'Suburbs' in the Bible

and [Nimrod built] Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; all these [combined to form] the great city [Nineveh].

They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasture lands for our cattle.”

So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these [forty-eight] cities and their pasture lands, in accordance with the command of the Lord.

The sons of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their pasture lands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

So to the sons of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands, and Libnah with its pasture lands,

and Ain with its pasture lands and Juttah with its pasture lands and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; nine cities from these two tribes (Judah and Simeon).

Anathoth with its pasture lands and Almon with its pasture lands; four cities.

All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands, in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer with its pasture lands,

and Kibzaim with its pasture lands and Beth-horon with its pasture lands; four cities.

From the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands,

Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; four cities.

From the half-tribe of Manasseh, they allotted Taanach with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; two cities.

All the cities with their pasture lands for the families of the rest of the sons of Kohath totaled ten.

Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands; four cities.

From the tribe of Naphtali, they gave Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands and Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands and Kartan with its pasture lands; three cities.

All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

Dimnah with its pasture lands and Nahalal with its pasture lands; four cities.

Kedemoth with its pasture lands and Mephaath with its pasture lands; four cities.

Heshbon with its pasture lands and Jazer with its pasture lands; four cities in all.

All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the property of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands.

These cities each had its surrounding pasture lands; so it was with all these cities.

They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the [surrounding] pasture lands of Sharon, as far as their borders.

to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasture land;

They gave to the Levites the following cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its pasture lands, Gezer with its pasture lands;

Aijalon and Gath-rimmon, with their pasture lands;

and from the half-tribe of Manasseh [these cities], with their pasture lands: Aner and Bileam, for the rest of the families of the sons of Kohath.

To the sons of Gershom were given from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth, with their pasture lands;

from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and Daberath with their pasture lands,

from the tribe of Asher: Mashal and Abdon with their pasture lands,

and from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim with their pasture lands.

To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari were given, from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono and Tabor, with their pasture lands;

and on the other side of the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan the Levites were given, from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness and Jahzah with their pasture lands,

from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead and Mahanaim with their pasture lands,

David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is from the Lord our God, let us send word everywhere to our fellow countrymen who remain in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, so that they may meet with us;

For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the Lord.

Also for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in the pasture lands of their cities or in each and every city, there were men who were designated by name to give portions to every male among the priests and to everyone genealogically registered among the Levites.

“The remaining [strip of] 5,000 cubits in width and 25,000 in length shall be for the city’s common (secular) use, for a place in which to live and for open country. The city shall be in the midst of it.

The city shall have open country: toward the north 250 cubits, and toward the south 250, toward the east 250, and toward the west 250.