2 Chronicles 11:14

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;

📖 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

Referenced Verses

• 2 Chr 13:9 : 9 Haven't you driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves after the ways of the peoples of [other] lands? so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, the same may be a priest of [those who are] no gods.
• Num 35:2-5 : 2 "Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and you shall give suburbs for the cities around them to the Levites. 3 The cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their livestock, and for their substance, and for all their animals. 4 "The suburbs 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. 5 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 midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
• 1 Kgs 12:28-33 : 28 Whereupon 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 see your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" 29 He set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. 30 This thing became a sin; for the people went [to worship] before the one, even to Dan. 31 He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 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; so did he 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. 33 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.
• 1 Kgs 13:33 : 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 Chr 6:66-81 : 66 Some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim. 67 They gave to them the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its suburbs; Gezer also with its suburbs, 68 and Jokmeam with its suburbs, and Beth Horon with its suburbs, 69 and Aijalon with its suburbs, and Gath Rimmon with its suburbs; 70 and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its suburbs, and Bileam with its suburbs, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath. 71 To the sons of Gershom [were given], out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, and Ashtaroth with its suburbs; 72 and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs, 73 and Ramoth with its suburbs, and Anem with its suburbs; 74 and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its suburbs, and Abdon with its suburbs, 75 and Hukok with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs; 76 and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, and Hammon with its suburbs, and Kiriathaim with its suburbs. 77 To the rest of [the Levites], the sons of Merari, [were given], out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs; 78 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 suburbs, and Jahzah with its suburbs, 79 and Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; 80 and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, and Mahanaim with its suburbs, 81 and Heshbon with its suburbs, and Jazer with its suburbs.
• Josh 21:20-42 : 20 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. 21 They gave them Shechem with its suburbs in the hill country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Gezer with its suburbs, 22 Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth Horon with its suburbs; four cities. 23 Out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs, 24 Aijalon with its suburbs, Gath Rimmon with its suburbs; four cities. 25 Out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its suburbs, and Gath Rimmon with its suburbs; two cities. 26 All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbs. 27 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 suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Be Eshterah with its suburbs; two cities. 28 Out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs, 29 Jarmuth with its suburbs, En Gannim with its suburbs; four cities. 30 Out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs, 31 Helkath with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs; four cities. 32 Out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammothdor with its suburbs, and Kartan with its suburbs; three cities. 33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs. 34 To the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its suburbs, Kartah with its suburbs, 35 Dimnah with its suburbs, and Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities. 36 Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, Jahaz with its suburbs, 37 Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities. 38 Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs, 39 Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs; four cities in all. 40 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. 41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs. 42 Each of these cities included their suburbs around them. It was this way with all these cities.
• Lev 27:30-34 : 30 "'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. 31 If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it. 32 All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to Yahweh. 33 He shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he changes it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.'" 34 These are the commandments which Yahweh commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
• Num 18:21-28 : 21 "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. 22 Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. 23 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; and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 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.'" 25 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 26 "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. 27 Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 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.