TheMerarites were one of the four main divisions among theLevites inBiblical times. The Bible claims that the Merarites were all descended from theeponymousMerari, a son ofLevi,[1] although somebiblical scholars regard this as apostdictionalmetaphor, providing anorigin myth of the connectedness of the clan to others in theIsraelite confederation;.[2][3]
The Bible ascribes a specific religious function to the Merarites, namely care of the framework - posts, crossbars, courtyard, tent pegs, etc. - of the sanctuary.[4] This differentiation of religious activity between the Merarites and other Levites, in particular theAaronids, is found only in thePriestly Code, and not in passages thattextual scholars attribute to other authors.[5][6]
According to theBook of Joshua, rather than possessing acontinuous territory, the Merarites possessed severalcities scattered throughout the geographic region ofGilead, as well as in the south of theGalilee,[7] the latter being quite unrealistically distant from the former:[8]
The narrative in Joshua argues that the territory was taken by the Levites right afterJoshua's conquest ofCanaan, but this is contradicted not only by archaeological evidence, but also by narratives in theBook of Judges,Books of Samuel, andBooks of Kings.[9][10] The conclusion of most biblical scholars is thus that the whole system of Levite cities, in the Torah anddeuteronomic history, is an attempt to explain the fact that important early sanctuaries existed at these locations, and thus were places where members of the priesthood naturally came to reside in large numbers.[3] Scholars believe that the priesthood was originally open to any tribe, but gradually became seen as a distinct tribe to themselves - the Levites.[3][11]