John Gill Commentary Numbers 35

And the Lord spoke to Moses
After he has described the borders of the land, and given instructions about the division of it among the several tribes, and named the persons that should be concerned in parting and putting it into the possession of the Israelites, he makes a provision for the Levites; for though they had no inheritance in the land as a tribe, yet it was proper they should have cities and houses to dwell in; for it would not be suitable that they should be always about the tabernacle, as they were in the wilderness; and it is concerning this the Lord is said to speak to Moses,

in the plains of Moab by Jordan, near Jericho :
where the Israelites now were, and had been for some time:

saying ;
as follows.

Command the children of Israel
All the tribes of them; it is not a bare instruction that is given them, much less a mere request that is made to them, or something proposed, and left to their option whether they would agree to it or not; but it is strictly enjoined them by the Lord, who had given them freely all they should possess, and who had a right to all they had, and to whom they were in duty and gratitude bound to do his will and pleasure: the order is,

that they give to the Levites, of the inheritance of their
possession, cities to dwell in ;
which was but reasonable and requisite, that the ministers of God, and the assistants of the priests, and who did the service of the congregation, that they should have, habitations for them and their families, as well as food and raiment was provided for them in another way:

and you shall give also to the Levites suburbs for the cities round
about them ;
which were partly for ornament to their cities, and partly for their health, that they might have air, and not be too closely confined within the walls of their cities; and also for convenience, that they have room for their cattle, and places to lay up the increase of their fields, as after suggested. Jarchi says, that a suburb was a space and place parted without the city, round about, for the beauty of it; but they were not allowed to build there an house (i.e. to dwell in), nor to plant a vineyard, nor to sow seed; other ground is after provided for such uses.

And cities shall they have to dwell in
For them and their families, and indeed for nothing else, they having no trades nor worldly business to carry on in them:

and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle ;
for stables and stalls to put them up in, and for barns and storehouses to lay in provender for them:

and for their goods ;
where to bestow them, as the increase of their fields, oliveyards, and vineyards, see (Luke 12:18Luke 12:19)

and for all their beasts ;
or living creatures; or "for their whole life" ^F26 ; or livelihood, whatsoever was for the support of it; the Targum of Jonathan adds, by way of explanation, for all their necessities; and so Jarchi.

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: (Mtyh lkl) "ad vitam ipsorum". Vid. Drusium.

And the suburbs of the cities which you will give unto the
Levites
The dimensions and bounds of them were not left to the Israelites, to give what ground they pleased for this purpose, but were fixed to what length they should be: these

[will reach] from the walls of the city, and outward, a thousand
cubits round about ;
which was half a sabbath day's journey, and pretty near half a mile, which all around a city must contain a considerable quantity of ground, if the city was of any size, as it is certain that some of them given them at least were.

And you shall measure from without the city on the east side
two thousand cubits
Before only 1000 cubits were ordered to be measured, and now 2000, even 2000 more, which were to be added to the other, and to begin where they ended. The first 1000 were for their cattle and goods, these 2000 for their gardens, orchards, fields, and vineyards; and so the Jewish writers understand it.

Jarchi observes, that 1000 cubits are ordered, and after that 2000; and asks, how is this? or how is it to be reconciled? to which he answers, 2000 are put to them round about, and of them the 1000 innermost are for suburbs, and the outermost (i.e. the 2000) are for fields and vineyards; and with this agrees the Misnah ^F1 , from which he seems to have taken it; and the same was to be on every other side of the city, south, west, and north, as follows:

and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two
thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits ;
which, added to the other 1000 all around, must make a large circumference of land:

and the city shall be in the midst ;
in the midst of the circuit of three thousand cubits all around, so that it must stand very pleasant and convenient: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities;

such a quantity of ground, consisting of so many cubits, shall be assigned to every city; the suburbs or glebe land to a Levite's city, on the four sides were four squares, and each square consisted of seventy six acres, one rood, twenty perches, and eighty square feet; all the four squares amounting to three hundred and five acres, two roods, one perch, besides fifty seven feet square, according to Bishop Cumberland.

FOOTNOTES:

• F1: Sotah, c. 5. sect. 3. Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.