Merari

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According to the Torah, Merari (Hebrew: מְרָרִי, Mərārî) was one of the sons of Levi,[1] and the patriarchal founder of the Merarites, one of the four main divisions among the Levites in Biblical times; the Hebrew word Merari means sad/bitter.[2] The Merarites were charged with the care of the boards of the tabernacle & related items as well as the pillars of the court all around & related components.

Textual scholars attribute the genealogy to the Book of Generations, a document originating from a similar religiopolitical group and date to the priestly source.[3] According to some biblical scholars, the Torah's genealogy for Levi's descendants is actually an aetiological myth reflecting the fact that there were four different groups among the levites - the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, and Aaronids;[4][5] according to biblical scholars, Levite was originally just a job title, deriving from the Minaean word lawi'u meaning priest, rather than having been the name of a tribe.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Numbers 3:21
  2. ↑ Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Merari, Abarim Publications
  3. ↑ Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote The Bible?
  4. ↑ Peake's commentary on the Bible
  5. ↑ Jewish Encyclopedia
  6. ↑  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Jewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906. 
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