48 square plots of that size in Palestine's rugged terrain, and by earlier passages portraying Levites as landless poor dependent on charity.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that God's command to give the Levites cities was absolute, not a request, because the land ultimately belonged to God. He explains the precise layout: an inner thousand cubits around each city for cattle and goods, and an outer two thousand for fields and vineyards. He also argues that only six cities served as refuges for accidental killers, despite Jewish tradition extending that status to all Levite cities.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB resolves the apparent discrepancy between the two measurements of Levitical suburbs by explaining that one is taken from the city wall and the other from the outer edge of the suburbs, making a total of three thousand cubits. He also notes that placing cities of refuge among the Levites ensured impartial judges and foreshadowed Christ as a refuge for sinners.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight how the curse of dispersion on Levi from Jacob's blessing was changed into a blessing through the distribution of forty-eight Levitical towns among all tribes. They see the number forty-eight as four times twelve, symbolizing the kingdom of God's presence in the world.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the mingling of Levitical cities with cities of refuge as a deliberate symbol of how righteousness and grace work together. The high priest's death becomes the terminal point for the manslayer's exile, providing a moral atonement that covers unintentional sins and points toward New Testament principles without being a direct type.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that while tithes and offerings had already provided for the Levites' livelihood, it would not be practical or beneficial for them to all cluster around the tabernacle in Canaan. Instead, God arranged for them to be scattered in cities across the land so they could live both comfortably and usefully among the people.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley resolves the apparent contradiction between two measurements by explaining that the first thousand cubits from the city wall is where the measuring line begins, and a further two thousand cubits are then measured outward. The first thousand likely held outbuildings and gardens, while the outer two thousand were pastureland, making three thousand cubits total from the wall.