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Numbers 35:3

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 35:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
Numbers 35:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 35

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites.
3And 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.
4And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
5And ye shall measure without the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
6And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer to flee unto: and besides them ye shall give forty and two cities.
← Numbers 35:2Numbers 35:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And cities shall they have to dwell in, etc.] 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 <421218>Luke 12:18,19) and for all their beasts; or living creatures; or “for their whole life” f501; 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.”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“For the cattle - For pasturage for their cattle: where they might not build houses, nor plant gardens, orchards or vineyards, no nor sow corn, for which they were abundantly provided out of the first - fruits. And these suburbs did not belong to the Levites in common, but were distributed to them in convenient proportions. Numbers 35:4”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Jos 21:11; Ch2 11:14; Eze 45:2 Numbers 35:4”
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Related study paths

Read Numbers 35 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification