The Kohathites were one of the four main divisions among the
Levites in
biblical times, the other three being the
Gershonites, the
Merarites, and the
Aaronites
Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally bel ...
(more commonly known as Kohanim). The Bible claims that the Kohathites were all descended from the
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ous ''
Kohath'', a son of
Levi.
Overview
The Torah ascribes a specific religious function to the Kohathites, namely care of the vessels and objects within the sanctuary: the
Ark of the Covenant,
Menorah,
Table of Shewbread.
According to the
Book of Joshua, rather than possessing a
continuous
Continuity or continuous may refer to:
Mathematics
* Continuity (mathematics), the opposing concept to discreteness; common examples include
** Continuous probability distribution or random variable in probability and statistics
** Continuous g ...
territory, the Kohathites possessed several cities scattered throughout the geographic region in the
Kingdom of Israel
The Kingdom of Israel may refer to any of the historical kingdoms of ancient Israel, including:
Fully independent (c. 564 years)
*Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy) (1047–931 BCE), the legendary kingdom established by the Israelites and uniting ...
south of the
Jezreel Valley, and in the region north of the
Galilee, the latter being an extremely large distance apart from the former:
*in the territory of
Ephraim:
Shechem
Shechem ( ), also spelled Sichem ( ; he, שְׁכֶם, ''Šəḵem''; ; grc, Συχέμ, Sykhém; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first c ...
,
Gezer,
Kibzaim, and
Beth-horon
Bethoron ( he, בֵית־חוֹרֹ֔ן, lit=house of Horon; grc, Ὡρωνείν), also Beth-Horon, was the name of two adjacent ancient towns strategically located on the Gibeon-Aijalon road, guarding the "ascent of Beth-Horon". The towns are ...
*in the western part of the territory of
Manasseh:
Taanach,
Gat Rimon
Gat Rimon ( he, גַּת רִמּוֹן, ''lit.'' Pomegranate press) is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Ono Valley in the Sharon plain between Ganei Tikva and Petah Tikva, it falls under the jurisdiction of Drom HaSharon Regional ...
*in the territory of
Dan
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...
:
Eltekeh,
Gibbethon,
Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon
The narrative in Joshua argues that the territory was taken by the Levites right after
Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
's conquest of
Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
, but some scholars believe this cannot be correct, as it is contradicted not only by
archaeological evidence, but also by narratives in the
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges (, ') is the seventh book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. In the narrative of the Hebrew Bible, it covers the time between the conquest described in the Book of Joshua and the establishment of a kingdo ...
,
Books of Samuel
The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books ( Jo ...
, and
Books of Kings;
Gezer, for example, is portrayed in the narrative of the Book of Kings as only coming into the possession of the Levites during the reign of
Solomon, and archaeological excavation of the site has shown that shortly prior to the
Babylonian captivity it was still the site of a large temple to the
Canaanite deity
Astarte.
However, a close reading of the book of Judges reveals that the Canaanite peoples conquered by the invading Israelite tribes were often not completely subdued. The disputed territory is sometimes assigned to an individual or tribe before any conquest was undertaken (e.g., Caleb's inheritance in Joshua 14). A major theme of the book of Judges is that the disorder portrayed in the book is a direct consequence of Israel lacking the will to finish the job of conquest, allowing their enemies to dwell in their midst.
Some scholars have other views.
[''Peake's Commentary on the bible'']
See also
*
Gershonite
*
Merarite
The Merarites were one of the four main divisions among the Levites in Biblical times. The Bible claims that the Merarites were all descended from the eponymous Merari, a son of Levi, although some biblical scholars regard this as a postdictional ...
References
*
*{{Eastons, wstitle=Kohathites
Book of Numbers people
Levites