Levite

[Middle English, from Late Latin Lēvītēs, Lēvīta, from Greek Leuītēs, from Leui, Levi, from Hebrew Lēwî.]

A priestly group, whose origins are unclear but unambiguously reach back to the tribe of Levi. The Levites are priests of God yet there are conflicting accounts of their ordination and questions about their status before ordination. In the course of time their primarily priestly duties varied from preeminent priest to gatekeeper, musician and priest's assistant. This change reflects a continual struggle with other priestly groups intent both on supplanting the Levites and claiming descent from them. The tribe of Levi, and hence the Levites, having inherited no land, their fluctuating status called forth differing arrangements for their sustenance.

The Bible links the origin of the Levites with the tribe of Levi. In the wilderness this was the smallest tribe, numbering 22,000-23,000 males (Num 3:39; 26:62). They were a tribe like any other but, because of their special destiny, were not allotted any territory. Modern scholars have put forward different theories regarding their origin.

When the Song of Deborah (Judg chap. 5) lists the tribes that came together to fight the Canaanites, Levi is omitted as are Simeon and Judah. As the latter two were southern tribes, or at least claiming lands in the south, it has been suggested that Levi too may have been southern. Moses was a Levite (Ex 2:1-2) and his first encounter with God is placed in the land of Midian (Ex 3:1-6), a region south and east of Palestine. Some of the names of the Levites, such as Moses, Hophni and Merari are Egyptian in origin. Moreover, the name "Levi" appears in an Egyptian toponymic list of Rameses III (early 12th century B.C.) which locates the name in southwestern Arabia. Some scholars have therefore deduced that Levi, and hence the Levites, originated south and southeast of Palestine.

An understanding of the process by which the Levites became priests is complicated by the presence of divergent accounts and by the question of their status before ordination. In Exodus chapter 32 the sons of Levi sided with Moses against Aaron and the worshipers of the golden calf; having killed 3,000 of the apostates, the sons of Levi are said to have thereby ordained themselves into the service of God (Ex 32:28-29). A second account is given in Numbers; following a census in preparation for war (Num chaps. 1-2), the Levites replaced the firstborn as God's servants (Num 3:11-13). In Deuteronomy 10:7-9, after the death of Aaron, the tribe of Levi was set apart to carry the ark of the covenant and to minister to God. According to yet another tradition the Lord instructed Moses to bring Aaron and his sons – all descendants of Levi (cf Ex 4:14) to serve as his priests (Ex 28:1-4). Accordingly, a firm and consistent tradition depicts the Levites as set aside as God's chosen servants. As to what the Levites were before becoming priests of God, modern Bible scholars offer two answers. One is that they were originally a secular entity, like the other tribes; the other that they always occupied a priestly role. Passages such as Genesis chapter 34 and 49:5-7 which describe the military actions of the tribe without, however, according it any special status, taken together with the texts which describe it ordination to the priesthood, are the basis of the argument for a secular tribe subsequently turned priests. On the other hand, Levi's military activities provide insufficient ground on which to argue for a secular origin. In addition, prior priestly service is not precluded by the accounts of ordination which may merely reflect the point at which the Levites became priests of God.

The installation ceremony consisted of shaving the body, sacrifice, the laying on of hands and a solemn presentation to God (Num 8:5-15). According to Numbers 4:3 their period of service was from 30 to 50 years of age. The age of eligibility is lowered to 25 in Numbers 8:23-26 and to 20 in I Chronicles 23:24.

An analysis of the duties of the Levites shows both change and permanence. In early periods, as exemplified in Judges chapters 17-18 (especially 17:12) there was a distinct preference for a Levite as priest, and a Levite performed the priestly duties at Micah's sanctuary. Even Deuteronomy (cf 18:1-5; 33:8-11), makes no explicit differentiation between Levites and priests, as shown by the expression "the priests, the Levites" (Deut 17:9; 18:1; 24:8). The Levites were expected to perform the normal priestly functions: to teach the ordinances of God (Deut 33:10), to carry the ark of the covenant and to "stand before" God and "minister" to him (Deut 10:8). However, in the other traditions and in post-exilic material, Levites and priests are disparate groups (cf Num 18:25-32; I Chr 15:14; Ezra 6:16; 7:13) and subservient tasks are assigned to the Levites. Hence the Levites are to "minister" to Aaron, not God, and are to be a "gift" to Aaron (Num 18:1-6); their duties included the keeping of the gate (I Chr 9:18-19), playing music (I Chr 23:1-6; Ezra 3:10), counting and weighing the gold and silver of the treasury (Ezra 8:33-34), assisting Aaron (I Chr 23:26-32), caring for the courts and chambers of the sanctuary, cleansing the sacred vessels, preparing cereal offerings and singing praises (I Chr 3:28-32). They also had a teaching function as interpreters of the Law (Neh 8:7-9). The Levites' prime priestly tasks having been taken over by Aaron, they were now second-level functionaries. Numbering only several hundred, they were also numerically inferior to the priests whose ranks comprised several thousand (Ezra chap. 2; Neh chap. 7).

The Levites were not the only priestly family and their decline in status reflects a losing struggle with their rivals. In the monarchical period, the latter were primarily the Zadokite priests of Jerusalem, who possibly represented the Jebusite priestly community which officiated in the city prior to its conquest by David. The struggle for the succession to David, which pitted Adonijah against Solomon, also placed Abiathar and Zadok on opposing sides (I Kgs chaps. 1-2; cf II Sam 15:24). With Solomon's rise to power, it was Zadok who became chief priest while Abiathar was banished (I Kgs 2:26-27). Thus the Zadokites finally gained control, with the Levites turned out. This perspective on the conflict between Zadokites and Levites is further reflected in II Kings 23:8-9; centralization of worship in Jerusalem displaced the Levites who, as priests in the cities of Judah, forfeited their positions with the closing down of the local sanctuaries. This view is supported when Ezekiel makes a clear distinction between the Zadokites and the Levites, the latter having gone astray (Ezek 44:10-27). A similar struggle between Levite and Aaronites commenced when the Levites killed the followers of Aaron who built the golden calf (Ex chap. 32), and continued when Levites were explicitly denied appointment in the Northern Kingdom of Israel – Bethel was apparently a stronghold of the Aaronites, devotees of the golden calf (cf Ex 32:4-5 and I Kgs 12:28).

As a result of the Exile and the collapse of the pre-exilic religious perspective, the Aaronites were able to gain control of the priesthood making the Levites their servants. This division of roles is already evidenced in Leviticus chapter 8 where the Aaronites are priests and there is no reference to Levites at all; and in Numbers chapter 18 where the Levites are to serve Aaron and his sons. In spite of these struggles and the secondary status eventually accorded to the Levites, all priestly factions traced their ancestry to the tribe of Levi, legitimizing their claim to the priesthood by employing genealogies, such as the late composition in I Chronicles 6:1-30.

The changing status of the Levites, their ordination as priests, and their supposed dispersion, all created problems for their survival. In Joshua chapter 21 the Levites were awarded 48 "Levitical" cities (48 being 12 � 4, although not every tribe contributed 4 cities), which were dispersed throughout the land. There has been some speculation that the Levitical cities may have been garrison cities or at least religious outposts for the central government; but the inconsistent distribution pattern in the territories controlled by the monarchy makes this questionable. In these cities the Levites were given pasture land only, being denied farm land. Deuteronomy 10:9 recognizes their landless status, making provision by categorizing them with the widow, the orphan and the resident alien (cf Judg 17:7, where the Levite is called a sojourner, i.e. resident alien) to be supported by society at large (Deut 14:28-29; 19:14; 26:12). In several instances, a portion of the tithe was given to the Levites for their sustenance. This could be an "informal" tithe such as described in Deuteronomy 18:3-4 or, the more "formal" regulations as explicitly laid out by the Book of Numbers. Since the Levites had no inheritance, they were to receive a tithe (Num 18:24) and, in turn, convey a tithe of the tithe to Aaron the priest (Num 18:25-28).

There are few references to Levites in the NT. One occurs in the famous story of the "Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:29-37) and another in the first chapter of John (1:19). Finally a Levite named Joses is reported to have sold his property and given the money to the apostles (Acts 4:36-37). Little is learned about the Levites from these passages. The only item of note is that the first two references clearly distinguish priests from Levites, a distinction which has its origin in the post-exilic writings of the Hebrew Bible.

Concordance
Ex 4:14; 6:25; 38:21. Lev 25:32-33. Num 1:47, 50-51,53; 2:17, 33; 3:9, 12, 20,32, 39, 41, 45-46,49; 4:18, 46; 7:5-6; 8:6, 9-15,18-22, 24, 26; 18:6, 23-24,26, 30; 26:57-58; 31:30, 47; 35:2, 4, 6-8. Deut 12:12,18-19; 14:27,29; 16:11, 14; 17:9, 18; 18:1,6-7; 24:8; 26:11-13; 27:9,14; 31:25. Josh 3:3; 8:33; 14:3-4; 18:7; 21:1, 3-4, 8,20, 27, 34,40-41. Judg 17:7,9-13; 18:3, 15; 19:1; 20:4. I Sam 6:15. II Sam 15:24. I Kgs 8:4. I Chr 6:19, 48, 64; 9:2, 14, 26,31, 33-34; 13:2; 15:2, 4,11-12, 14-17,22, 26-27; 16:4; 23:2-3,26-27; 24:6,30-31; 26:17,20; 27:17; 28:13, 21. II Chr 5:4-5,12; 7:6; 8:14-15; 11:13-14, 16; 13:9-10; 17:8; 19:8, 11; 20:14, 19; 23:2, 4, 6-8,18; 24:5-6, 11; 29:4-5, 12, 16,25-26, 30, 34; 30:15-17,21-22, 25, 27; 31:2, 4, 9, 12,14, 17, 19; 34:9, 12-13,30; 35:3, 5,8-11, 14-15, 18. Ezra 1:5; 2:40,70; 3:8-10, 12; 6:16, 18, 20; 7:7, 13, 24; 8:20, 29-30,33; 9:1; 10:5,15, 23. Neh 3:17; 7:1, 43,73; 8:7, 9, 11,13; 9:4-5, 38; 10:9, 28, 34,37-38; 11:3,15-16, 18, 20.22, 36; 12:1,8, 22, 24, 27,30, 44, 47; 13:5, 10, 13,22, 29-30. Is 66:21. Jer 33:18, 21-22. Ezek 43:19; 44:10, 15; 45:5; 48:11-13,22. Luke 10:32. John 1:19. Acts 4:36

Tribes of Israel
The Tribes Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Dan Naphtali Gad Asher Issachar Zebulun Joseph Menasheh Ephraim Benjamin
Related topics Israelites Ten Lost Tribes
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In Jewish tradition, a Levite (Hebrew: לֵוִי, Modern Levi Tiberian Lēwî ; "Attached") is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe who received cities but no tribal land "because the Lord the God of Israel himself is their inheritance".^[1] The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites and had political responsibilities as well. In return, the landed tribes were expected to give tithe to the Levites, particularly the tithe known as the Maaser Rishon or Levite Tithe.

Contents 1 In the Bible 1.1 In the Torah 1.2 In the Prophets 2 In contemporary Jewish practice 3 Bat Levi 4 Family name 5 In archaeology 6 In Biblical criticism 7 Notable descendants 8 See also 9 Footnotes 10 References 11 External links

In the Bible

The tribe is named after Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (also called Israel). Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (Genesis  46:11).

Levi

Melcha

Gershon

Kohath

Merari

Jochebed

Amram

Izhar

Hebron

Uzziel

Miriam

Aaron

Moses

Kohath's son Amram was the father of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. The descendants of Aaron: the Kohanim ("Priests"), had the special role as priests in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and also in the Temple in Jerusalem. The remaining Levites (Levi'yim in Hebrew), divided into three groups (the descendants of Gershon, or Gershonites, the descendants of Kohath, or Kohathites, and the descendants of Merari, or Merarites) each filled different roles in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple services.

Levites' principal roles in the Temple included singing Psalms during Temple services, performing construction and maintenance for the Temple, serving as guards, and performing other services. Levites also served as teachers and judges, maintaining cities of refuge in Biblical times. The Book of Ezra reports that the Levites were responsible for the construction of the Second Temple and also translated and explained the Torah when it was publicly read.

In Egypt the Levites were the only tribe that remained committed to God. During the Exodus the Levite tribe were particularly zealous in protecting the Mosaic law in the face of those worshipping the Golden Calf, which may have been a reason for their priestly status.^[2]

In the Torah

In the Book of Numbers the Levites were charged with ministering to the Kohanim (priests) and keeping watch over the Tabernacle:

2 And with you bring your brother also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. 4 They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. 5 And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. 6 And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting. Numbers 18:2-4;6 (ESV)

In the Prophets

The Book of Jeremiah speaks of a covenant with the Kohanim (priests) and Levites, connecting it with the covenant with the seed of King David:

As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David My servant, and the Levites that minister unto Me.

And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying:

'Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying: The two families which the LORD did choose, He hath cast them off? Jeremiah 33:22-24

The prophet Malachi also spoke of a covenant with Levi:

Know then that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.

My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him, and of fear, and he feared Me, and was afraid of My name.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and did turn many away from iniquity. Malachi 2:4-6

Malachi connected a purification of the "sons of Levi" with the coming of God's messenger:

Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he cometh, saith the LORD of hosts.

But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap;

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and there shall be they that shall offer unto the LORD offerings in righteousness. Malachi 3:1-3

In contemporary Jewish practice

Today, Levites in Orthodox Judaism continue to have additional rights and obligations compared to lay people, although these responsibilities have diminished with the destruction of the Temple. For instance, Kohanim are eligible to be called to the Torah first, followed by the Levites. Levites also provide assistance to the Kohanim, particularly washing their hands, before the Kohanim recite the Priestly Blessing. They also do not participate in the Pidyon haben (redemption of the firstborn) ceremony, because they are traditionally pledged to Divine service. Conservative Judaism recognizes Levites as having special status, but not all Conservative congregations call Kohanim and Levites to the first and second reading of the Torah, and many no longer perform rituals such as the Priestly Blessing and Pidyon Haben in which kohanim and Levites have a special role. Reconstructionist and Reform Judaism do not observe the distinctions between Kohanim, Levites, and other Jews.

Orthodox Judaism believes in the eventual rebuilding of a Temple in Jerusalem and a resumption of the Levitical role. A tiny minority of Orthodox Jews support schools, primarily in Israel, to train priests and Levites in their respective roles. Conservative Judaism believes in a restoration of the Temple as a house of worship and in some special role for Levites, although not the ancient sacrificial system as previously practiced.

Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism do not believe in a future Temple at all, or in a form of worship in which role is determined by ancestry. However, some Reform synagogues will refer to members who volunteer to help with services and other functions as "Levites." This is more of an honorific title and has no basis of lineage.

Bat Levi

A Bat Levi (daughter of a Levite) is recognized as having lineal sanctity in both Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, stemming from her traditional eligibility to receive proceeds of the Levitical tithe (Maaser Rishon). In both Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism, children of a Bat Levi, regardless of her marital status or husband's tribe, retain the traditional exemption for their children from the requirement of being redeemed through the Pidyon HaBen ceremony because of this lineal sanctity.

Conservative Judaism permits a Bat Levi to perform essentially all the rituals a male Levi would perform, including being called to the Torah for the Levite aliyah in those Conservative synagogues which have both retained traditional tribal roles and modified traditional gender roles.^[3]

Family name

Some Levites have adopted a related last name to signify their status. Because of diverse geographical locations, the names have several variations:

• Levi, Lévy - Hebrew for "Levite", equally common in Ashkenazic and Sephardic groups.
• HaLevi, Halevi and Halevy are Hebrew language and all translate to "the Levi" or "the Levite."
• Levin - a Russian variation, also Levine or Lavine (pronounced \le-°vēn\, rhyming with "ravine" or in some cases, anglicised as \lə-°vīn\ rhyming with "divine") and Lewin a Polish variation. Sometimes supplemented with German 'thal' (valley) to Levinthal or Leventhal and -sohn and -son to Levinson or Levinsohn as a patronymic, and with slavic -ski and -sky suffixes Levinski, Levinsky, Lewinski and Lewinsky (the 'e' often replaced with 'a' in German areas).
• Lev a simplified Russian variation
• Lewicki Polish "of the Levites", also Lewicka, Lewycka, Lewycki, Lewycky, Lewicky, Levicki, Levicky (can also originate from placenames in Poland).
• Lewita Polish "Levite" or Levita Latinized, with Slavic suffix -an/in Lewitan, Levitan (the greatest family name of Levite origin), Levitin, Lewitin, Lewitinn, and with additional suffix -ski/sky Levitanski, Lewitanski, Levitansky, also Lewitas, Levitas, Belarusian.
• Variants from yiddish "Leyvik", a pet form of Leyvi: Levitch Ukrainian variant, also Levicz, Levis, Levitz, Lewicz, Lewitz, Lewis, and with -ski and -sky suffixes Leviczky, Levitski, Levitsky, Lewitski and Lewitsky ('e' and 's' often replaced with 'a' and 'z' in German areas).
• Loewy, Löwi, Löwy, and Loewe German or Swiss variations (although the usual origin for these names is Loewe, the German word for "lion").
• Leevi - a Finnish variation.
• "Leven"- a Sweadish variation

Having a last name of Levi or a related term does not necessarily mean a person is a Levite, and many Levites do not have such last names. Levitical status is passed down in families from parent to child, as part of a family's genealogical tradition. In traditional Judaism, tribal status is determined by patrilineal descent, so a child whose biological father is a Levite is a Levite (in cases of adoption or artificial insemination, status is determined by the genetic father). Because Jewish status is traditionally determined by matrilineal descent, conferring levitical status on children requires both biological parents to be Jews and the biological father to be a Levite.

Currently the only branches of Judaism which regard Jewish status as being conferrable by both parents have also abolished tribal statuses and distinctions, due to a view in both cases that egalitarian principles override halakha (traditional Jewish law). Accordingly, there is currently no branch of Judaism that regards levitical status as conferrable by matrilineal descent. It is either conferable patrilineally, in the traditional manner, or it does not exist and is not conferred at all.

In archaeology

Levites and priests may have been responsible for stamping the LMLK seals on Judean storage jars during the reign of Hezekiah (ca. 700 BCE). The associated personal seals on the same jars may have represented various courses of Levites overseeing the proper production of 10 percent for tithing in the same manner that modern authorities on kashruth (mashgihim) approve kosher food and wine (Grena, 2004, pp. 75–6).

In Biblical criticism

The parts of the Torah attributed by advocates of the Documentary Hypothesis to the Elohist, seem to treat Levite as a descriptive attribute for someone particularly suited to the priesthood, rather than as the designator of a tribe and feel that Moses and Aaron are being portrayed as part of the Joseph group rather than being part of a tribe called Levi^[4]. The Levites are not mentioned by the Song of Deborah considered one of the oldest passages of the Bible. Jahwist passages have more ambiguous language; traditionally interpreted as referring to a person named Levi they could also be interpreted as just referring to a social position titled levi^[5]. In the Blessing of Jacob (later than the Song of Deborah), Levi is treated as a tribe, cursing them to become scattered; critics regard this as an aetiological postdiction to explain how a tribe could be so scattered, the simpler solution being that the priesthood was originally open to any tribe, but gradually became seen as a distinct tribe to themselves^[6][7]. In the Priestly Source and Blessing of Moses, which critical scholars view as originating centuries later, the Levites are firmly established as a tribe, and the only tribe with the right to be priests.

Notable descendants

Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Samuel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Malachi, John the Baptist

See also

• Levi
• Kohanim

Footnotes

1. ^ Joshua 13:33, cited in  "Levites". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Levites. 
2. ^ From  "Levites". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Levites.  quoting Exodus 32:25-32:29
3. ^ Joel Roth, The Status of Daughters of Kohanim and Leviyim for Aliyot, Rabbinical Assembly
4. ^ This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.
5. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
6. ^ ibid
7. ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible

References

• Grena, G.M. (2004). LMLK--A Mystery Belonging to the King vol. 1. Redondo Beach, California: 4000 Years of Writing History. ISBN 0-9748786-0-X. 

External links

• The Cohen-Levi Family Heritage

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - levit (medlem af Levi stamme)

Nederlands (Dutch)
leviet

Français (French)
n. - lévite

Deutsch (German)
n. - Levi (Mitglied des israelischen Stammes Levi)

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) λευίτης, ιερέας

Italiano (Italian)
levita

Português (Portuguese)
n. - levita (m) (Rel.)

Русский (Russian)
левит

Español (Spanish)
n. - levita

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (bibl.) levit

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
利未人

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 利未人

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 레위족의 사람, 레위의 자손, 레위 사람

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - レビ人

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) اللاوي, فرد من قبيله لاوي العبرانيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮לוי, בן שבט לוי‬

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