- GreatGrandson of Patriarch Abraham
- Tribe of Levi
Biography
Levi - Joined. Third son of Jacob by Leah (Gen. 29:34; 35:23); his sons (Gen. 46:11; Ex. 6:16, 19; Num. 3:17); his slaughter of the Shechemites (Gen. 34:25–30); Jacob’s curse on (Gen. 49:5). See also Levites.
Levi (or Levy) (/ˈliːvaɪ/, Hebrew: לֵּוִי; Standard Levi Tiberian Lēwî) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites) and the grandfather of Aaron and Moses. Certain religious and political functions were reserved for the Levites.
Marriage and Family
In the Book of Genesis, Levi is described as having fathered three sons—Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 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.
They were the biological parents of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam; 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,[11] 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. 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.
Genesis Narrative
11 And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Genesis 46:11 - KJV translation
Exodus 6 Narrative
Genealogy of the sons of Levi down to the prophets - Moses and Aaron :
16 ¶ And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.
17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.
18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.
19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.
20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.
21 ¶ And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
22 And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.
23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.
25 And Eleazar Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.
26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.
27 These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.
Exodus 6:16-27 - KJV - Genealogy of Moses
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Gershon ben Levi | |||
| Kohath ben Levi | Land of Canaan | Egypt | |
| Merari ben Levi | |||
| Jochebed, daughter of Levi | Cainan | Land of Canaan | Amram ben Kohath |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Reuben ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | Eliuram, daughter of Ewi the Canaanite |
| Simeon ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Levi ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | Milkah, daughter of Aram. |
| Judah ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | Daughter of Shau Tamar |
| Issachar ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Zebulun ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Dinah, daughter of Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Joseph ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Egypt | Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah |
| Benjamin ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Dan ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Naphtali ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Gad ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
| Asher ben Jacob | Land of Canaan | Land of Canaan | |
References
- Book of Genesis 11-25
- Abraham's Family Tree - ReligionWikia
- 1 Chronicles 1:21-25
- Levi - LDS Bible Dictionary
- Levi - Wikipedia
- Abraham - Family tree on JewAge (another Semantic MediaWiki site)
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