Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 6:77-81

"Unto the rest of [the Levites], the sons of Merari, [were given], out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs; and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, [were given them], out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its suburbs, and Jahzah with its suburbs, and Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, and Mahanaim with its suburbs, and Heshbon with its suburbs, and Jazer with its suburbs." — 1 Chronicles 6:77-81 (ASV)

THE CITIES OF THE MERARITES.
(Compare to Joshua 21:34-38.) 1 Chronicles 6:77–81.

To the rest of the children of Merari. —Rather, Unto the sons of Merari, the remaining Levites, as at Joshua 21:34. The cities of the Kohathites and Gershonites having been recounted, it was natural to speak of the Merarites as “those who were left.”

Were given. — They gave, as before (1 Chronicles 6:71).

Rimmon ... Tabor. —Hebrew Rimmônô. The reading of Joshua 21:34-35 is quite different. We there find mention of Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal, “four cities.” The first pair of names may be accidentally omitted from our text.

Dimnah, in Joshua, should probably be Rimmonah, answering to the present Rimmono or Rimmon (Joshua 19:13). Rimmon is the Assyrian Rammânu (see note on 2 Kings 5:18).

Nahalal is mentioned again (Joshua 19:15) as a city of Zebulun, while Tabor is only known as the name of the mountain that rises northeast of the plain of Esdraelon and is famous as the traditional scene of the Transfiguration (Judges 8:18; Psalms 89:12).

Nahalal means “pasture” or “sheep-walk” (compare Nahalôl, Isaiah 7:19); and the original reading of our text may have been Nahalal-tabôr (pasturage of Tabor)—a compound proper name like Hamm-thôdôr and many others.

Bezer in the wilderness. —A city of refuge (Deuteronomy 4:43). The phrase “on the east of Jordan” fixes the meaning of the indefinite expression “on the other side Jordan.”

Jahzah is a form of Jahaz, originally meaning “to Jahaz.” (Compare the modern names Stamboul, from ἐς τὰν πόλιν, and Stanchio, from ἐς τὰν χίω.)

Jahaz was assigned to Reuben at the partition of Canaan (Joshua 13:18), along with Kedemoth and Mephaath. Mesha, king of Moab, recovered it from Israel (see note on 2 Kings 1:1).

Mephaath belonged to Moab in the time of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 48:21). It was, according to Jerome, a garrison town in the Roman age (Joshua 21:37; Deuteronomy 2:26).

Ramoth in Gilead. —A city of refuge (Joshua 21:36). Jazer, Heshbon, Mahanaim, were given by Moses to the Gadites (Joshua 13:25–26). Ramoth Gilead (see 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18; and 2 Kings 8:28). Its position is unknown.

Mahanaim, now Maneh, lay on the north border of Gad.

Heshbon, now Hesbân, on the south border of Gad (Jeremiah 48:2).

Jazer belonged to Moab in the eighth century (Isaiah 16:8–9; Jeremiah 48:32).

Regarding this entire list of the Levitical cities, it has been asserted that it is based on a theory that is historically false—namely, the theory that certain towns with their pasture grounds were assigned by lot to the Levites for their exclusive possession.

This objection is irrelevant, for the sacred records neither affirm nor imply that only Levitical families lived in the forty-eight Levitical cities. It is à priori probable that the bulk of their population would be ordinary Israelites of the tribes in which they were situated (Compare Leviticus 25:32-34, 1 Chronicles 6:55–57 supra, and Numbers 35:1-5).

Variations in local names, such as we have noted in comparing this list with those in Joshua, are not at all surprising, when it is remembered that centuries elapsed between the composition of the two books, and that names of places, like other names, are liable to phonetic change in the course of time. Something also must be allowed for errors of transcription.