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Levi
The third son of Jacob and Leah, and ancestor of the priestly tribe. With Simeon he took bloody revenge on Shechem for the violation of their sister Dinah, an act Jacob condemned on his deathbed, saying he would scatter them in Israel. That scattering became their calling: after the golden calf the Levites rallied to Moses, and the tribe was set apart for the service of the sanctuary. They received no territory of their own but were given towns throughout the land, living on the offerings — 'the Lord is their inheritance'. Moses, Aaron and Miriam were of this tribe.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 2
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 2
Family & lineage
ScholarlyThe Levites as a priestly class are a recognized institution in the study of Israelite religion, and the personal name Levi has been proposed as related to attested Semitic terms; the priestly tribe named for him is the framework within which the patriarch is remembered.
Scholarly discussion of the origin and function of the Levitical priesthood; the tribe/office bearing Levi's name.
Tribe & people
BibleHis descendants, set apart for the priesthood and Temple service, received no tribal land of their own.
Numbers 18:20
Name & titles
ScholarlyThe name Levi is connected in the birth narrative to the verb lawah ("to be joined/attached"), Leah hoping her husband would be "joined" to her; scholars also debate a possible link to a cultic term for one "attached/pledged" to a sanctuary.
Onomastic derivation from the lwh "join/attach" root; discussed in lexica and studies of the term "Levite."
Where in scripture
GenesisThe sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 35:23 — Among the sons of Jacob
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 5 recorded sayings
“And his brothers said to him, Are you to be our king? will you have authority over us? And because of his dream and his words, their hate for him became greater than ever.” — Genesis 37:8
“Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer. Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams.” — Genesis 37:19-20
“And they took the coat to their father, and said, We came across this; is it your son's coat or not?” — Genesis 37:32
“And he said to his brothers, My money has been given back: it is in my bag; then their hearts became full of fear, and turning to one another they said, What is this which God has done to us?” — Genesis 42:28
“Now after the death of their father, Joseph's brothers said to themselves, It may be that Joseph's heart will be turned against us, and he will give us punishment for all the evil which we did to him. So they sent word to Joseph, saying, Your father, before his death, gave us orders, saying, You are to say to Joseph, Let the wrongdoing of your brothers be overlooked, and the evil they did to you: now, if it is your pleasure, let the sin of the servants of your father's God have forgiveness. And at these words, Joseph was overcome with weeping. Then his brothers went, and falling at his feet,…” — Genesis 50:15-18
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
In art
