H3878. Levi

I. לֵוִי‎ proper name, masculine Levi (√ and meaning dubious; Genesis 29:34 (J) interpreted as joined, i. e. husband to wife; Numbers 18:2, 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, Genesis 29:34; 34:25, 30; 35:23; 49:5 (all J); 35:23; 46:11; Exodus 1:2; 6:16; 16:16; Numbers 3:17; 16:1 (all P); 1 Chronicles 21; 1 Chronicles 5:22; 6:1; 6:4; 6:23; 6:28; 6:32; 23:6; Ezra 8:18; so ׳בַּתלֿ‎ [אֶתֿ‎] Exodus 2:1 (E), Numbers 26:59 (P).

b. as head of a family of descendants, in phrase לֵוִי בֵּית‎ Exodus 2:1 (E), and (with reference to tribe; late) Numbers 17:23, ל בֵּית ׳מִשְׁמַּחַת‎ Zechariah 12:13.

c. often ל ׳בְּנֵי(ֿ)‎ Exodus 32:26, 28 (E), Joshua 21:10 (P), ל ׳בְּנֵי(ֿ)‎ with tribal reference Numbers 3:15; 4:2; 18:21 (charged with service of tabernacle, and hence to receive tithes; all P); as priests לֵוִי בְּנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים‎ Deuteronomy 21:5; 31:9, compare Malachi 3:3, and ל מִבְּנֵי הָיוּ ׳לֹא‎ 1 Kings 12:31; from the ל ׳בְּנֵי‎ the Zadokites are selected as priests Ezekiel 40:46; according to 1 Chronicles 9:18; 23:24, 27 ל ׳בְּנֵי‎ are subordinate officials in temple (compare 23:28f.), compare 24:20; sharply distinguished from priests Ezra 8:15; Nehemiah 12:23 (compare 12:22); so also in later stratum of story of Korah's revolt Numbers 16:7-8, 10 (P²).

2 as name of tribe, ל ׳שֵׁבֶט‎ Deuteronomy 18:1 (priestly tribe), ל ׳מַטֵּה‎ Numbers 1:49 (in charge of tabernacle), 3:6; 18:2 (ministers unto Aaron); לֵוִי‎ alone = (tribe of) Levi Deuteronomy 27:12; 33:8 (earlier poem), Numbers 26:58 (P), Ezekiel 48:31; Malachi 2:4 (priestly tribe, compare 2:1), 1 Chronicles 21:6; 27:17; ל ׳מַטֵּה‎ =rod of (the tribe of) Levi Numbers 17:18 (P); also (no inheritance, because charged with service of tabernacle) Deuteronomy 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, 18; 7:13, 24 (all + priests).