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).