Where are Levitical cities?

The Levitical cities were 48 cities in ancient Israel set aside for the tribe of Levi, who were not allocated their own territorial land when the Israelites entered the Promised Land.

How many cities were the Levites given?

The story told in the biblical text is that when land is distributed to the ancient Israelite tribes in Joshua (13–19), the tribe of Levi is not included. Instead the Levites are assigned a group of forty-eight cities [Joshua 21:1–42 and I Chronicles 6:54–81 (=MT 6:39–66)] drawn from the other twelve tribes.

How were the Levitical cities distributed?

That need was met by the levitical cities prescribed in Numbers 35:1–8: the Israelites were to assign out of their tribal portions 48 towns with strips of open land outside them to Levites, distributed among the tribal territories in proportion to their varying sizes. The six cities of refuge are included among the 48.

Are there any Levites today?

In modern times, Levites are integrated in Jewish communities, but keep a distinct status. There are estimated 300,000 Levites among Ashkenazi Jewish communities, and a similar number among Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews combined. The total percentage of Levites among the wider Jewish population is about 4%.

Why do the Levites have 48 cities?

Numbers 35:1-8 relates God’s command to Moses to establish 48 cities for the Levites, of which six would also function as Cities of Refuge to which manslayers could flee. The land for the cities was to be ‘donated’ by the host tribe and was allocated to the Levites according to their tribal sub-divisions.

What are the Levites known for?

Those who performed subordinate services associated with public worship were known as Levites. In this capacity, the Levites were musicians, gate keepers, guardians, Temple officials, judges, and craftsmen.

Why did the Levites get no land?

Utilizing the proverb of my interrogation as a lens, the Joshua story (especially Jos 14, 16-17) is read in dialogue with the Joseph story. This paper, therefore, argues that the Levites’ loss of land was due to a coup by the Josephite tribes under the leadership of Hoshea (Joshua) son of Nun from the tribe of Ephraim.

What happened to Levites?

There are still Levites and they have not lost their original status. The thing is, without a temple, the Levites cannot exercise their role but they retain their status in readiness for the eventual rebuilding of the temple.

What are the duties of Levites?

Levites’ principal roles in the Temple included singing Psalms during Temple services, performing construction and maintenance for the Temple, serving as guards, and performing other services. Levites also served as teachers and judges, maintaining cities of refuge in biblical times.

What did the Levites believe in?

Levite, member of a group of clans of religious functionaries in ancient Israel who apparently were given a special religious status, conjecturally for slaughtering idolaters of the golden calf during the time of Moses (Ex. 32:25–29).

What was the purpose of the Levitical priesthood?

Further, Numbers 8:19 states that the Levites function to perform the tabernacle work on behalf of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for them so that they will not be plagued when drawing near the sanctuary.

What was the Levites job?

What were the Levitical cities in the Bible?

In the Hebrew Bible, the Levitical cities were 48 cities in ancient Israel set aside for the tribe of Levi, who were not allocated their own territorial land when the Israelites entered the Promised Land .

What does Levitical mean in the Bible?

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Levitical(adj) of or pertaining to a Levite or the Levites. Levitical(adj) priestly. Levitical(adj) of or pertaining to, or designating, the law contained in the book of Leviticus.

How many cities were allocated to the Levites?

The land for the cities was to be ‘donated’ by the host tribe and was allocated to the Levites according to their tribal sub-divisions. 13 cities were for the Aaronites. 13 cities were for the Gershonites. 10 cities were for the Kohathites.

How many Levitical cities were cities of refuge?

Only six Levitical cities were cities of refuge, but asylum also available at cult sites with the “horns of the altar” (see, for example, Exodus. 21:12–14; I Kings 2:28–29). Kaufmann, Yehezkel. The Religion of Israel: From its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile.