of the family of the tribe, out of the half tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities. 62And to the sons of Gershom, according to their families, out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. 63Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. 64And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with their suburbs. 65And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities which are mentioned by name. 66And some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim. 67And they gave unto them the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim
out of the family . . . Manasseh] read out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim and out of the tribe of Dan and out of the half tribe of Manasseh. See the Critical Note on vv. 54—81.
62. the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan] i.e. the half tribe of Manasseh beyond Jordan.
63. twelve cities] The total number of Levitic cities (ver. 60 thirteen, ver. 61 ten, ver. 62 thirteen, ver. 63 twelve) was forty-eight (so Josh. xxi. 41), of which the Kohathites, as the largest division (cp. xv. 5, note), received twenty-three or nearly half.
65. by lot] as a means of gaining Divine sanction for the assignment of cities. This verse (= Josh. xxi. 9) is plainly unsuitable in its present context. In Joshua it is the introduction to the list of Aaronic cities (here vv. 54—60). The Chronicler, having rearranged the material of his source, nevertheless preferred to transcribe this verse, despite the lack of harmony with the context; or possibly, if vv. 66—81 are an addition to the original text of Chronicles (see the head-note on vv. 54—81), ver. 65 may also be a later insertion intended to help as a connecting link between vv. 64 and 66 ff.
66—81. Cities of the Levites.
66—70 (= Josh. xxi. 20—25). The [ten] cities of the
non-Aaronite Kohathites.
66. of their borders] rather, as Josh. xxi. 20, of their lot (the difference in Heb. is very slight).
67. the cities of refuge, Shechem] Read (a slight change in Heb.) the city of refuge, Shechem. Cp. ver. 57, note.
Shechem] Gen. xii. 6, xxxiii. 18; Josh. xxiv. 1; Judg. ix. 1; 1 Kin.
