דברי הימים א, פרק ו׳, פסוק נ״ד

The ongoing record of the cities granted to the Levites outlines various settlements and their surrounding open lands. However, a careful comparison with the parallel historical account in the Book of Joshua reveals a notable discrepancy. In the earlier records, the cities of Aijalon and Gath-rimmon are explicitly identified as part of the territory belonging to the tribe of Dan, alongside two other cities, Eltekeh and Gibbethon. Yet in the current account, the tribe of Dan is entirely absent. Instead, Aijalon and Gath-rimmon are presented as a direct continuation of the territory of Ephraim, and the two additional cities are missing from the record entirely.

Commentators offer two distinct ways to understand this shift. One perspective suggests the arrangement is based on simple geographic proximity [רד״ק]. Because these specific locations were situated very close to the cities previously taken from the tribe of Ephraim, they are grouped together in the text. The name of the tribe of Dan is omitted under the assumption that the reader is already aware of their original tribal affiliation.

A different approach roots the difference in the actual historical events of the conquest [מלבי״ם]. According to this view, the tribe of Dan struggled and ultimately failed to capture its designated territory. As a result, members of the tribe of Ephraim stepped in, conquered Aijalon and Gath-rimmon themselves, and subsequently handed them over to the Levites. Because Ephraim secured these lands, the cities are credited to them rather than to Dan. Furthermore, the absence of the other two cities mentioned in Joshua's earlier list is due to the simple fact that they were never successfully conquered, leaving them out of this final registry.