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; Genesis 34:25,30; Genesis 35:23; Genesis 49:5 (all J); Genesis 35:23; Genesis 46:11; Exodus 1:2; Exodus 6:16; Exodus 16:16; Numbers 3:17; Numbers 16:1 (all P); 1 Chronicles 21; 1 Chronicles 5:22; 1 Chronicles 6:1; 1 Chronicles 6:4; 1 Chronicles 6:23; 1 Chronicles 6:28; 1 Chronicles 6:32; 1 Chronicles 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 בֵּית לֵוִי Exodus 2:1 (E), and (with reference to tribe; late) Numbers 17:23, ׳מִשְׁמַּחַת בֵּית ל Zechariah 12:13.

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

2 as name of tribe, ׳שֵׁבֶט ל Deuteronomy 18:1 (priestly tribe), ׳מַטֵּה ל Numbers 1:49 (in charge of tabernacle), Numbers 3:6; Numbers 18:2 (ministers unto Aaron); לֵוִי alone = (tribe of) Levi Deuteronomy 27:12; Deuteronomy 33:8 (earlier poem), Numbers 26:58 (P), Ezekiel 48:31; Malachi 2:4 (priestly tribe, compare Malachi 2:1), 1 Chronicles 21:6; 1 Chronicles 27:17; ׳מַטֵּה ל =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; Ezra 7:13,24 (all + priests).

הַ֭לֵּוִי הַלֵּוִ֔י הַלֵּוִ֖י הַלֵּוִ֗י הַלֵּוִֽי׃ הלוי הלוי׃ וְלֵוִ֖י וְלֵוִ֜י וְלֵוִ֣י וְלֵוִי֙ וּלְלֵוִ֣י ולוי וללוי לְלֵוִ֖י לֵוִ֑י לֵוִ֔י לֵוִ֖י לֵוִ֛י לֵוִ֜י לֵוִ֣י לֵוִֽי׃ לֵוִי֒ לֵוִי֙ לֵוִי֩ לֵוִי֮ לוי לוי׃ ללוי hal·lê·wî halleVi hallêwî lə·lê·wî lê·wî leleVi ləlêwî leVi lêwî ū·lə·lê·wî uleleVi ūləlêwî veleVi wə·lê·wî wəlêwîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts