For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD:

2 CHRONICLES 11:14KJV
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2 Chronicles 11:14 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 11:14 mean?

2 Chronicles 11:14 describes how the Levites left their homes and land to move to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had removed them from serving as priests to the LORD. The verse shows that the Levites were forced to leave behind their assigned towns and possessions due to being excluded from their religious duties in the northern kingdom.

The setting is after the kingdom of Israel split into two: the northern kingdom under Jeroboam and the southern kingdom under Rehoboam. The Levites, who were responsible for priestly and temple work, found themselves unwelcome in the north because Jeroboam set up his own system of worship. This verse highlights the Levites’ loyalty to the traditional worship of the LORD in Jerusalem and their willingness to give up their livelihoods for it.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 11:14

  • לֵוִי (Levites, lēwî): This word refers to the tribe set apart for religious service. Their move shows a significant shift in spiritual leadership from the north to the south.
  • עָזַב (left, ʿāzav): This verb means to leave or abandon. It emphasizes the Levites’ difficult decision to give up their homes and property.
  • מִגְרָשׁ (suburbs, migrāš): This term refers to the pasture lands or towns around their cities. The Levites were leaving not just houses but the land that supported their families.
  • יְרוּשָׁלַםִ (Jerusalem, yerûšālayim): The city where the temple was located, showing the Levites’ commitment to the central place of worship.

Why 2 Chronicles 11:14 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the Levites’ move was not voluntary but forced by Jeroboam’s religious reforms, which excluded them from their God-given roles.
  • It highlights the division between the two kingdoms, not just politically but spiritually, with the Levites choosing faithfulness to the temple in Jerusalem over comfort or property.
  • The verse sets up the context for why Judah and Jerusalem became the main centers for worship and why the southern kingdom retained the priestly traditions.

Where else these words appear

“off” Hebrew H2186 · used in 20 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
  • Psalms 60:10 Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?
  • Isaiah 19:6 And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.

“office” Hebrew H3547 · used in 23 verses

  • Exodus 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
  • Exodus 31:10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office,
  • Numbers 3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

“possession” Hebrew H272 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
  • Leviticus 25:41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
  • Joshua 21:41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.

“suburbs” Hebrew H4054 · used in 67 verses

  • Leviticus 25:34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
  • Joshua 21:25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two cities.
  • 1 Chronicles 6:67 And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs; they gave also Gezer with her suburbs,