And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites,.... The descendants of the second son of Levi: out of the other half tribe of Manasseh; that which was settled beyond Jordan: they gave Golan in Bashan, with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; see Jos 20:8; this is the third city of refuge mentioned: and Beeshterah with her suburbs; called Ashtaroth, Ch1 6:71; which had been the royal city of Og, king of Bashan, where he had his palace, Deu 1:4. Here seems to have been formerly a temple dedicated to the goddess Astarte; for Beeshterah is a compound of "Beth" and "Ashterah", or Astarte; that is, the house or temple of Astarte, but now become a city of the Levites: two cities; two more having been before given out of the other half tribe.