levi

The Torah suggests that the name Levi refers to Leah's hope for Jacob to join with her, implying a derivation from Hebrew yillaweh, meaning he will join, but scholars suspect that it may simply mean "priest", either as a loanword or by referring to those people who were joined to the Ark of the Covenant. Another possibility is that the Levites were a tribe of Judah not from the clan of Moses or Aaron and that the name "Levites" indicates their joining - either with the Israelites in general or with the earlier Israelite priesthood in particular.[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9801-levi "Levi, Tribe of"], in the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia

The Book of Jubilees states that Levi was born "in the new moon of the first month", which means that he was born on 1 Nisan.{{cite web |title=Book of Jubilees 28:20 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Book_of_Jubilees.28.20?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}

File:The Phillip Medhurst Picture Torah 171. Simeon and Levi slay Hamor and Shechem. Genesis cap 34 vv 25-26. Hoet.jpg and Levi slay Hamor and Shechem]]

In the Book of Genesis, Levi and his brother, Simeon, raid the city of Shechem in revenge for the rape of Dinah, seizing the wealth of the city and massacring the men.{{bibleverse||Genesis|34|}} The brothers had earlier misled the inhabitants by consenting to Dinah's rapist marrying her in exchange for the men of the city to be circumcised. When Jacob hears about their deceit and destruction of Shechem, he scolds them since they've endangered their own family to the wrath of neighbouring societies.{{bibleverse||Genesis|34:30–31|}} In the Blessing of Jacob, Jacob is described as imposing a curse on the Levites, by which they would be scattered, in punishment for Levi's actions in Shechem.{{bibleverse||Genesis|49:–7|}}

Some textual scholars date the Blessing of Jacob to a period between one and two centuries before the Babylonian captivity, and some Biblical scholars regard the curse, and Dinah herself, as an aetiological postdiction to explain the fates of the tribe of Simeon and the Levites, with one possible explanation of the Levites' scattered nature being that the priesthood was originally open to any tribe but gradually became seen as a distinct tribe itself. Nevertheless, Isaac, Levi's grandfather, gives a special blessing about the lineage of priests of God.Ginzberg, Louis (1909). Legends of the Jews [https://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol1/six3.htm#6 Vol I : Isaac blesses Levi and Judah] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011013843/https://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol1/six3.htm#6 |date=2018-10-11 }} (Translated by Henrietta Szold) Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.

In the Book of Genesis, Levi is described as having fathered three sons—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.{{bibleverse||Genesis|46:11|}} A similar genealogy is given in the Book of Exodus, where it is added that among Kohath's sons was one—Amram—who married a woman named Jochebed, who was closely related to his father, and they were the biological parents of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam;{{bibleverse||Exodus|6:16–20|}} though some Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Torah state that Jochebed was Amram's father's cousin, the Masoretic Text states that she was his father's sister,New American Bible, footnote to Exodus 6:20 and the Septuagint mentions that she was one of his father's sisters. The Masoretic Text's version of Levi's genealogy thus implies (and in Numbers 26:59, explicitly states) that Levi also had a daughter (Jochebed), and the Septuagint implies further daughters. The names of Levi's sons, and possible daughter, are interpreted in classical rabbinical literature as being reflections on their future destiny.Numbers Rabbah 3:12 In some apocryphal texts such as the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, and the Book of Jubilees, Levi's wife, his children's mother, is named as Milkah, a daughter of Aram,Jubilees 34:20[https://archive.org/stream/pdfy-T7Y10PusEVDrsirI/The%20Testament%20Of%20Levi_djvu.txt Testament of Levi] 11 but according to the Book of Jasher, the name of Levi's wife was Adinah.

{{Levi to Moses family tree}}

File:Levi by V.Osipov.jpg

In accordance with his role as founder of the Levites, Levi is referred to as being particularly pious. The Blessing of Moses, which some textual scholars attribute to a period just before the deuteronomist, speaks about Levi via an allegorical comparison to Moses himself,Deuteronomy 33:8–10 which haggadah take to support the characterization of Levi (and his progeny) as being by far the greatest of his brothers in respect to piety. The apocryphal Prayer of Asenath, which textual scholars believe dates from some time after the first century AD, describes Levi as a prophet and saint who is able to forecast the future and understand heavenly writings, and as someone who admonishes the people to forgive and to be in awe of God.{{cite web |last1=Kaufmann |first1=Kohler |title=Jacob's Heroic Sons |url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1905-asenath#anchor7 |website=Jewish Encyclopedia |access-date=5 October 2023}} The Book of Malachi argues that Yahweh chose the Levites to be priests because Levi, as God's minister,Ginzberg, Louis (1909). [https://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol2/two.htm#4 The Legends of the Jews Vol II : Ascension of Levi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201052229/https://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol2/two.htm#4 |date=2017-12-01 }} (Translated by Henrietta Szold) Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. embodied true religious principles, possessed reverence for Yahweh, held the divine name in awe, upheld peace, provided a model of good morality, and turned many people away from sin.{{bibleverse||Malachi|2:4-6|NIV}}

{{main|Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs}}

The Testament of Levi is believed to have been written between 153 BC and 107 BC, and closer to the latter date.{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs|volume=26|pages=666–668 |first=Robert Henry |last=Charles}}

On his deathbed, Levi gathered all his children to narrate the story of his life to them, and prophesied unto them what they would do, and what would happen to them until judgment day. He also told them that God had chosen him and his seed as priest of Lord unto eternity.[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/patriarchs-charles.html The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, R. H. Charles] In this testament, Levi is described as having had two visions. The first vision covered eschatological issues, portraying the seven heavens, the Jewish Messiah, and Judgement Day. The second vision portrays seven angels bringing Levi seven insignia signifying priesthood, prophecy, and judgement; in the vision, after the angels anoint Levi, and initiate him as a priest, they tell him of the future of his descendants, mentioning Moses, the Aaronid{{CN|date=November 2023}} priesthood, and a time when there would be priest-kings; this latter point was of particular interest to the Maccabean period of John Hyrcanus, who was both a high priest, and warrior-king.

The Book of Jubilees similarly has Isaac telling Levi of the future of his descendants, again predicting priesthood, prophets, and political power,Jubilees 31:12–17 and additionally describes Jacob as entrusting Levi with the secrets of the ancients, so that they would be known only to the Levites;Jubilees 45:16 however, like the Testament of Levi, the Book of Jubilees is regarded as a Maccabean-era document.

A Samaritan tradition recorded in the late 19th century considered Neby Lawin, just north of Silat ad-Dhahr to be the burial place of Levi.Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/219/mode/1up 219]

• Levite
• Miscegenation
• Tribe of Levi
• Lévai (surname originating from the Tribe of Levi)

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{{Jewish Encyclopedia|wstitle=Levi, Tribe of}}

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Category:Founders of biblical tribes

Category:Children of Jacob

Category:Book of Genesis people

Category:Tribe of Levi

Category:Book of Jubilees

Category:Biblical murderers