BDB4369
I. לֵוִי
proper name, masculine
Levi (√ and meaning dubious; Gen 29:34 (
J
) interpreted as joined, i. e. husband to wife; Num 18:2; Num 18:4 (
P
; apparently in word-play) of Levites as joined to, attendant upon, Aaron;
originally as attached to, accompanying Israel from Egypt,
LagOr. ii. 20 f.; as attached to, attending upon the ark, BauPriest. 74; in this case I.
לֵוִי would be derived from II.
לֵוִי in priestly sense; HomA. u. A. 1890, 30 f.
proposes Minaean לוא, lau'ân, priest, compare IdSüd-Arab. Chrest. 127; against all such views see KauSK 1890, 771 f.
WeProl. ed. 5, 141; Hist. Israel 145
StaZAW i (1881), 112 ff.
GrayProp. Names, p. 96, compare
NöZMG xi (1886). 167, make לֵוִי name, of a people from
לֵאָה
(q. v.); compare a further suggestion WeSkizzen iii. 114
) —
ᵐ5
Λευ(ε)ι(ν); —
1.
a.
Levi, son of Jacob and Leah, as individual, Gen 29:34; Gen 34:25; Gen 34:30; Gen 35:23; Gen 49:5 (all
J
); Gen
35:23;
Gen 46:11; Exod
1:2; Exod
6:16;
Exod 16:16;
Num 3:17;
Num 16:1 (all
P
); 1Chr 21
; 1Chr 5:22
; 1Chr 6:1;
1Chr 6:4; 1Chr 6:23;
1Chr 6:28;
1Chr 6:32;
1Chr 23:6;
so ׳
בַּתלֿ [אֶתֿ] Exod 2:1 (
E
), Num
26:59 (
P
).
b. as head of a family of descendants, in phrase בֵּית לֵוִי
Exod 2:1 (
E
), and (with reference to tribe; late) Num 17:23, ׳
מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית ל
Zech 12:13
.
c. often ׳
בְּנֵי(ֿ) ל
Exod 32:26;
Exod 32:28
(
E
), Josh
21:10 (
P
), ׳
בְּנֵי(ֿ) ל with tribal reference Num 3:15; Num 4:2; Num 18:21 (charged with service of tabernacle, and hence to receive
tithes; all
P
); as priests הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי
Deut 21:5; Deut 31:9,
compare Mal 3:3,
and ׳
לֹא הָיוּ מִבְּנֵי ל
1Kgs 12:31
from the ׳
בְּנֵי ל the Zadokites are selected as priests Ezek 40:46 according to 1Chr 9:18; 1Chr 23:24
; 1Chr 23:27
׳
בְּנֵי ל are subordinate officials in temple (compare 1Chr 23:28f.), compare 1Chr 24:20 sharply
distinguished from priests Ezra 8:15; Neh 12:23 (compare Neh 12:22); so also in later stratum of story
of Korah's revolt Num
16:7; Num
16:8;
Num 16:10 (
P2
).
2. as name of tribe, ׳
שֵׁבֶט ל
Deut 18:1
(priestly
tribe), ׳
מַטֵּה ל
Num 1:49 (in
charge
of tabernacle), Num 3:6
;
Num 18:2
(ministers
unto Aaron); לֵוִי alone = (tribe of) Levi Deut 27:12; Deut 33:8 (earlier poem), Num 26:58 (
P
),
Ezek
48:31; Mal 2:4
(priestly tribe, compare Mal 2:1), 1Chr 21:6; 1Chr 27:17
׳
מַטֵּה ל =rod of (the tribe of) Levi
Num 17:18 (
P
); also (no inheritance, because charged with service of tabernacle) Deut 10:9.
BDB9641
[לֵוָי] name, [of a people]
Levite (Biblical Hebrew לִוֵי); — plural emphatic לויא
Kt
, לְוָאֵי
Qr
(K§§ 61, 6); 52. d), Ezra 6:16; Ezra 6:18; Ezra 7:13; Ezra 7:24 (all + priests).
