The Meaning of Numbers 35:8 Explained

Numbers 35:8

KJV: And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

YLT: And the cities which ye give are of the possession of the sons of Israel, from the many ye multiply, and from the few ye diminish; each, according to his inheritance which they inherit, doth give of his cities to the Levites.'

Darby: And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have much ye shall take much, and from them that have little ye shall take little; each one according to his inheritance which he will inherit shall give of his cities to the Levites.

ASV: And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many; and from the few ye shall take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inheriteth shall give of his cities unto the Levites.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the cities  which ye shall give  [shall be] of the possession  of the children  of Israel:  from [them that have] many  ye shall give many;  but from [them that have] few  ye shall give few:  every one  shall give  of his cities  unto the Levites  according  to his inheritance  which he inheriteth. 

What does Numbers 35:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Numbers 35:1-15 - The Cities Of Refuge For The Manslayer
This chapter is full of provision for the Levites, the chosen ministers of God's house. They who serve there may be at rest about their maintenance. He is not unrighteous to forget their labor of love.
These forty-eight cities must have been centers of religious influence throughout the land. As cities set on a hill that could not be hid, as salt staying corruption, as lights along a rock-bound coast-so must they have stood in the Holy Land. So should our homes be in our land.
Six of the Levite cities were set apart for those who were guilty of manslaughter-i.e., those who had killed some one unwittingly. They were within easy access from all parts of the land, and offered sanctuary until a judicial inquiry could be held. In Jesus we find refuge, Hebrews 6:18. No avenger following the track of past sin can hurt the soul that shelters in Him. Only we must never venture beyond the precincts of His salvation. [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 35

1  Forty-eight cities for the Levites, with their suburbs, and measure thereof
6  Six of them are to be cities of refuge
9  The laws of murder and manslaughter
31  No satisfaction for murder

What do the individual words in Numbers 35:8 mean?

And the cities [shall be] which you will give from the possession of the sons of Israel from the larger [tribe] you shall give many and from the smaller you shall give few each in proportion to the inheritance that each receives Shall give some of its cities to the Levites -
וְהֶֽעָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר תִּתְּנוּ֙ מֵאֲחֻזַּ֣ת בְּנֵי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֵאֵ֤ת הָרַב֙ תַּרְבּ֔וּ וּמֵאֵ֥ת הַמְעַ֖ט תַּמְעִ֑יטוּ אִ֗ישׁ כְּפִ֤י נַחֲלָתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִנְחָ֔לוּ יִתֵּ֥ן מֵעָרָ֖יו לַלְוִיִּֽם פ

וְהֶֽעָרִ֗ים  And  the  cities  [shall  be] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
תִּתְּנוּ֙  you  will  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
מֵאֲחֻזַּ֣ת  from  the  possession 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֲחֻזָּה  
Sense: possession, property.
בְּנֵי־  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
הָרַב֙  the  larger  [tribe] 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
תַּרְבּ֔וּ  you  shall  give  many 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
וּמֵאֵ֥ת  and  from 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַמְעַ֖ט  the  smaller 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מְעַט  
Sense: littleness, few, a little, fewness.
תַּמְעִ֑יטוּ  you  shall  give  few 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: מָעַט  
Sense: to be or become small, be few, be diminished.
אִ֗ישׁ  each 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
כְּפִ֤י  in  proportion  to 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
נַחֲלָתוֹ֙  the  inheritance 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נַחֲלָה  
Sense: possession, property, inheritance, heritage.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יִנְחָ֔לוּ  each  receives 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָחַל  
Sense: to get as a possession, acquire, inherit, possess.
יִתֵּ֥ן  Shall  give  some 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
מֵעָרָ֖יו  of  its  cities 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
לַלְוִיִּֽם  to  the  Levites 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: לֵוִי  
Sense: the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation