The Merarites were one of the four main divisions among the Levites in Hebrew Bible Biblical times. The Bible claims that the Merarites were all descended from the eponym ous Merari , a son of Levi ref bibleverse Numbers 3 21 ref , although some biblical criticism biblical scholars regard this as a postdiction al metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the clan to others in the Israelites Israelite confederation ref Peake s commentary on the Bible ref ref name Jewish Encyclopedia Jewish Encyclopedia ref according to the Jewish encyclopedia Levite was originally just a job title, deriving from the Minaean word lawi u meaning priest , rather than having been the name of a tribe. ref JewishEncyclopedia ref The Bible ascribes a specific religious function to the Merarites, namely care of the framework posts, crossbars, courtyard, tent pegs, etc. of the sanctuary ref bibleverse Numbers 3 36 37 ref . This differentiation of religious activity between the Merarites and other Levites, in particular the Aaronid s, is found only in the Priestly Code , and not in passages that textual criticism textual scholars attribute to other authors ref Peake s commentary on the Bible ref ref Cheyne and Black, Encyclopedia Biblica ref . According to the Book of Joshua , rather than possessing a simply connected continuous territory, the Merarites possessed several cities scattered throughout the geographic region of Gilead , as well as in the south of the Galilee ref bibleverse Joshua 21 34 40 ref , the latter being quite unrealistically distant from the former ref Richard Donald Nelson, Joshua a commentary , Westminster John Knox Press 1997 ref in the territory of tribe of Reuben Reuben Bezer , Jahazah , Kedemoth , and Mephaath in the territory of tribe of Gad Gad Ramoth Gilead Ramoth in Gilead , Mahanaim , Heshbon , and Jazer in the territory of tribe of Zebulun Zebulun Jokneam , Kartah , Dimnah , and Nahalal The narrative in Joshua argues that the territory was taken by the Levites ... more details
According to the Torah , Merari was one of the sons of Levi , ref bibleverse Numbers 3 21 ref and the patriarchal founder of the Merarite s, one of the four main divisions among the Levites in Hebrew Bible Biblical times the Hebrew language Hebrew word Merari means sad bitter . ref http www.abarim publications.com Meaning Merari.html Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Merari , Abarim Publications ref The Merarites were charged with the care of the boards of the tabernacle & related items as well as the pillars of the court all around & related components. Textual criticism Textual scholars attribute the genealogy to the Book of Generations , a document originating from a similar wiktionary religiopolitical religiopolitical group and date to the priestly source . ref Richard Elliott Friedman , Who Wrote The Bible? ref According to some biblical scholars, the Torah s genealogy for Levi s descendants is actually an aetiology aetiological myth reflecting the fact that there were four different groups among the levites the Gershonite s, Kohathites , Merarites, and Aaronids ref Peake s commentary on the Bible ref ref Jewish Encyclopedia ref according to biblical scholars, Levite was originally just a job title, deriving from the Minaean word lawi u meaning priest , rather than having been the name of a tribe. ref JewishEncyclopedia ref See also Kohath Gershon Merarites References reflist Category Hebrew Bible people Category Levites id Merari he pl Merari pt Merari ru ... more details
33.6 3 Merarites 6,200 27.8 Total 22,300 100.0 The Gershonites, numbered 7,500, camped behind the Tabernacle ... 3 27 31. HE The Merarites, numbered 6,200, camped along the north side of the Tabernacle, and had charge ... of the Torah. The midrash explained that from the north came darkness, and thus the Merarites ... them to count the Merarites. The midrash deduced that Bibleverse Numbers 4 29 HE employed the words ... God does not use that expression to direct counting the Merarites. The midrash deduced that God honored .... But since the Merarites neither cared for the ark nor descended from a firstborn, God did ... more details
Numbers 4 29 30. HE The Merarites had responsibility, under the direction of Ithamar, for the planks ... Gershonites 7,500 33.6 2 2,630 30.6 3 35.1 Merarites 6,200 27.8 3 3,200 37.3 1 51.6 Total 22,300 ... Kohathites 2,750, Gershonites 2,630, and Merarites 3,200, for a total of 8,580. Bibleverse Numbers ... 4 29 HE does not report that the Lord spoke to direct them to count the Merarites. The midrash ... the Merarites. The midrash deduced that God honored the Kohathites on account of the honor of the ark and the Gershonites because Gershon was a firstborn. But since the Merarites neither cared ... of the Torah. The midrash explained that from the north came darkness, and thus the Merarites ... 4 2 HE and Bibleverse Numbers 4 29, HE for the Kohathites and the Merarites, the sequence is by their families ... more details
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