TheKohathites were one of the four main divisions among theLevites inbiblical times, the other three being theGershonites, theMerarites, and theAaronites (more commonly known as Kohanim). The Torah claims that the Kohathites were all descended from theeponymousKohath, a son ofLevi.[1]
The Torah ascribes a specific religious function to the Kohathites, namely care of the vessels and objects within the sanctuary: theArk of the Covenant,Menorah,Table of Showbread.[2]
According to theBook of Joshua, rather than possessing a continuous territory, the Kohathites possessed several cities scattered throughout the geographic region in theKingdom of Israel south of theJezreel Valley, and in the region north of theGalilee, the latter being an extremely large distance apart from the former:[3]
The narrative in Joshua assigns the territories to the Levites right afterJoshua's conquest ofCanaan, but some scholars believe this cannot be correct, as it is contradicted by archaeological evidence, as well as by other narratives in theBook of Judges, theBooks of Samuel, and theBooks of Kings;[3][4] Gezer, for example, is portrayed in the narrative of the Book of Kings as only coming into the possession of the Levites during the reign ofSolomon,[5] and archaeological excavation of the site has shown that shortly prior to theBabylonian captivity it was still the site of a large temple to theCanaanite deityAstarte. However, a closer reading of the book of Judges reveals that the Canaanite peoples conquered by the invading Israelite tribes were often not completely subdued. The disputed territory was assigned to an individual or tribe, before any conquest was undertaken (e.g., Caleb's inheritance in Joshua 14). A major theme of the book of Judges is that the disorder portrayed in the book is a direct consequence of Israel lacking the will to finish the job of conquest, allowing their enemies to dwell in their midst.[6]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Levi, Tribe of".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Kohathites".Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.