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Dear friends,
Today we will continue our discussion about the tribes of Israel, and talk about Levi, Jacob's third son, and the forefather of one of the most important tribes in Israelite history.
Levi
Birth
Levi is Jacob and Leah's third son. His birth is reported matter-of-factly in Genesis 29:34.
Naming
| The name Levi is apparently from the root |
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, to join. Leah names her son by this |
name because she thinks "this time my husband will be joined with me, because I have borne him three sons" (Genesis 29:34).
Personal History
Little is known to us about Levi from the scriptures. We do not hear of Levi's specific role in the story of Joseph's forced exile in Egypt. The only time he is mentioned in name is when he takes a central part in the story of the rape of Dinah in Shechem. Together with Simeon, he goes and kills all the males in the city, after these have reached an agreement with Jacob and were all circumcised. Jacob is furious with them for violating his agreement.
The Battle in Shechem
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The Tribe in Biblical History
In the Blessing of Jacob, Simeon and Levi are cursed for what they did in Shechem. Jacob announces that they will be scattered among the tribes of Israel as punishment (Genesis 49:5-7).
However, in the blessing of Moses, Levi receives a much more favorable blessing, commending the Levites as keepers of the covenant with God and teachers of his laws, as well as God's servants (Deuteronomy 33:8-11).
While the founding father of the tribe does not appear central in the stories of Genesis, the Tribe of Levi is one of the most important tribes in biblical history, and in fact, the only tribe which to this day is distinguished from the others.
The centrality of the tribe of Levi begins with one of Levi's most important descendants: Moses. His position as the leader of the Israelites is the first time we hear of the Levite's central role in Israel. Moses' brother, Aaron, who assisted him during the attempts to release the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt, is appointed as the high priest.
Moses and Aaron coming before Pharaoh
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The Levite role as servants of God and his Temple is given to them as a result of their pious behavior. Initially, the servants of the Temple were supposed to be the first born sons (Exodus 12). However, after the Israelites made themselves a golden calf and worshipped him (Exodus 32), while Moses was receiving the Tables of the Covenant, it was the Levite's who fought God's war.
The Sin of the Golden Calf
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The entire tribe joined Moses and, in the name of God, killed the offenders - some three thousand people. As a reward for their faithfulness to God, the Levites became his servants in the Temple (Numbers 3:12).
The Levites can be divided into two groups: the descendants of Aaron, who were the priests, and the rest of the tribe, who were the Temple servants. Throughout biblical history, we hear of the priests and the Levites and their roles as servants of the Temple.
As servants of the Temple, the Levites were also in charge of music and liturgy in the Temple (as we see for instance in 1 Chronicles 9:33). The Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120 - 134) are songs which the Levites would sing on the stairs of the Temple.
Although descendants of one of the sons of Jacob, the Livites do not receive a lot in the Land of Canaan like the rest of the tribes, but rather are dispersed among the Israelites(in accordance with the Blessing of Jacob mentioned earlier), with cities of their own that also function as cities of refuge for people who killed unintentionally (Numbers 35:2-9). The Israelites were warned to take good care of the Levites despite the fact that they do not have their own lot (as in Deuteronomy 14:27 and many other instances).
Have a great week!
The Biblical Hebrew Online Team.
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