Jewish male descended patrilineally from the Hebrew tribe of Levi
Levites
לויים
Total population
~500,000–600,000 worldwide[a]
Regions with significant populations
Israel
240,000
United States
200,000
France
16,000
Canada
12,000
Languages
Vernacular: Hebrew, English and numerous other languages in the Jewish diaspora Historical: Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic
Religion
Judaism, Samaritanism
Related ethnic groups
other Jews, Samaritans
Total percentage of Levites among Jews is about 4%.
Levites (/ˈliːvaɪt/LEE-vyte; Hebrew: לְוִיִּם, romanized: Lǝvīyyīm) or Levi[3] are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi.[4] The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. The surname Halevi, which consists of the Hebrew definite article "ה" Ha- ('the') plus Levi ('Levite'), is not conclusive regarding being a Levite; a titular use of HaLevi indicates being a Levite. The daughter of a Levite is a Bat Levi (Bat being Hebrew for 'daughter').
The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites and had political (administering cities of refuge) and educational responsibilities as well. In return, the landed tribes were expected to support the Levites with a tithe (Numbers 18:21–25), particularly the tithe known as the First tithe, ma'aser rishon. The Kohanim, a subset of the Levites, were the priests, who performed the work of holiness in the Temple. The Levites, referring to those who were not Kohanim, were specifically assigned to:
Singing[5] and/or playing music in the Temple
Serving as guards
Carrying[b]
When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan (Joshua 13:33), the Sons of Levi were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel Himself is their inheritance" (Deuteronomy 18:2).[6]
In modern times, Levites are integrated in Jewish communities, but keep a distinct status. There are estimated 300,000 Levites among Ashkenazi Jewish communities,[7] and a similar number among Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews combined. The total percentage of Levites among the wider Jewish population is about 4%.
^ abBradman et al. 1999.
^Sean Ireton (2003). "The Samaritans – A Jewish Sect in Israel: Strategies for Survival of an Ethno-religious Minority in the Twenty First Century". Anthrobase. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
^"Levite synonyms, Levite antonyms". freethesaurus.com. Synonyms for Levite ... noun a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi … the branch that provided male assistants to ...
^"Membership in the Levites is determined by paternal descent." "Medical Definition of Levite". Retrieved 2017-02-19.
^"The Holy Temple Music". tractate Arachin (11a) that oral music was never to be uttered by anyone other than a Levite
^Joshua 13:33, cited in Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Levites" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^Behar, Doron M.; Saag, Lauri; Karmin, Monika; Gover, Meir G.; Wexler, Jeffrey D.; Sanchez, Luisa Fernanda; Greenspan, Elliott; Kushniarevich, Alena; Davydenko, Oleg; Sahakyan, Hovhannes; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Boattini, Alessio; Sarno, Stefania; Pagani, Luca; Carmi, Shai; Tzur, Shay; Metspalu, Ene; Bormans, Concetta; Skorecki, Karl; Metspalu, Mait; Rootsi, Siiri; Villems, Richard (2017). "The genetic variation in the R1a clade among the Ashkenazi Levites' y chromosome". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 14969. Bibcode:2017NatSR...714969B. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14761-7. PMC 5668307. PMID 29097670.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Levites (/ˈliːvaɪt/ LEE-vyte; Hebrew: לְוִיִּם, romanized: Lǝvīyyīm) or Levi are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi. The...
Andra Levite (born 16 November 1962) is a Latvian gynecologist and obstetrician. Levite, who is married to President Egils Levits, has served as the First...
priests are sometimes included in the term Levites, by direct patrilineal descent. However, not all Levites are priests. During the 40 years of wandering...
and left half dead alongside the road. First, a Jewish priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan happens upon the traveler...
Lynn Bell, Jr. (born July 2, 1981), who goes by the stage name Stephen the Levite or STL abbreviation, is an American Christian hip hop musician. The Last...
The Levites who were not Kohanim played music in the Temple or served as guards. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were...
For example, a person is considered to be a priest or Levite, if his father is a priest or Levite, and the members of all the Twelve Tribes are called...
agricultural produce to charity, after the giving of the standard terumah, to the Levite (or Kohen). This tithe is required to be free of both monetary and servicial...
Gershon and in the Book of Chronicles the progenitor of one of the principal Levite clans is sometimes identified as Gershom, sometimes as Gershon. The firstborn...
king Josiah in 7th century BCE. This chapter records the activities of a Levite from Ephraim and his concubine, belonging to a section comprising Judges...
(Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron, Moses and Miriam...
the host send out the Levite man so they can rape him. The host offers to send out his virgin daughter as well as the Levite's concubine for them to rape...
Ohad Levita (Hebrew: אוהד לויטה; born 17 February 1986) is an Israeli footballer who plays for Hapoel Hadera . Levita played for local side Hapoel Kfar...
that modern Ashkenazi Levites (Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi) are descendants of a single Levite ancestor who came to...
reflect a two-tier priesthood with the Levites in subordinate position. A two-tier hierarchy of Aaronides and Levites appears in Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles...
tables in Chronicles, Elkanah was a Levite—a fact not mentioned in the books of Samuel. The fact that Elkanah, a Levite, was denominated an Ephraimite is...
an Ephraimite in 1 Samuel, the Books of Chronicles state that he was a Levite. Elkanah lived in the mountains of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 6:16-30, 33-37);...
member in a list of warriors (1 Chronicles 12:4). However, one Jahaziel, a Levite, is mentioned as delivering a divine message. 2 Chronicles 20 recounts a...
several people in the Hebrew Bible (Hebrew: שמעיה shemayah "God Heard"): a Levite in the time of David, who with 200 of his relatives took part in the bringing...
trumpet before the ark when it was brought up to Jerusalem (1 Chr. 15:24). A Levite (1 Chr. 24:6). A temple porter, of the family of the Korhites (1 Chr. 26:4)...
of the first-born. Levi (Levite) – Patrilineal descendant of Levi the son of Jacob. In the Temple in Jerusalem, the levites sang Psalms, performed construction...
Jeduthun - lauder; praising - the name of one or two men in the Bible. A Levite of the family of Merari, and one of the three masters of music appointed...
11th rotational army division (1 Chr. 11:31, 1 Chr. 27:14, 2 Sam. 23:30) A Levite musician who played his stringed instrument while accompanying the Ark of...
consecrates the Levites for the service of the Tabernacle in the place of the first-born sons, who hitherto had performed that service. The Levites are divided...