2 Chronicles 11:14

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests of the LORD.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כִּֽי־עָזְב֣וּ הַלְוִיִּ֗ם אֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם֙ וַאֲחֻזָּתָ֔ם וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ לִיהוּדָ֖ה וְלִֽירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם כִּֽי־הִזְנִיחָ֤ם יָֽרָבְעָם֙ וּבָנָ֔יו מִכַּהֵ֖ן לַיהוָֽה׃

Transliteration

For kî-'āzəḇû the ləwiyyîm ʾēt-miḡrəshêhem and ʾăḥuzzātām and wayyēləḵû to yəhūdāh and to yərūshālayim for kî-hiznîḥām yārāḇə'ām and his sons from mikkahēn to Yahweh

Grammar Details

• *kî*: conjunction - for, because
• *'āzəḇû*: qal perfect, 3rd common plural - they abandoned
• *ləwiyyîm*: noun, masculine plural - Levites
• *ʾēt*: direct object marker
• *miḡrəshêhem*: noun, masculine plural construct + 3rd masculine plural suffix - their pasture lands
• *ʾăḥuzzātām*: noun, feminine singular construct + 3rd masculine plural suffix - their possession
• *wayyēləḵû*: waw consecutive + qal imperfect, 3rd common plural - and they went
• *yəhūdāh*: proper noun, masculine singular - Judah
• *yərūshālayim*: proper noun, feminine singular - Jerusalem
• *hiznîḥām*: hiphil perfect, 3rd masculine singular + 3rd masculine plural suffix - he rejected them
• *yārāḇə'ām*: proper noun, masculine singular - Jeroboam
• *mikkahēn*: preposition + piel infinitive construct - from serving as priest
• *Yahweh*: proper noun, divine name - YHWH, the LORD

Word Meanings

• *miḡrəshêhem*: their pasture lands, their open fields, their suburbs
• *ʾăḥuzzātām*: their possession, their property, their holdings
• *hiznîḥām*: rejected them, cast them off, dismissed them
• *mikkahēn*: from serving as priest, from priestly service, from officiating

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  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:

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  For the Levites left their suburbs and possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had cast them out from executing the priest's office to the LORD.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  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:

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  For the Levites{H3881} left{H5800} their suburbs{H4054} and their possession,{H272} and came{H3212} to Judah{H3063} and Jerusalem:{H3389} for Jeroboam{H3379} and his sons{H1121} cast them off,{H2186} that they should not execute the priest's office{H3547} unto Jehovah;{H3068}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  For the Levites{H3881} left{H5800}{(H8804)} their suburbs{H4054} and their possession{H272}, and came{H3212}{(H8799)} to Judah{H3063} and Jerusalem{H3389}: for Jeroboam{H3379} and his sons{H1121} had cast them off{H2186}{(H8689)} from executing the priest's office{H3547}{(H8763)} unto the LORD{H3068}:

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And lefte their suburbes & possession, and came to Iuda vnto Ierusalem: for Ieroboam and his sonnes expelled them, that they shulde not execute the offyce of ye presthode vnto ye LORDE.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For the Leuites left their suburbes & their possession, and came to Iudah and to Ierusalem: for Ieroboam and his sonnes had cast them out from ministring in the Priestes office vnto the Lorde.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  For the Leuites left their suburbes, and their possession, and came to Iuda and Hierusalem: For Ieroboam and his sonnes had cast them out from ministring vnto the Lorde.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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:

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  For the Levites left their suburbs 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;

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  for the Levites have left their suburbs and their possession, and they come to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons have cast them off from acting as priests to Jehovah,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  For the Levites left their suburbs 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 Jehovah;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  For the Levites left their suburbs 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 Jehovah;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  For the Levites gave up their living-places and their property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons had sent them away, not letting them be priests to the Lord;

• World English Bible (2000)

  For the Levites left their suburbs 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;

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the LORD’s priests.

Referenced Verses

• 2 Chr 13:9 : 9 Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of what are not gods.
• Num 35:2-5 : 2 Command the Israelites to give the Levites cities to live in from their inheritance, and give them pasture lands around the cities. 3 The cities will be places for them to live, and the pasture lands will be for their livestock, their property, and all their animals. 4 The pasture lands of the cities that you give the Levites shall extend from the city wall outward a distance of a thousand cubits all around. 5 You shall measure from outside the city: two thousand cubits on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west side, and two thousand on the north side, with the city in the middle. This shall be their pasture lands for the cities.
• 1 Kgs 12:28-33 : 28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. 29 He set up one in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other. 31 Jeroboam also built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. 32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. He did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And there at Bethel he installed priests for the high places he had made. 33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices.
• 1 Kgs 13:33 : 33 Even after this, Jeroboam did not turn away from his evil way. Instead, he made priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest, he consecrated, and they became priests for the high places.
• 1 Chr 6:66-66 : 66 They were also given Heshbon with its pasturelands and Jazer with its pasturelands.
• Josh 21:20-42 : 20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites received cities allotted to them from the tribe of Ephraim. 21 They were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasture lands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with its pasture lands—four cities. 23 From the tribe of Dan: Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands, 24 Aijalon with its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands—four cities. 25 From half the tribe of Manasseh: Taanach with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands—two cities. 26 In total, the remaining Kohathite clans received ten cities with their pasture lands. 27 To the descendants of Gershon, from the families of the Levites, they gave from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands, and Be-eshterah with its pasture lands—two cities. 28 From the tribe of Issachar: Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands—four cities. 30 From the tribe of Asher: Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, 31 Helkath with its pasture lands and Rehob with its pasture lands—four cities. 32 From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands, Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands—three cities. 33 In total, the families of the Gershonites received thirteen cities with their pasture lands. 34 To the families of the Merarites, the remaining Levites, they gave from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasture lands, and Kartah with its pasture lands, 35 Dimnah with its pasture lands, and Nahalal with its pasture lands—four cities in total. 36 From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer with its pasture lands, and Jahzah with its pasture lands, 37 Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands—four cities in total. 38 From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one who had killed someone) with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, 39 Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands—four cities in total. 40 In total, the families of the Merarites, the remaining Levite families, received twelve cities by lot. 41 In total, the cities of the Levites within the possession of the Israelites numbered forty-eight cities along with their pasture lands. 42 Each of these cities had its surrounding pasture lands. This was true for all these cities.
• Lev 27:30-34 : 30 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If anyone wishes to redeem any part of their tithe, they must add a fifth of its value to it. 32 Every tithe of the herd or flock, every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod, will be holy to the LORD. 33 No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does substitute one animal for another, both the original animal and its substitute shall become holy and cannot be redeemed. 34 These are the commandments the LORD gave Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.
• Num 18:21-28 : 21 To the Levites, I have given every tithe in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. 22 From now on, the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and die. 23 The Levites shall perform the duties of the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for their sins. This is a perpetual ordinance for your generations, but they shall not have any inheritance among the Israelites. 24 For I have given the Levites the tithes that the Israelites present as a contribution to the LORD as their inheritance. That is why I told them they shall have no inheritance among the Israelites. 25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 26 Speak to the Levites and say to them: When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I have given you as your inheritance, you must present a contribution from it to the LORD—a tithe of the tithe. 27 Your contribution will be credited to you as though it were the grain from the threshing floor or the fullness from the wine press. 28 In the same way, you shall also present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these, you are to give the LORD’s portion to Aaron the priest.