H3878

לֵוִי

le.viN:N-M-P

Levi

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.34; son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812); brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783); half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); father of: Gershon (H1648), Kohath (H6955), Merari (H4847) and Jochebed (H3115) § Levi = "joined to" the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah and progenitor of tribe of Levites

Full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon entry

I. לֵוִי proper name, masculine Levi (√ and meaning dubious; Gen 29:34 (J) interpreted as joined, i. e. husband to wife; Num 18:2; Num 18:4 (P; apparently in word-play) of Levites as joined to, attendant upon, Aaron; originally as attached to, accompanying Israel from Egypt, Lag^{Or. ii. 20 f.}; as attached to, attending upon the ark, Bau^{Priest. 74}; in this case I.לֵוִי would be derived from II. לֵוִי in priestly sense; Hom^{A. u. A. 1890, 30 f.} proposes Minaean לוא, lau'ân, priest, compare Id^{Süd-Arab. Chrest. 127}; against all such views see Kau^{SK 1890, 771 f.} We^{Prol. ed. 5, 141; Hist. Israel 145} Sta^{ZAW i (1881), 112 ff.} Gray^{Prop. Names, p. 96}, compare Nö^{ZMG xi (1886). 167}, make לֵוִי name, of a people from לֵאָה (q. v.); compare a further suggestion We^{Skizzen iii. 114}) — ᵐ5 Λευ(ε)ι(ν); —

1. a. Levi, son of Jacob and Leah, as individual, Gen 29:34; Gen 34:25; Gen 34:30; Gen 35:23; Gen 49:5 (all J); Gen 35:23; Gen 46:11; Exod 1:2; Exod 6:16; Exod 16:16; Num 3:17; Num 16:1 (all P); 1Chr 21; 1Chr 5:22; 1Chr 6:1; 1Chr 6:4; 1Chr 6:23; 1Chr 6:28; 1Chr 6:32; 1Chr 23:6; so ׳בַּתלֿ [אֶתֿ] Exod 2:1 (E), Num 26:59 (P).
b. as head of a family of descendants, in phrase בֵּית לֵוִי Exod 2:1 (E), and (with reference to tribe; late) Num 17:23, ׳מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית ל Zech 12:13.
c. often ׳בְּנֵי(ֿ) ל Exod 32:26; Exod 32:28 (E), Josh 21:10 (P), ׳בְּנֵי(ֿ) ל with tribal reference Num 3:15; Num 4:2; Num 18:21 (charged with service of tabernacle, and hence to receive tithes; all P); as priests הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי Deut 21:5; Deut 31:9, compare Mal 3:3, and ׳לֹא הָיוּ מִבְּנֵי ל 1Kgs 12:31 from the ׳בְּנֵי ל the Zadokites are selected as priests Ezek 40:46 according to 1Chr 9:18; 1Chr 23:24; 1Chr 23:27 ׳בְּנֵי ל are subordinate officials in temple (compare v1Chr 23:28f.), compare 1Chr 24:20 sharply distinguished from priests Ezra 8:15; Neh 12:23 (compare vNeh 12:22); so also in later stratum of story of Korah's revolt Num 16:7; Num 16:8; Num 16:10 (P²).

2. as name of tribe, ׳שֵׁבֶט ל Deut 18:1 (priestly tribe), ׳מַטֵּה ל Num 1:49 (in charge of tabernacle), Num 3:6; Num 18:2 (ministers unto Aaron); לֵוִי alone = (tribe of) Levi Deut 27:12; Deut 33:8 (earlier poem), Num 26:58 (P), Ezek 48:31; Mal 2:4 (priestly tribe, compare vMal 2:1), 1Chr 21:6; 1Chr 27:17 ׳מַטֵּה ל =rod of (the tribe of) Levi Num 17:18 (P); also (no inheritance, because charged with service of tabernacle) Deut 10:9.

[לֵוָי] name, of a people Levite (Biblical Hebrew לִוֵי); — plural emphatic לויא Kt, לְוָאֵי Qr (K^{§§ 61, 6}); 52. d), Ezra 6:16; Ezra 6:18; Ezra 7:13; Ezra 7:24 (all + priests).

41 occurrences

Genesis (5), Exodus (5), Numbers (9), Deuteronomy (5), Joshua (3), I Chronicles (7), Nehemiah (1), Psalms (1), Ezekiel (1), Zechariah (1), Malachi (3)