Summary
The chapter opens with a detailed genealogy of the tribe of Levi, tracing from Levi through his sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari and further to the line of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. It then lists the descendants of Aaron, including Eleazar, Phinehas, and the successive generations leading to the priests serving at the temple in Jerusalem. The text records the allocation of cities and suburbs to the Levites by tribal lot, describing their residential districts and the cities of refuge. It also outlines the various offices of the Levites, including singers, priests, and attendants, and emphasizes the role of Aaron’s sons in the sacrificial and atonement rites. The chapter underscores the covenantal duty of the Levites to maintain worship and the organization of Israel’s religious life through genealogical continuity and territorial allotments.