(64, 65) "So the sons of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their pastures. And they gave by the lot, out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, those cities which are called by names;" named, that is, in the list of 1 Chronicles 6:55-60, above. This is clearly a summing up of the whole account so far. The eleven tribes have all been mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:61-65.
6:1-81 Genealogies. - We have an account of Levi in this chapter. The priests and Levites were more concerned than any other Israelites, to preserve their descent clear, and to be able to prove it; because all the honours and privileges of their office depended upon their descent. Now, the Spirit of God calls ministers to their work, without any limit as to the families they came from; and then, as now, though believers and ministers may be very useful to the church, none but our great High Priest can make atonement for sin, nor can any be accepted but through his atonement.
Now these are their dwelling places,.... The dwelling places of the priests and Levites, assigned and given to them in the several tribes of Israel; and the account of them agrees with that in Joshua 21:1 with some few variations of names of places, which have been there observed: see the notes there; only in 1 Chronicles 6:57 two cities are omitted, Juttah and Gibeon, through want of care in transcribing, since they are said to be "thirteen", as they should be, whereas eleven only are mentioned. The Jews say (h), the cities of the suburbs (those here mentioned) ceased from the time the first temple was destroyed; and yet Ezra, who lived after the captivity, and the building the second temple, here gives a very particular account of them; the suburbs belonging to every city, which he particularly mentions, were 2000 cubits, both to the cities of refuge, and the rest, Numbers 35:5 Hebron, the first city mentioned in the next verse, was a city of refuge, and had suburbs of such a space; and it is remarkable, that some of the temples with the Heathens, which were asylums, or places of refuge, had the space of 2000 paces assigned them for the same sanctity and privilege (i).
(h) T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 48. 2.((i) Tacit. Annal. l. 3. c. 62.
The "cities" of 1 Chronicles 6:64 are those included in 1 Chronicles 6:61-63. So the parallel verse (Joshua 21:8) refers back to Joshua 21:5-7, which is parallel to our 1 Chronicles 6:61-63. Joshua 21:9 (=our 1 Chronicles 6:65) introduces the names of the cities which fell to the Aaronites. But there is no real divergence between that account and this; because 1 Chronicles 6:65 also refers back to the list of the same cities in 1 Chronicles 6:55-60. The chronicler adds Benjamin, with reference to 1 Chronicles 6:60, to make his tribal list complete.
(66?81) The names of the cities numbered in 1 Chronicles 6:61-64. (Comp. Joshua 21:20-26.)
(h) T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 48. 2.((i) Tacit. Annal. l. 3. c. 62.