Numbers 35:3
New International Version
Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals.

New Living Translation
These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.

English Standard Version
The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts.

Berean Standard Bible
The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

King James Bible
And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

New King James Version
They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals.

New American Standard Bible
The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their equipment and for all their other animals.

NASB 1995
“The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

NASB 1977
“And the cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

Amplified Bible
The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their livestock.

Christian Standard Bible
The cities will be for them to live in, and their pasturelands will be for their herds, flocks, and all their other animals.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The cities will be for them to live in, and their pasturelands will be for their herds, flocks, and all their other animals.

American Standard Version
And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

Contemporary English Version
That way, the Levites will have towns to live in and pastures for their animals.

English Revised Version
And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the Levites will have cities to live in and pastureland for their cattle, the flocks they own, and any other animals they have.

Good News Translation
These cities will belong to the Levites, and they will live there. The pasture land will be for their cattle and all their other animals.

International Standard Version
The towns are to be reserved for their dwelling places and the grazing lands are to be reserved for their cattle, livestock, and all their animals.

Majority Standard Bible
The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

NET Bible
Thus they will have towns in which to live, and their grazing lands will be for their cattle, for their possessions, and for all their animals.

New Heart English Bible
The cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their livestock, and for their substance, and for all their animals.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall have the cities to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

World English Bible
They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the cities have been for them to inhabit, and their outskirts are for their livestock, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

Young's Literal Translation
And the cities have been to them to inhabit, and their suburbs are for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the cities were to them to dwell in; and their areas shall be for their cattle, and for their horses, and for all their beasts.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Cities to dwell in, and their suburbs round about: that they may abide in the towns, and the suburbs may be for their cattle and beasts:

Catholic Public Domain Version
cities as dwelling places, with their surrounding suburbs, so that they may lodge in the towns, and so that the suburbs may be for cattle and beasts of burden.

New American Bible
The cities will be for them to dwell in, and the pasture lands will be for their cattle, their flocks, and all their other animals.

New Revised Standard Version
The towns shall be theirs to live in, and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle, for their livestock, and for all their animals.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the cities they shall have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they shall have cities to inhabit and their fields shall be for their livestock and for their cattle and for all their beasts.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and their open land shall be for their cattle, and for their substance, and for all their beasts.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the cities shall be for them to dwell in, and their enclosures shall be for their cattle and all their beasts.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
2“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities. 3The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock. 4The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the wall on every side.…

Cross References
Joshua 21:2-3
at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.” / So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

Leviticus 25:32-34
As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the cities they possess. / So whatever belongs to the Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city they possess—and must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites. / But the open pastureland around their cities may not be sold, for this is their permanent possession.

Deuteronomy 18:1-2
The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the food offerings to the LORD; that is their inheritance. / Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.

Ezekiel 45:1-5
“When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the LORD, a holy portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide. This entire tract of land will be holy. / Within this area there is to be a section for the sanctuary 500 cubits square, with 50 cubits around it for open land. / From this holy portion, you are to measure off a length of 25,000 cubits and a width of 10,000 cubits, and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. ...

1 Chronicles 6:54-60
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: / They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands. / But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh. ...

Joshua 14:4
The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion of the land was given to the Levites, except for cities in which to live, along with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.

2 Chronicles 31:19
As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farmlands around each of their cities or in any other city, men were designated by name to distribute a portion to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed by the genealogies.

Nehemiah 10:37-39
Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor. / A priest of Aaron’s line is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of these tithes to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God. / For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers stay. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.”

Leviticus 25:34
But the open pastureland around their cities may not be sold, for this is their permanent possession.

Ezekiel 48:10-14
This will be the holy portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center will be the sanctuary of the LORD. / It will be for the consecrated priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray. / It will be a special portion for them set apart from the land, a most holy portion adjacent to the territory of the Levites. ...

Acts 4:34-37
There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, / and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need. / Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement), ...

Hebrews 7:5
Now the law commands the sons of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—though they too are descended from Abraham.

1 Corinthians 9:13-14
Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings? / In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Matthew 10:10
Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

Luke 10:7
Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house.


Treasury of Scripture

And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

Joshua 21:11
And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.

2 Chronicles 11:14
For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD:

Ezekiel 45:2
Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof.

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Animals Beasts Cattle Dwell Herds Inhabit Livestock Living-Places Open Pasture Pasturelands Round Substance Suburbs Theirs Towns
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Animals Beasts Cattle Dwell Herds Inhabit Livestock Living-Places Open Pasture Pasturelands Round Substance Suburbs Theirs Towns
Numbers 35
1. Forty-eight cities for the Levites, with their suburbs, and measure thereof
6. Six of them are to be cities of refuge
9. The laws of murder and manslaughter
31. No satisfaction for murder














You are to give
This phrase indicates a command from God to the Israelites, emphasizing the importance of obedience to divine instructions. The Hebrew root word for "give" is "נָתַן" (natan), which means to bestow or grant. This reflects God's provision and the Israelites' responsibility to support the Levites, who were set apart for religious duties and did not receive a land inheritance like the other tribes.

the Levites
The Levites were a distinct tribe in Israel, set apart for religious service and duties related to the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Their role was crucial in maintaining the spiritual life of the nation. Historically, the Levites were descendants of Levi, one of Jacob's sons, and their unique position underscores the importance of spiritual leadership and service in the community.

cities to dwell in
The provision of cities for the Levites highlights God's care for those who serve Him. The Hebrew word for "cities" is "עָרִים" (arim), which refers to inhabited places or towns. This allocation ensured that the Levites had a stable place to live, reflecting God's provision for His servants. It also allowed them to be dispersed among the other tribes, facilitating their role as spiritual leaders and teachers.

along with pastureland
The inclusion of pastureland, or "מִגְרָשׁ" (migrash) in Hebrew, indicates God's provision for the Levites' physical needs. This land was necessary for their livestock, ensuring they had the means to sustain themselves. It symbolizes God's holistic care for His people, providing not only for their spiritual needs but also their material well-being.

around the cities
The phrase "around the cities" suggests a buffer zone or area surrounding the Levite cities, which served both practical and symbolic purposes. Practically, it provided space for agriculture and livestock, essential for the Levites' sustenance. Symbolically, it represents the idea of separation and sanctity, as the Levites were set apart for God's service. This arrangement ensured that the Levites were integrated into the community while maintaining their distinct role.

(3) For their cattle . . . --The word which is rendered "cattle" generally denotes oxen and beasts of burden. The word which is rendered "goods" probably refers here to the sheep and goats. (Cf. 2Chronicles 21:14; 2Chronicles 35:7.) The passage may be rendered, for their cattle and for their substance, even for all their beasts.

Verse 3. - For their cattle. לִבְהֶמְתָּם, "for their great cattle," i.e., oxen, camels, and any other beasts of draught or burden. For their goods. "For their possessions," which in this connection would mean their ordinary "live stock," chiefly sheep and goats; the word itself (לִרְכוּשָׁם) is indeterminate. For all their beasts. לְכֹל־חַיָּתָם an expression which apparently only sums up what has previously been mentioned.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The cities
הֶֽעָרִ֛ים (he·‘ā·rîm)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5892: Excitement

will be
וְהָי֧וּ (wə·hā·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

for them to live in,
לָשָׁ֑בֶת (lā·šā·ḇeṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

and the pasturelands
וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶ֗ם (ū·miḡ·rə·šê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4054: A suburb, the area around a, building, the margin of the sea

will be
יִהְי֤וּ (yih·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

for their herds,
לִבְהֶמְתָּם֙ (liḇ·hem·tām)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal

flocks,
וְלִרְכֻשָׁ֔ם (wə·lir·ḵu·šām)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7399: Property, goods

and all
וּלְכֹ֖ל (ū·lə·ḵōl)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

their other livestock.
חַיָּתָֽם׃ (ḥay·yā·ṯām)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life


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OT Law: Numbers 35:3 The cities shall they have to dwell (Nu Num.)
Numbers 35:2
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