MERARI. - Third son of Levi (Heb. Merari: Gen. 46:11; Ex. 6:16, 19).

His descendants (1 Chron. 5:27; 6:1-4, 29-34 [Vulg. 6:1, 16-19, 44-48]) constituted the least numerous group of the Levites (about 6,200); in the desert they were assigned to transporting the wooden parts of the Tabernacle (Num. 3:33-37; 4:29-33; 26:57), for which they had 4 carts and 8 oxen (Num. 7:8).

In Palestine they had 12 cities in the tribes of Zebulun, Reuben and Gad: 4 in each tribe (Josh. 21:34-40). Under King Hezekiah two Merarites took part in the purification of the Temple (2 Chron. 29:12); two others under Josiah were placed in charge of the restoration of the Sanctuary (ibid. 34:12). The 38 Levites who responded to Ezra's appeal to return to their homeland were Merarites (Ezra 8:19).

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: F. Vigouroux, s. v. in DB, IV, col. 988 ff.; A. Fernandez, Commentarius in Iotae, Paris 1938, p. 245 f.; A. Clamer, Les Nombres (La Ste Bible, ed. L. Pirot, 2), ibid. 1940, pp. 252 f., 260, 278, 416 f.; L. Marchal, Les Paralipomènes (loc. cit., 4), ibid. 1949, pp. 42-45, 109 f., 219 f., 240 f.; A. Machelle, Eudras-Néhémie, ibid. 1949, p. 314 f.

Francesco Spadafora

@incollection{ec8_merari, author = {Spadafora, Francesco}, title = {Merari}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VIII}, pages = {705--706}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/merari} }

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