For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to Yahweh.
Parallel Translations
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For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to Yahweh.
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For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD:
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For the Levites left their open land and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office unto the LORD;
Cross-references (8)
Passages linked to 2 Chronicles 11:14 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Chronicles 13:9 Haven’t you driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves according to the ways of the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of those who are no gods.
- Numbers 35:2-5 “Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites cities to dwell in out of their inheritance. You shall give pasture lands for the cities around them to the Levites. They shall have the cities to dwell in. Their pasture lands shall be for their livestock, and for their possessions, and for all their animals. “The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it. You shall measure outside of 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 middle. This shall be the pasture lands of their cities.
- 1 Kings 12:28-33 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and behold your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” He set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. This thing became a sin; for the people went even as far as Dan to worship before the one there. He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did so in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up to the altar, to burn incense.
- Leviticus 27:30-34 “ ‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is Yahweh’s. It is holy to Yahweh. If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it. All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to Yahweh. He shall not examine whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it. If he exchanges it at all, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.’ ” These are the commandments which Yahweh commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
- Numbers 18:21-28 “To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting. Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. Among the children of Israel, they shall have no inheritance. For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to Yahweh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, ‘When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Yahweh, a tithe of the tithe. Your wave offering shall be credited to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the wine press. Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to Yahweh of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give Yahweh’s wave offering to Aaron the priest.
- Joshua 21:20-42 The families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, even the rest of the children of Kohath, had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. They gave them Shechem with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Gezer with its pasture lands, Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth Horon with its pasture lands: four cities. Out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands, Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands: four cities. Out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasture lands, and Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands: two cities. All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their pasture lands. They gave to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Be Eshterah with its pasture lands: two cities. Out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, Jarmuth with its pasture lands, En Gannim with its pasture lands: four cities. Out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, Helkath with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands: four cities. Out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, Hammothdor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands: three cities. All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their pasture lands. To the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasture lands, Kartah with its pasture lands, Dimnah with its pasture lands, and Nahalal with its pasture lands: four cities. Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasture lands, Jahaz with its pasture lands, Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands: four cities. Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Mahanaim with its pasture lands, Heshbon with its pasture lands, Jazer with its pasture lands: four cities in all. All these were the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites. Their lot was twelve cities. All the cities of the Levites among the possessions of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands. Each of these cities included their pasture lands around them. It was this way with all these cities.
- 1 Kings 13:33 After this thing Jeroboam didn’t return from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
- 1 Chronicles 6:66-81 Some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim. They gave to them the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its pasture lands, and Gezer with its pasture lands, Jokmeam with its pasture lands, Beth Horon with its pasture lands, Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands; and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its pasture lands, and Bileam with its pasture lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath. To the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands, and Ashtaroth with its pasture lands; and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, Ramoth with its pasture lands, and Anem with its pasture lands; and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, Hukok with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands; and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, Hammon with its pasture lands, and Kiriathaim with its pasture lands. To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its pasture lands, Tabor with its pasture lands; 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 pasture lands, and Jahzah with its pasture lands, Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands; and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain They would not suffer them to instruct and assist…
They would not suffer them to instruct and assist the Israelites in the worship and service of God, nor to go up to Jerusalem to worship in their courses; and these priests would not join with them in the worship of the calves, as they were desired and commanded to do; and therefore they willingly forsook all their patrimonies and possessions for God’s sake.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And after them out of all the tribes of…
And after them out of all the tribes of Israel,.... Besides the priests and Levites, and after their example, many of the common people, out of all the ten tribes:
such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel; to seek his face and favour, where he was to be found; to worship him according to his revealed will, and to receive doctrine or instruction from him, as the Targum:
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came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers; to sacrifice where only sacrifices were to be offered up, and by the priests of the Lord, who were gone thither, and to their fathers' God, whom the ten tribes had revolted from.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Cast them off - They would not suffer them…
Cast them off - They would not suffer them to instruct the Israelites in the worship of God, nor to go up to Jerusalem to worship in their courses: and these priests would not join with them in the worship of the calves, as they were commanded to do; and therefore they, willingly forsook all their patrimonies and possessions for God's sake. No secular advantages whatsoever should detain us there, where we are in danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 14. The Levites left their suburbs] They and…
Verse 14. The Levites left their suburbs] They and the priests were expelled from their offices by Jeroboam, lest they should turn the hearts of the people to the true God, and then they would revolt to Judah, 1Kg 12:26; and therefore he established a new worship, and made new gods.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 2Ch 11:14. For Jeroboam and his sons cast them…
2Ch 11:14. For Jeroboam and his sons cast them off — They would not suffer them to instruct the Israelites in the worship of God, nor to go up to Jerusalem to worship in their courses: and these priests would not join with them in the worship of the calves, as they were commanded by Jeroboam to do; and therefore they willingly forsook all their patrimonies and possessions for God’s sake. No secular advantages whatsoever should detain us there, where we are in danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. It was a mercy to these priests and Levites that they had a place of refuge to flee to; and that, when Jeroboam cast them off, there were those so near that would receive and bid them welcome; and that they were not forced to flee into the lands of the heathen. And it was an evidence that they loved their work better than their maintenance, in that they left their suburbs and possessions in the country, where they might have lived at ease upon their own property, because they were restrained from serving God there, and in that, casting themselves upon God’s providence, and the charity of their brethren, they came where they might have the full enjoyment of God’s ordinances, according to his own institution. They judged that poverty, in the way of duty, was to be chosen, rather than plenty, in the way of sin; and that it was better to live upon alms, or die in a prison, with a good conscience, than roll in wealth and pleasure with a prostituted one. At the same time, it was the wisdom and praise of Rehoboam and his people, that they bid them welcome, though they probably incommoded themselves to make room for them. Conscientious refugees bring a blessing along with them to the countries that entertain them, as they leave a curse behind them with those that expel them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Jeroboam probably confiscated the Levitical lands for the benefit…
Jeroboam probably confiscated the Levitical lands for the benefit of this new priesthood. Under these circumstances the priests and Levites emigrated in large numbers to the southern kingdom; an act which was followed by a general emigration of the more pious Israelites 2Ch 11:16.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Off. This was done at different times; so that…
Off. This was done at different times; so that almost all the Levites took refuge in the dominions of Juda. Yet some prevaricated. Ezechiel (xliv. 12.) only exempts the family of Sadoc. (Calmet) --- The rest set before us a noble example to endure temporal loss, rather than to neglect the practice of religion, or to conform to a false one. (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 14. For Jeroboam… cast them off — The priests…
14. For Jeroboam… cast them off — The priests and Levites probably opposed Jeroboam’s innovations, and for that reason suffered persecution, and many of them may have been obliged to leave their suburbs and possessions.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 14. suburbs] See note on 1Ch_5:16.
14. suburbs] See note on 1Ch_5:16.
had cast them off from executing] R.V. cast them off, that they should not execute. In 1 Kin. (1Ki_12:31; 1Ki_13:33) it is not said that Jeroboam rejected the tribe of Levi, but only that he allowed men of any tribe to become priests; “he … made priests from among all the people” (R.V.).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (14) Their suburbs.—Pasture-grounds (Num_35:1-8).
(14) Their suburbs.—Pasture-grounds (Num_35:1-8).
And their possession—i.e., the cities assigned to them among the ten tribes.
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Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the Lord.—See 1Ki_12:26-31. There we are told that, as a matter of policy, Jeroboam established two centres of worship within his own dominions, so that his subjects might cease to visit the Temple of Jerusalem. In appointing priests chosen promiscuously from all classes of the people to minister in the new sanctuaries, Jeroboam struck a direct blow at the Levitical order, and “thrust them out from acting as priests to Jehovah,” as our verse declares.
And his sons.—Usually explained to mean his successors on the throne. (Comp. 1Ch_3:16.) “For in this matter all the kings of Israel walked in the footsteps of Jeroboam” (Keil). Of Jeroboam’s own sons Nadab was the only one who reigned (1Ki_15:25 sqq.); and the narrative of Kings (1 Kings 14, 15) mentions but one other son of this king. It does not, however, exclude the possibility of there having been more than these two, and if there were, they may have co-operated with their father in his religious policy.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Left their suburbs (so Lev_25:34; Num_35:1; Jos_14:4 Jos_21:12) Jeroboam…
Left their suburbs (so Lev_25:34; Num_35:1; Jos_14:4 Jos_21:12) Jeroboam had east them off. This glimpsereveals to us, with exceeding probability, that there had been some struggle on the solemn matter; we may readily imagine that Jeroboam had either tried it on in vain with the true priests and Levites, or had learned very conclusively beforehand that it would be vain to try it on. (2Ch_13:9)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.