Numbers 35:2

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Command the Israelites to give the Levites cities to live in from their inheritance, and give them pasture lands around the cities.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

צַו֮ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וְנָתְנ֣וּ לַלְוִיִּ֗ם מִֽנַּחֲלַ֛ת אֲחֻזָּתָ֖ם עָרִ֣ים לָשָׁ֑בֶת וּמִגְרָ֗שׁ לֶֽעָרִים֙ סְבִיבֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם תִּתְּנ֖וּ לַלְוִיִּֽם׃

Transliteration

ṣaw ʾet-bənê Yiśrāʾēl wənāṯənu to halwiyyim from naḥălat ʾăḥuzzāṯām cities lāšāḇeṯ and miḡrāš for cities səḇîḇōṯêhem you shall give to halwiyyim.

Grammar Details

• *ṣaw*: Piel imperative, masculine singular - command
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *bənê*: construct masculine plural of *bēn* - sons of
• *Yiśrāʾēl*: proper noun - Israel
• *wənāṯənu*: waw-consecutive + Qal perfect, 3rd plural - and they shall give
• *halwiyyim*: definite article + proper noun, masculine plural - the Levites
• *naḥălat*: construct feminine singular - inheritance of
• *ʾăḥuzzāṯām*: feminine singular noun + 3rd masculine plural possessive suffix - their possession
• *lāšāḇeṯ*: preposition + Qal infinitive construct - for dwelling
• *miḡrāš*: masculine singular noun - pasture land/open land
• *səḇîḇōṯêhem*: feminine plural noun + 3rd masculine plural possessive suffix - their surroundings
• *titənu*: Qal imperfect, 2nd masculine plural - you shall give

Word Meanings

• *miḡrāš*: pasture land/open space/common land/suburbs

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Command 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.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and give to the Levites suburbs for the cities around them as well.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Command 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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Command 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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Command 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.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  commaunde the childern of Israel that they geue vnto the leuites of the enheritauce of their possession: cities to dwell in. And ye shall geue also vnto the cities of ye leuites suburbes rounde aboute them.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Commaunde the childre of Israel, that they geue vnto ye Leuites of the inheritauce of their possession, cities to dwell in. The suburbes also aboute the cities shal ye geue vnto the Leuites,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Commande ye children of Israel, that they giue vnto the Leuites of the inheritace of their possession, cities to dwell in: yee shall giue also vnto the Leuites the suburbes of the cities round about them.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Commaunde ye chyldren of Israel, that they geue vnto the Leuites of the inheritaunce of their possession, cities to dwell in: And ye shal geue also vnto the cities of the Leuites, suburbes harde by their cities rounde about them.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Command 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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall you give to the Levites.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  `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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Command 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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Command 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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Give orders to the children of Israel to give to the Levites, from the heritage which is theirs, towns for themselves, with land on the outskirts of the towns.

• World English Bible (2000)

  "Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and you shall give suburbs for the cities around them to the Levites.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  “Instruct the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. You must also give the Levites grazing land around the towns.

Referenced Verses

• Josh 14:3-4 : 3 For Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan River, but to the Levites he did not give any inheritance among them. 4 The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites did not receive a portion of land but were instead given cities to live in, with pasturelands for their livestock and possessions.
• Ezek 48:8 : 8 Next to the territory of Judah, from the eastern border to the western border, shall be the portion you set apart as a special contribution, 25,000 cubits wide and as long as the portions from east to west; the sanctuary will be in the center of it.
• Ezek 48:22 : 22 The property of the Levites and the city’s property, located in the midst of the prince’s land, shall be between the boundary of Judah and the boundary of Benjamin. This area shall belong to the prince.
• 1 Cor 9:10-14 : 10 Or does He say this entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake because the plowman ought to plow in hope and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12 If others have this right to receive from you, shouldn’t we have it even more? But we have not used this right. Instead, we endure all things so that we will not be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
• Josh 21:2-9 : 2 They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, 'The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to live in, with pasture lands for our livestock.' 3 So the Israelites gave the Levites, according to the LORD’s command, the following cities and pasture lands from their inheritance. 4 The lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The descendants of Aaron, the priest, who were from the Levites, received, by lot, thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The remaining Kohathites received, by lot, ten cities from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half the tribe of Manasseh. 6 The descendants of Gershon received, by lot, thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 7 The descendants of Merari, by their families, received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 8 So the Israelites gave these cities with their pasture lands to the Levites, as the LORD had commanded through Moses, by lot. 9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they gave the following cities by name. 10 These cities were for the descendants of Aaron, who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, for the first lot was for them. 11 They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasture lands. Arba was the ancestor of the Anakites. 12 However, the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession. 13 To the descendants of Aaron, the priest, they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone), along with its pasture lands, and Libnah with its pasture lands. 14 Jattir with its pasture lands, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, 15 Holon with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands. 16 Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands—nine cities from these two tribes. 17 From the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands, 18 Anathoth with its pasture lands, and Almon with its pasture lands—four cities in total. 19 In total, the descendants of Aaron, the priests, received thirteen cities with their pasture lands. 20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites received cities allotted to them from the tribe of Ephraim. 21 They were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasture lands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with its pasture lands—four cities. 23 From the tribe of Dan: Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands, 24 Aijalon with its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands—four cities. 25 From half the tribe of Manasseh: Taanach with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands—two cities. 26 In total, the remaining Kohathite clans received ten cities with their pasture lands. 27 To the descendants of Gershon, from the families of the Levites, they gave from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands, and Be-eshterah with its pasture lands—two cities. 28 From the tribe of Issachar: Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands—four cities. 30 From the tribe of Asher: Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, 31 Helkath with its pasture lands and Rehob with its pasture lands—four cities. 32 From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands, Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands—three cities. 33 In total, the families of the Gershonites received thirteen cities with their pasture lands. 34 To the families of the Merarites, the remaining Levites, they gave from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasture lands, and Kartah with its pasture lands, 35 Dimnah with its pasture lands, and Nahalal with its pasture lands—four cities in total. 36 From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer with its pasture lands, and Jahzah with its pasture lands, 37 Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands—four cities in total. 38 From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, 39 Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands—four cities in total. 40 In total, the families of the Merarites, the remaining Levite families, received twelve cities by lot. 41 In total, the cities of the Levites within the possession of the Israelites numbered forty-eight cities along with their pasture lands. 42 Each of these cities had its surrounding pasture lands. This was true for all these cities.
• Ezek 45:1-8 : 1 When you divide the land as an inheritance, you are to set apart a portion of the land as a holy offering to the Lord. The length is to be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand cubits. It will be a holy area throughout its entire boundary. 2 Out of this, a square plot of five hundred by five hundred cubits will be for the sanctuary, with a fifty-cubit-wide open space surrounding it. 3 From this measured area, you are to measure twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width. Within it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 This holy portion of the land will be set aside for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary who draw near to serve the Lord. It will provide them with a place for their houses and a sanctuary for the sanctuary. 5 An area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width will be for the Levites, who serve in the temple. It will be their possession, including twenty chambers. 6 You are to allot a portion for the city, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand cubits in length, alongside the portion set apart for the holy offering. This will belong to the entire house of Israel. 7 The prince will have land on both sides of the holy offering and the property of the city, alongside the areas of the holy offering and the city’s property, stretching westward to the western boundary and eastward to the eastern boundary. It will correspond in length to one of the tribal portions, reaching from the western border to the eastern border. 8 This land will be his possession in Israel, and my princes will no longer oppress my people. They are to give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
• Lev 25:32-34 : 32 As for the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities they possess have a permanent right of redemption for the Levites. 33 If anyone redeems property from the Levites, the property that was sold in the city they possess must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites. 34 But the fields of the pastureland belonging to their cities must not be sold, for they are their permanent possession.