Tribe of Levi

According to the Bible, the Tribe of Levi is one of the tribes of Israel, traditionally descended from Levi, son of Jacob. The descendants of Aaron, who was the first High Priest of Israel, were designated as the priestly class, the Kohanim.

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 tithes to the Kohanim, the priests working in the Temple in Jerusalem, particularly the first tithe. The Levites who were not Kohanim played music in the Temple or served as guards. Most scholars view the Torah as projecting the origins of the Levites into the past to explain their role as landless cultic functionaries.

When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed land tenure; Joshua 13:33, "But no portion was assigned by Moses to the tribe of Levi; YHWH God of Israel is their portion—as [God] spoke concerning them." Some Biblical traditions point to the alien aspects of the Levites and their role as military troops. In this context, the etymology linking the term Levi with the Mycenaean Greek term la-wo (the people / armed people) was proposed.

Notable descendants of the Levite lineage according to the Bible include Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezra, and Malachi.

According to the Torah, the tribe is named after Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (also called Israel). Levi married a woman named Adinah—according to the Book of Jasher—and had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (Genesis 46:11). Levi also had a daughter named Jochebed (Exodus 6:20).

Kohath's son Amram was the father of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. The descendants of Aaron, the Kohanim, had the special role as priests in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and also in the Temple in Jerusalem. The remaining Levites were divided into three groups: Gershonites (descended from Gershon), Kohathites (from Kohath), and Merarites (from Merari). Each division 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.

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. Although the Levites were not counted in the census among the children of Israel, they were numbered separately as a special army.