1 Chronicles 6:54

Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The chronicler documents the territorial distribution of priestly lands immediately after listing Aaron’s genealogical line. The narrative transitions from naming individuals to recording their geographically fixed settlements.

The words — The text emphasizes מוֹשְׁבוֹתָם (mo.shve.ota/m), literally "their dwelling places," to designate the specific residential zones allocated to the Kohathite clan.

The thread — The allocation of settlements and encampments appears in Genesis 25:16, Numbers 31:10, and Numbers 35:1, where tribal and priestly groups are similarly organized by divinely designated territories.

Why it lands — The passage requires readers to recognize that Aaron’s inheritance was determined by lot and fixed in place. It establishes a clear geographical boundary for the priestly line before the text moves to their specific cities.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ve./'E.lehand/ these מוֹשְׁבוֹתָ֔םmo.she.vo.Ta/m[were] dwelling places/ their לְטִירוֹתָ֖םle./ti.ro.Ta/mto/ encampments/ their בִּגְבוּלָ֑םbi/g.vu.La/min/ territory/ their לִבְנֵ֤יli/v.Neito/ [the] descendants of אַהֲרֹן֙'a.ha.RonAaron לְמִשְׁפַּחַ֣תle./mish.pa.Chatto/ [the] clan of הַקְּהָתִ֔יha./ke.ha.Tithe/ Kohathite[s]כִּ֥יkiforלָהֶ֖םla./Hemto/ themהָיָ֥הha.Yahit belonged הַגּוֹרָֽל׃ha./go.Ralthe/ lot

King James Version

Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot.

Cross-references

Genesis 25:16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names by their villages and encampments—twelve princes of their tribes.
Numbers 31:10 Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,
Numbers 35:1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:
Joshua 21:3 So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:
Joshua 21:10 to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them:

People named

Aaron