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LEVITICAL CITIES

Forty-eight cities allotted to the Levites, spread throughout the territories of the other tribes. The Bible presents Levi as unique among the Israelite tribes, receiving no allocation of land as did the other tribes (Josh. 13–19). Two texts provide the names of these cities: Josh. 21:1-42; 1 Chr. 6:54-81(MT 39-66). Num. 35:1-8 asserts that this arrangement was the divine will.

The tradition of the levitical cities reflects the early emergence of the Levites as specialists in matters of worship. They supported themselves from this service to the other tribes (Num. 18:21-24; Deut. 18:1-4; Josh. 13:14). Though at one stage in ancient Israel’s life any male Israelite could offer sacrifice, texts such as Judg. 17 show that Levites were preferred. Still, the history of the priesthood in ancient Israel and the relationship of the Levites to the priests are issues that require further clarification. How to understand the levitical cities awaits the answer to these questions.

Did levitical cities as such exist in ancient Israel, or were they theological constructs? At first, scholars assumed that the levitical cities did exist to serve the purpose described in the Bible. However, archaeological evidence shows that most of the cities mentioned in the lists of Joshua and 1 Chronicles were not occupied during most of the monarchic period and that the list in Joshua was compiled in the 8th century b.c.e. Also, not all the levitical cities were part of the Israelite or Judahite kingdoms in the 8th century, nor is it clear why the list in Josh. 21 was compiled at that time. It does not seem likely that the lists fit any preexilic historical situation. They were probably the creation of postexilic writers who wanted to explain the role of the Levites in the early social and religious structure of ancient Israel. Their purpose was to help solve the problem that arose with the centralization of worship in the Jerusalem temple. Once priestly activity was limited to Jerusalem, the presence of and support for a large number of liturgical specialists without a sanctuary to serve became a serious problem.

Bibliography. A. G. Auld, “The ‘Levitical Cities’: Texts and History,” ZAW 91 (1979): 194-206.

Leslie J. Hoppe, O.F.M.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LEVITICAL CITIES

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)