Reference: Merari, Merarites
Hastings
1. The third son of Levi, to whom a division of the Levites traced their descent (Ge 46:11; Ex 6:16; Nu 3:17; 1Ch 6:1,16; 23:6. The title 'Merarites' is found only in Nu 26:57; elsewhere they are called 'sons of Merari' (Ex 6:19; Nu 3:20; 4:29,33,42,46; 7:8; 10:17; Jos 21:7,34,39; 1Ch 6:19,29,44,63,77; 9:14; 15:6,17; 23:21; 24:27; 26:19; 2Ch 29:12; Ezr 8:19). They were subdivided into two groups, the Mahlites and the Mushites (Nu 3:33; 26:58), each being traced to a 'son' of Merari (Ex 6:19; Nu 3:20; 1Ch 6:19,29,17; 23:21). From these families fragments of genealogies remain, some branches being traced through the daughters of Mahli (see 1Ch 23:2).
Very little is related of the Merarites after the Exile. Certain Merarites are mentioned in 1Ch 9:14,16-18 = Ne 11:15,17-19 as dwelling in Jerusalem immediately after the Return, and certain others as accompanying Ezra to the city in 454 b.c. (Ezr 8:18 f.). But Priestly Narrative and the Chronicler introduce the family into the earlier history. (1) During the desert wanderings the Merarites were on the north side of the Tent (Nu 3:35); their duty was to carry the less sacred parts of it, the 'boards' (or rather frames), pegs, cords, etc. (Nu 3:38 f., Nu 4:31 f., Nu 10:17), for which they were given four waggons and eight oxen (Nu 7:8); and they were superintended by Ithamar, the youngest son of Aaron (Nu 4:33). (2) After the settlement in Palestine, twelve cities were assigned to them (Jos 21:7,34-40 = 1Ch 6:63,77-81). (3) In David's reign the Chronicler relates that the Temple music was superintended partly by Ethan, or Jeduthun, a Merarite, and his family (1Ch 6:44-47; 16:41 f., 1Ch 25:1,3,6,11,16,18,21 f.; and see 1Ch 15:6,17-19). David divided the Levites into courses 'according to the sons of Levi' (1Ch 23:8; Merarites, 1Ch 23:21-24,26-30), and particular offices of certain Merarites are detailed in 1Ch 26:10-13,16-18. (4) They took part in the cleansing of the Temple under Hezekiah (2Ch 29:12,14). Cf. also art. Kohath.
2. The father of Judith (Jdt 8:1; Jdt 16:7).
A. H. M'Neile.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
These are the names of the children of Levi in their generations: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. And Levi lived a hundred and thirty seven years.
The children of Merari are these: Mahli and Mushi: these are the kindreds of Levi in their generations.
The children of Merari are these: Mahli and Mushi: these are the kindreds of Levi in their generations.
And the sons of Merari in their kindreds were Mahli and Mushi. These are the kindreds of Levi in the houses of their fathers.
And the sons of Merari in their kindreds were Mahli and Mushi. These are the kindreds of Levi in the houses of their fathers.
And of Merari came the kindreds of the Mahlites and of the Mushites: and these are the kindreds of the Merarites.
And the captain of the most ancient house among the kindreds of the Merarites, was Zuriel the son of Abihail, which pitched on the north side of the dwelling.
"But on the forefront of the habitation and before the tabernacle of witness eastward, shall Moses and Aaron and his sons pitch and wait on the sanctuary in the stead of the children of Israel. And the stranger that cometh nigh shall die for it."
"And thou shalt number the sons of Merari in their kindreds and in the houses of their fathers -
And this is the charge, that they must wait upon in all that they must serve in the tabernacle of witness: The boards of the dwelling, and the bars, pillars, and sockets thereof,
This is the service of the kindreds of the sons of Merari in all their service in the tabernacle of witness by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
This is the service of the kindreds of the sons of Merari in all their service in the tabernacle of witness by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
And the kindreds of the sons of Merari were numbered in their kindreds and in the houses of their fathers,
The whole sum which Moses, Aaron, and the lords of Israel numbered among the Levites in their kindreds and households of their fathers -
And four chariots and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari according unto their offices, under the hands of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
And four chariots and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari according unto their offices, under the hands of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
And the habitation was taken down: and the sons of Gershon and Merari went forth bearing the habitation.
And the habitation was taken down: and the sons of Gershon and Merari went forth bearing the habitation.
These are the sums of the Levites in their kindreds: of Gershon, came the kindred of the Gershonites; and of Kohath came the kindred of the Kohathites; and of Merari came the kindred of the Merarites. These are the kindreds of Levi: the kindred of the Libnites, the kindred of the Hebronites, the kindred of the Mahlites, the kindred of the Mushites, the kindred of the Korahites. Kohath begat Amram,
And the children of Merari by their kindreds, had out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
And the children of Merari by their kindreds, had out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
And unto the kindreds of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, they gave out of the tribe of Zebulon: Jokneam with her suburbs; Kartah with her suburbs;
And unto the kindreds of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, they gave out of the tribe of Zebulon: Jokneam with her suburbs; Kartah with her suburbs; Dimnah with her suburbs; and Nahalal with her suburbs: Four cities. read more. And out of the tribe of Reuben, they gave Bezer with her suburbs; Jahaz with her suburbs; Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs: Four cities. And out of the tribe of Gad, they gave the franchised city of the slayer, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs; Mahanaim with her suburbs; Heshbon with her suburbs; and Jazer with her suburbs: Four cities in all,
Heshbon with her suburbs; and Jazer with her suburbs: Four cities in all, so that all the cities of the children of Merari in their kindreds, which were the rest of the kindreds of the Levites, were by their lot, twelve cities.
And their brethren the sons of Merari stood on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, read more. the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
And unto the sons of Merari were given by lot among their kindreds and out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
And unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with her suburbs and Tabor with her suburbs. And on the other side Jordan by Jericho, even on the east side of Jordan, were given them out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with her suburbs, Jahzah with her suburbs, read more. Kedemoth with her suburbs, Mephaath with her suburbs. And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, Mahanaim with her suburbs, Heshbon with her suburbs, and Jazer with her suburbs.
And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah of the sons of Merari.
Obadiah the son of Shemaiah the son of Galal the son of Jeduthun. And Berechiah the son of Asa the son of Elkanah that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites. The porters were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon and Ahiman with their brethren - Shallum being the chief. read more. For unto the time they had watched at the king's gate eastward in the tents of the children of Levi by companies.
And of the children of Merari: Asaiah the chief, and of his brethren two hundred and twenty.
And the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel: and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Barachiah. And of the sons of Merari, their brethren: Ethan the son of Kushaiah. And with them their brethren of the second degree: Zachariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Uri, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah; Obededom and Jeiel, porters. read more. Heman, Asaph and Ethan sang with cymbals of brass to make a sound.
And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and other that were chosen and named by name, to thank the LORD that his mercy lasteth ever.
And then he gathered together all the lords of Israel with the priests and the Levites.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. And Eleazar died and had no sons, but daughters only, which their brethren, the sons of Kish, took. read more. The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth, three. These are the children of Levi in the households of their fathers the ancient heads, viewed and numbered by name and poll by poll from twenty year and above, to work in the service of the house of the LORD.
Moreover, the Levites should now no more bear the tabernacle and all the vessels that pertain to the service thereof." - But at the last commandment of David, the Levites were numbered from twenty years and above - read more. "To wait at the hands of the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD, and to have the oversight of the courts and of the store houses, and of the purifying of all holy things, and of the work of the things that served for the house of God, as the shewbread, the fine flour, the meat offerings, the flawnes of sweet bread, and of the things baken in the frying pan, or broiled on the gridiron, and on all manner measures and size and to wait every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening.
And David and the captains of the host appointed out to do service, the sons of Asaph of Heman and Jeduthun, which did prophesy with harps, psalteries and cymbals. And they were numbered unto the work according to their office.
The sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah and Mattithiah-Shimei, six, at the hands of their fathers Jeduthun, with harps: which Jeduthun prophesied for to thank and praise the LORD.
All these were at the hand of their father to sing in the house of the LORD with cymbals, psalteries and harps in the service of the house of God. And at the hand of the king was Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman:
And Hosah of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the chief, yet he was not the eldest, but his father made him the chiefest. Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third and Zachariah the fourth: so that all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen. read more. Unto these was divided the office of the portership as unto heads over the men that waited with their brethren and ministered in the house of the LORD. And they cast lots: the small as well as the great in the households of their fathers, from gate to gate.
And to Shuppim and Hosah fell the west with the gate Shallecheth, where the way ascendeth upward, the one way being fast by the other. In the East kept six Levites: in the North four a day, and in the South four a day, and in every counsel house, two, read more. and in the watchhouses, on the way westward, four: two in a house.
Then the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah being of the children of the Kohathites; and the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah;
and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
And through the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a wise man from among the children of Mahli the son of Levi the son of Israel, even Sherebiah, with his sons and brethren, eighteen; And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the children of Merari, with his brethren and their sons, twenty;
Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni:
And Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, which was the principal to begin the thanksgiving unto prayer. And Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and four and fourscore. read more. And the porters, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren that kept the ports, were a hundred and two and seventy.
Smith
Mer'ari, Mer'arites
(bitter, unhappy), third son of Levi and head of the third great division of the Levites, the Merarites.
At the time of the exodus and the numbering in the wilderness, the Merarites consisted of two families, the Mahlites and the Mushites, Mahli and Mushi being either the two sons of the son and grandson of Merari.
Their chief at that time was Zuriel. Their charge was the cords of the tabernacle and the court, and all the tools connected with setting them up. In the division of the land by Joshua, the merarites had twelve cities assigned to them, out of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.
Jos 21:7,34-40; 1Ch 6:63,77-81
In the days of Hezekiah the Merarites were still flourishing.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
These are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt, both Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's first son.
And the children of Merari by their kindreds, had out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
And unto the kindreds of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, they gave out of the tribe of Zebulon: Jokneam with her suburbs; Kartah with her suburbs; Dimnah with her suburbs; and Nahalal with her suburbs: Four cities. read more. And out of the tribe of Reuben, they gave Bezer with her suburbs; Jahaz with her suburbs; Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs: Four cities. And out of the tribe of Gad, they gave the franchised city of the slayer, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs; Mahanaim with her suburbs; Heshbon with her suburbs; and Jazer with her suburbs: Four cities in all, so that all the cities of the children of Merari in their kindreds, which were the rest of the kindreds of the Levites, were by their lot, twelve cities.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the kindreds of Levi concerning their ancient fathers.
Then the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah being of the children of the Kohathites; and the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah;