Reference: Levites
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All the descendants of Levi may be comprised under this name, Ex 6:16,25; Jos 3:3, (see LEVI;) but chiefly those who were employed in the lower services in the temple, by which they were distinguished from the priests, who were of the race of Levi by Aaron, and were employed in higher offices, Nu 3:6-10; 18:2-7. God chose the Levites for the service of his tabernacle and temple, instead of the firstborn of all Israel, to whom such duties naturally belonged, and who were already sacred to God in memory of the great deliverance in Egypt. Ex 13; Nu 3:12-13,39-51. In the wilderness, the Levites took charge of the tabernacle and its contents; and conveyed it from place to place, each of the three families having a separate portion, Nu 1:51; 4; 1Ch 15:2,27. After the building of the temple they took charge of the gates, of the sacred vessels, of the preparation of the showbread and other offerings, and of the singing and instrumental music, 1Ch 9; 23; 2Ch 29. They brought wood, water, etc., for the priests; aided them in preparing the sacrifices, and in collecting and disbursing the contributions of the people, 2Ch 30:16-17; 35:1. They were also the temple guards, Ne 13:13,22; and the salutation and response in Ps 134 are thought by Bishop Lowth to have been their song in the night. But besides their services in the temple, they performed a very important part in teaching the people, 2Ch 30:22; Ne 8:7, among whom they were scattered, binding the tribes together, and promoting virtue and piety. They studied the law, and were the ordinary judges of the country, but subordinate to the priests, 2Ch 17:9; 19:8-11. God provided for the subsistence of the Levites, by giving to them the tithe of corn, fruit, and cattle; but they paid to the priests the tenth of their tithes; and as the Levites possessed no estates in land, the tithes which the priests received from them were considered as the first fruits which they were to offer to the Lord, Nu 18:21-32. The payment of tithes to the Levites appears not to have been enforced, but depended on the goodwill of the people; hence the special charges laid on their brethren, not to forget them, De 2:12,18-19.
God assigned for the habitation of the Levites forty-eight cities, with fields, pastures, and gardens, Nu 35. Of these, thirteen were given to the priests, all in the tribes near Jerusalem. Six of the Levitical cities were appointed as cities of refuge, Jos 20-21. While the Levites were actually employed in the temple, they were supported out of the provisions kept in store there, and out of the daily offerings. The same privilege was granted to volunteers, drawn to Jerusalem by the fervor of their love to God's service, De 12:18-19; 18:6-8. The consecration of Levites was without much ceremony. See Nu 8:5-22; 2Ch 29:34.
The Levites wore no peculiar dress to distinguish them from other Israelites, till the time of Agrippa. His innovation in this matter is mentioned by Josephus, who remarked that the ancient customs of the country were never forsaken with impunity.
The Levites were divided into different classes: the Gershomites, Kohathites, and Merarites, Nu 3:17-20. They were still further divided into courses, like the priests, 1Ch 23-26. At first, they entered in full on their public duties at thirty years of age, Nu 4:3; 8:25; but David fixed the age for commencing at twenty years; and at fifty they were exempt, 1Ch 23:24-27. The different courses of porters, singers, guards, etc., were on duty in succession, one week at a time, 1Ch 23-26; 2Ch 23:4,8; 31:17; Ezr 3:8-12. After the revolt of the ten tribes, a large portion of the Levites abandoned their cities in Israel, and dwelt in Judah, 2Ch 11:12-14; 13:9-11. After the captivity, numbers of them returned from beyond the Euphrates to Judea, Ne 11:15-19; 12:24-31. In the New Testament they are not often mentioned, Lu 10:32; Joh 1:19; Ac 4:36. The "scribes" and "doctors," however, are supposed to have belonged chiefly to this class.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. Levi lived one hundred and thirty-seven years.
Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites according to their families.
When the tent is to be moved, the Levites will take it down. When we camp, they will set it up. Anyone else who comes near the tent will be put to death.
Bring the tribe of Levi, and have them stand in front of the priest Aaron to assist him. They will work for him and the whole community in front of the tent of meeting, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent. read more. They will take care of all the furnishings in the tent of meeting and work for the Israelites, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. The Levites will be the only Israelites given to them. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who tries to do the priests' duties must be put to death.
Out of all the Israelites, I have taken the Levites to be substitutes for every firstborn male offspring among them. The Levites are mine, because every firstborn is mine. The day I killed every firstborn male in Egypt, I set apart as holy every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They will be mine. I am Jehovah.
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari were the sons of Levi. Libni and Shimei were the sons of Gershon. Their families were named after them. read more. Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel were the sons of Kohath. Their families were named after them. Mahli and Mushi were the sons of Merari. Their families were named after them. These were the households of Levite families.
The grand total of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted at Jehovah's command, by families, every male who was at least one month old, was twenty-two thousand. Jehovah said to Moses: Register every firstborn male of the Israelites who is at least one month old, and make a list of their names. read more. I am Jehovah. Take the Levites for me to be substitutes for all firstborn Israelites. Also take the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for all firstborn animals of the Israelites. Moses registered all the firstborn Israelites as Jehovah commanded him. The total of all the firstborn males at least one month old was twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy three. They were listed by name. Jehovah said to Moses: Take the Levites to be substitutes for all the firstborn Israelites and the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for their animals. The Levites will be mine. I am Jehovah. There are two hundred and seventy-three more firstborn male Israelites than there are Levites. It will cost you two ounces of silver per person, using the standard weight of the holy place, to buy them back. Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It will buy back those Israelites who outnumber the Levites. Moses took this ransom money from the Israelites who outnumbered the Levites. The silver Moses collected for the firstborn Israelites weighed thirty-four pounds using the standard weight of the holy place. Then Moses did what Jehovah said and gave Aaron and his sons this ransom money as he had been commanded.
Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to work at the tent of meeting.
Jehovah said to Moses: Separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites. Make them clean. read more. This is what you must do to make them clean: Sprinkle them with water to take away their sins. Make them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean. They must take a young bull and the grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil that is offered with it. You must take a second young bull as an offering for sin. Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting. Assemble the whole congregation of Israel. Then bring the Levites into Jehovah's presence, and the Israelites will place their hands on them. Aaron will present the Levites to Jehovah as an offering from the Israelites. Then they will be ready to do Jehovah's work. The Levites will place their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Sacrifice one of them as an offering for sin and the other one as a burnt offering to Jehovah. These sacrifices will pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for the Levites. Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and present them as an offering to Jehovah. In this way you will separate the Levites from the other Israelites. The Levites will be mine. Once you have made them clean and presented them as an offering, the Levites may come and do their work at the tent of meeting. They will be the only Israelites given to me. I have taken them to be mine as substitutes for every firstborn male offspring of the Israelites. When I killed all the first-born in Egypt, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal. I am now taking the Levites instead of all the first-born of the Israelites. I assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons, as a gift from the Israelites. They are to work in the tent for the people of Israel and to protect the Israelites from the disaster that would strike them if they came too near the Holy Place. Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel dedicated the Levites, as Jehovah commanded Moses. So the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Aaron dedicated them as a special gift to Jehovah. He also performed the ritual of purification for them. The people did everything Jehovah commanded Moses concerning the Levites. Thus the Levites were qualified to work in the tent under Aaron and his sons.
They must retire from active service when they are fifty years old.
Bring the other Levites from your ancestor's tribe to join you and help you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the words of my promise. They are to fulfill their duties to you and their responsibilities for the tent. However they must not have any contact with sacred objects in the Holy Place or with the altar. If they do, both they and you will be put to death. read more. They are to work with you and fulfill their responsibilities for all the service in the tent. No unqualified person may work with you. You and your sons alone must fulfill the responsibilities for the Holy Place and the altar. That way my anger will not again break out against the people of Israel. I chose the other Levites from among the Israelites to help you. They are a gift given to Jehovah to do the necessary work at the tent of meeting. Only you and your sons may do the work of priests, everything done at the altar and under the canopy. This is my gift to you: You may serve me as priests. Anyone else who comes near the holy place to do this work must die.
I have given the Levites one-tenth of every Israelite's income. This is in return for the work they do at the tent of meeting. The other Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting. Otherwise, they will suffer the consequences of their sin and die. read more. Only the Levites will do the work at the tent of meeting. They are responsible for their own sins. This is a long lasting law for future generations. They will own no property, as the other Israelites will. Instead, I will give the Levites what the Israelites contribute to Jehovah, one-tenth of the Israelites' income. This is why I said about them: They will own no property as the other Israelites do. Jehovah said to Moses: Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'You will take one-tenth of the Israelites' income that I am giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute one-tenth of that income as your contribution to Jehovah. Your contribution will be considered to be grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. You will also contribute one-tenth of your income to Jehovah out of all that you receive from the Israelites' income. You will give Jehovah's contribution to the priest Aaron. Out of all the gifts you receive, you must contribute the best and holiest parts to Jehovah.' Also tell them: 'When you contribute the best part, your contribution will be considered to be produce from the threshing floor or winepress. You and your households may eat it anywhere. This is because it is the wages you receive for your work at the tent of meeting. When you contribute the best part, you will not suffer the consequences of any sin. You will not be dishonoring the holy offerings given by the Israelites, and you will not die.'
Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau chased them out. They destroyed their nation and settled there themselves. This is similar to the Israelites who later chased their enemies out of the land that Jehovah gave them.
You will cross over the border of Moab at Ar today. When you come near the Ammonites, do not bother them or start a fight with them. I am not giving you any of the land that I already gave to the descendants of Lot as their property.
You and your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of Jehovah your God at the place he will choose. There in the presence of Jehovah your God enjoy everything for which you have worked. Remember to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land.
Any Levite who wants to may come from any town in Israel to the one place of worship. He may serve there, as a priest of Jehovah his God, like the other Levites who are serving there. read more. He is to receive the same amount of food as the other priests. He may keep everything his family sends him.
They commanded the people, saying: When you see the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, you should leave here and follow it.
These were the descendants of Levi by their families, the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the Temple of Jehovah. For David had said: Since Jehovah, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem from generation to generation, read more. the Levites no longer need to carry the Tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service. According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.
He stored shields and spears in each city. He made the cities very secure. Rehoboam held on to Judah and Benjamin. The priests and Levites in every region of Israel aligned with Rehoboam. read more. The priests abandoned their land and property and went to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his descendants rejected them as Jehovah's priests.
You drove out Jehovah's priests! You evicted the descendants of Aaron and the Levites. In their place you appointed priests in the same way that other nations do. Anybody who comes along with a bull or seven sheep can get himself consecrated as a priest of those so-called gods of yours. We still serve Jehovah our God! We have not abandoned him. Priests descended from Aaron perform their duties, and Levites assist them. read more. Every morning and every evening they offer him incense and animal sacrifices burned whole. They present the offerings of bread on a table that is ritually clean, and every evening they light the lamps on the gold lamp stand. We do what Jehovah has commanded! But you have abandoned him!
They taught in Judah. They had the Book of Torah (the Law) (Jehovah's Teachings) with them when they taught the people in all the cities of Judah.
Jehoshaphat also appointed some Levites, some priests, and some of the family leaders to serve as judges in Jerusalem. He told them: Faithfully serve Jehovah! read more. Warn your relatives living in other cities about every case they bring to you, even if the case involves bloodshed or commandments, rules, or regulations derived from the law. Then your relatives will not become guilty in front of Jehovah. Otherwise, he will become angry with you and your relatives. Do this and you will not be guilty of anything. The chief priest Amariah will be in charge of you in every matter involving Jehovah. Zebadiah, who is the son of Ishmael and the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be in charge of every matter involving the king. The Levites will serve as officers of the court. Be strong and do your job. May Jehovah be with those who do right.
You must do this: One third of you, the priests and Levites who are on duty on the day of worship, must guard the gates.
The Levites and all the Judeans did what the priest Jehoiada had ordered them. Each took his men who were coming on duty on the day of worship as well as those who were about to go off duty. Jehoiada did not dismiss the priestly divisions.
They stood in their regular places as instructed by the law of Moses. Moses was a man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood they received from the Levites. Many people in the assembly had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean and could not make their lambs holy for Jehovah.
Hezekiah spoke encouraging words to all the Levites who had the skills to serve Jehovah. They ate the festival meals for seven days, sacrificed fellowship offerings, and confessed their sins to Jehovah the God of their ancestors.
They were to distribute offerings to the priests who were enrolled by families and to the Levites who were at least twenty years old. Distribution was based on the way they served in their divisions.
Josiah celebrated the Passover to Jehovah in Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.
The second year and third month of their coming to the house of God in Jerusalem Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, took charge of the construction. Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come from the land where they were prisoners to Jerusalem: and the Levites, of twenty years or older, were responsible for overseeing the work of the house of Jehovah. Then Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, the sons of Hodaviah, together took up the work of overseeing the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brothers, the Levites. read more. When the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of Jehovah, the priests, dressed in their robes, took their places with horns, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with brass instruments, to give praise to Jehovah in the way ordered by David, king of Israel. They praised Jehovah and thanked him, saying: He is good; his loving kindness to Israel is for all generations. All the people gave a joyful cry. They praised Jehovah because the foundation of Jehovah's house was in place. Some of the priests, Levites, heads of families and old men who had seen the first house were present. When the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes they were overcome with weeping; and a number were crying out with joy:
And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah and Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the law clear to the people: and the people kept in their places.
Of the Levites: Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni, And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were responsible for the outside business of the house of God; read more. And Mattaniah, the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who had to give the first note of the song of praise in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers, and Abda, the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. All the Levites in the holy town were two hundred and eighty-four. In addition the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brothers who kept watch at the gates, were a hundred and seventy-two.
The chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua, the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, to give blessing and praise as ordered by David, the man of God, watch against watch. Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storehouses of the gates. read more. These were in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the ruler and of Ezra the priest, the scribe. When the time came for the wall of Jerusalem to be made holy, they sent for the Levites out of all their places to come to Jerusalem, to keep the feast with joy, and with praise and melody, with brass and corded instruments of music. The sons of the music-makers came together from the lowland round about Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites, From Beth-gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the music-makers made villages for themselves round about Jerusalem. The priests and the Levites made themselves clean; and they made the people clean, and the gateways and the wall. Then I made the rulers of Judah come up on the wall, and I put in position two great bands of them who gave praise, walking in ordered lines. One went to the right on the wall toward the gateway where the waste was put.
I made controllers over the storehouses, Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and with them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur the son of Mattaniah. They were taken to be honest men and their business was the distribution of these things to their brothers.
I gave the Levites orders to make themselves clean and come and keep the gates and make the Sabbath holy. Keep this in mind to my credit, O my God, and have mercy on me, for great is your mercy.
When a Levite came to the place he saw the man and passed by on the other side.
John gave his witness even as Jewish authorities sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem. They asked him: Who are you?
Joses, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, (this meaning: The son of consolation,) was a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus.
Fausets
The men of Levi, the sacerdotal tribe, all ministers, out of whom the priests were taken, namely, Aaron's family. Levi's wild zeal against the defiler of Dinah was the forerunner of the Levites' zeal against impure idolaters. The antiquity and genuineness of Genesis are marked by the absence of all notice of Levi's subsequent greatness as the priest tribe. The genealogy (Ge 46:11) goes no further down than Levi's three sons; these too are named in their order of birth, not giving Kohath the prominence which his family had subsequently, He has four clans in Ex 6:16-25, Gershon and Merari but two each. Amram, Aaron, and Moses belonged to his stock (Ex 4:14). The firstborn "young men" of Israel were the priests to offer sacrifices (Ex 24:5) before the law, representing the priestly nation (Ex 19:6,22,24). (See LEVI on the Levites' promotion to be the priestly tribe for their zeal in the Lord's cause.)
Levi became "an Israel within an Israel," the witness and guard of the truth. Substituted for the firstborn males of all Israel whom Jehovah claimed as His when He saved Israel from the stroke on Egypt's firstborn; the Levites, 22,000; the firstborn males, 22,273; the odd 273 above were to be redeemed at five shekels each (Nu 3:45-51), the fixed price for redeeming a victim vowed in sacrifice (Nu 18:16; Le 27:6). The Levites' cattle were taken for the firstlings of Israel's cattle (compare Ex 13:12-13). The Levites marching from Sinai round the tabernacle were the heavenly King's royal guard; none else was to approach it on pain of death (Nu 1:51; 18:22; 4:3-30).
The priests occupied the eastern side of the tabernacle, inside Judah the leading camp; the Kohathites the southern side, inside Reuben; the Gershonites the western side, inside Ephraim; the Merarites the northern, inside Daniel The aggregate of Gershonites (Nu 3:22), Kohathites (Nu 3:28), and Merarites (Nu 3:34), is 22,300; but in the redemption 300 are deducted (probably the firstborn in Levi within the year that had elapsed since the command was issued, Nu 3:40-43), and 22,000 taken as substituted for Israel's male firstborn. Levi in this census was the fewest tribe in numbers, but in the other tribes servants not pure Israelites were enumerated, whereas in Levi only pure Israelites. The number of Israel's firstborn males (22,273) compared with the male adults (603,550) is disproportionately small, the proportion being usually one in four.
But the law of Ex 13:1-2, dedicated those alone who should be firstborn thenceforward (compare Exodus 2; Exodus 11-12; Nu 3:13; 8:17), for the duties of the firstborn referred to a ritual yet to be revealed, and the firstborn of cattle must mean those thereafter firstborn. Thus the proportion of firstborn sons in one year born of 2,000,000 of men is so large as can be explained only by the divine blessing, and the sudden development which the Exodus gave to the nation. The Levites stood midway between the people and the priesthood, which culminated in the high priest. They could not sacrifice, burn incense, or see the "holy things" until covered (Nu 4:15). Yet they came nearer than the people, and they alone struck the tent in marching, carried its parts, and pitched it again. Their work needed matured strength; so their service began not until 30 years old (with a previous probationary period of five years: Nu 8:24), whereas military service began at 20. At 50 their service ceased (Nu 8:25-26).
So, of 8,600 Kohathites, 2,750 were on duty, of 7,500 Gershonites 2,630, of 6,200 Merarites 3,200 (Numbers 4). The Kohathites held the highest office and bore the ark (except on solemn occasions when the priests bore it: Jos 3:3,15) and vessels, after the priest had covered them (Nu 4:15). The Gershonites bore the tent hangings and curtains; the Merarites the tabernacle boards, bars, and pillars; the Kohathites under Eleazar bore the vessels on their shoulders (Nu 7:9); the Gershonites and Merarites under Ithamar (Nu 4:28,33), because of their weighty charge, were allowed oxen and wagons. The Levites were Jehovah's and Israel's 1Ch 9:2; the Levites' subordinates) and "joined" (as Levi means) to the priests (Nu 3:9; 8:19; 18:2,4,6).
The Levites were purified for service with bathing, shaving, washing clothes, imposition of Israel' s hands, waving them as a wave offering to Jehovah (compare our gospel "living sacrifice," Ro 12:1) toward the four points of the compass, in token of entire consecration of all their powers; the Levite then laid hands on one bullock offered for a sin offering and another for a burnt offering. Korah's rebellion through seeking the priesthood was followed by a fresh defining of the Levites' office (Numbers 16; Nu 18:1-7). The Levites received a tithe or tenth of all produce, animal and vegetable, of which they had to pay the priests a tithe (Nu 18:20-32). A second tithe the Israelites used for the tabernacle feasts and free will offerings, and of this second tithe the Levites should receive a share (De 14:23,27), especially when ministering (De 18:7-8).
Forty-eight cities were appointed them (four on the average from each tribe), including the six cities of refuge and (of suburbs, meadow for their cattle) 1,000 cubits out from the city walls, each of the four sides being 2,000 cubits long. (See GEZER.) The phrase "the Levite that is within thy gates" is appropriate (De 14:27), for the Levites' cities did not cease to belong to the tribes within which they lay. Thus Levites are occasionally spoken of as belonging to other tribes, namely, those within whose territory they resided (1 De 8:6; Jg 17:7; 1Sa 1:1). Elkanah a Levite is called an "Ephrathite," "Heman the Ezrahite," i.e. from Zerah of Judah (title Psalm 88; Psalm 89). "The priests the Levites" on the peculiar use of Levites without distinction from the priests) were to determine controversies and to preserve the law in the side of the ark, and in the seventh year at the feast of tabernacles read it before Israel, and pronounce the curses from Ebal (De 17:9-12; 31:9-13,26; 27:14). (See DEUTERONOMY.)
The Hivite Gibeonites (Jos 9:27) and the Nethinim relieved the Levites of their more burdensome duties subsequently. (See NETHINIM.) Micah's consecration of the homeless Levite as his household priest implies a relapse in dark times to the original household priesthood. It was a Korahlike usurpation on the part of the Levite (Judges 17). Samuel the Levite, adopted into the priesthood, revived the divine order. The Levites were among his schools of the prophets, whose training consisted in praise, prayer, and study of the law. Hence enlarged views of acceptable worship appear in the Levite Asaph's Psalm 50. The ark after its restoration from the Philistines was in charge of Abinadab in the hill, or Gibeah, or Kirjath Jearim (1Sa 7:1; 2Sa 6:3), probably an old Canaanite highplace sanctuary. David's words (1Ch 15:2) imply that heretofore Levites had not been in charge of the ark, therefore that Abinadab was not a Levite possibly (?). "None ought. to carry the ark of God but the Levites, for them hath Jehovah chosen."
Saul's assumption of sacrificing, his slaughter of the priests at Nob and of the serving Gibeonites, imply his self-willed impatience of the prominence of the priest tribe. Accordingly, at Hebron, 4,600 Levites joined David, besides 3,700 priests (1Ch 12:26-27). He honoured them at his succession, and once even wore their robe (2Sa 6:14). The duties of the Levites are defined by him (1Ch 23:24-32), "to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Jehovah," etc., "and to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah, and likewise at even, and to offer (i.e. assist the priests in offering) all burnt sacrifices," etc.
The Levites supplied "officers and judges" (1Ch 26:30), "in all the business of the Lord and the service of the king." Korah's sons of the Levites, headed by Heman, played upon psalteries and harps (1Ch 9:19,32); the Kohathites prepared the shewbread every sabbath; the Gershonites were headed by Asaph's son in the temple choir (1Ch 6:39,44; 15:17), the Merarites by Ethan or Jeduthun. The heavier work being no longer needed of transporting the tabernacle, and psa
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Then the anger of Jehovah burned against Moses, and He said: Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. He is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. Levi lived one hundred and thirty-seven years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. read more. The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived one hundred and thirty-three years. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived one hundred and thirty-seven years. The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri. Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. The sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites according to their families.
Jehovah said to Moses: Consecrate (appoint) (sanctify) all the first-born males to me. Every first-born male Israelite and every first-born male animal belongs to me!
sacrifice every firstborn male offspring to Jehovah. The firstborn male offspring of each of your animals belongs to Jehovah. It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy any firstborn donkey back from Jehovah. You must break the donkey's neck if you do not buy it back. You must also buy every firstborn son back from Jehovah.
You will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation. These are the words you must speak to the children of Israel.'
Let the priests who come near to Jehovah consecrate (purify) themselves, or else Jehovah will destroy them.
Jehovah replied to him: You and Aaron come up to me. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to Jehovah, or he will destroy some of them.
Moses sent young men to burn sacrifices to Jehovah. They sacrificed some cattle as peace offerings.
For a boy from one month to five years old, give two ounces of silver and for a girl give about one ounce.
When the tent is to be moved, the Levites will take it down. When we camp, they will set it up. Anyone else who comes near the tent will be put to death.
Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. The Levites will be the only Israelites given to them.
because every firstborn is mine. The day I killed every firstborn male in Egypt, I set apart as holy every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They will be mine. I am Jehovah.
The total number of all the males at least one month old was seven thousand five hundred.
The number of all the males at least one month old was eight thousand six hundred. They were in charge of the holy place.
The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was six thousand two hundred.
Jehovah said to Moses: Register every firstborn male of the Israelites who is at least one month old, and make a list of their names. I am Jehovah. Take the Levites for me to be substitutes for all firstborn Israelites. Also take the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for all firstborn animals of the Israelites. read more. Moses registered all the firstborn Israelites as Jehovah commanded him. The total of all the firstborn males at least one month old was twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy three. They were listed by name.
Take the Levites to be substitutes for all the firstborn Israelites and the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for their animals. The Levites will be mine. I am Jehovah. There are two hundred and seventy-three more firstborn male Israelites than there are Levites. read more. It will cost you two ounces of silver per person, using the standard weight of the holy place, to buy them back. Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It will buy back those Israelites who outnumber the Levites. Moses took this ransom money from the Israelites who outnumbered the Levites. The silver Moses collected for the firstborn Israelites weighed thirty-four pounds using the standard weight of the holy place. Then Moses did what Jehovah said and gave Aaron and his sons this ransom money as he had been commanded.
Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to work at the tent of meeting. This is the work the Kohathites will do in the tent of meeting: They will take care of the most holy things. read more. When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons will go in and take down the canopy that hangs over the Ark containing the words of God's Covenant. First they will cover the Ark with the canopy. Over this they will put a covering of fine leather. On top of that they will spread a cloth made entirely of violet material. Then they will put the poles in place. They will spread a violet cloth over the table of the presence and put on it the plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers for the wine offerings. The bread that is always in Jehovah's presence will also be on it. They will spread a bright red cloth over everything on the table. They will then cover all this with fine leather. Then they will put the poles in place. They will use a violet cloth to cover the lamp stand, as well as the lamps, snuffers, trays, and all the containers for the olive oil used in the lamps. Then they will put the lamp stand and all its utensils under a covering of fine leather and put them on a frame to carry them. They will spread a violet cloth over the gold altar and cover the cloth with fine leather. Then they will put the poles in place. They will take all the articles that are used in the holy place and put them in a violet cloth. Then they will cover that with fine leather, and put them on a frame to carry them. After they take the ashes away, they will spread a purple cloth over the altar. They will put all the accessories used at the altar on it. These are the trays, forks, shovels, and bowls-all the altar's accessories. They will spread a covering of fine leather (sealskin) over all this. Then they will put the poles in place. When Aaron and his sons finished covering the holy things and the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites will come to carry all the holy articles. They must never touch the holy things, or they will die. The Kohathites will carry all the things from the tent of meeting.
When Aaron and his sons finished covering the holy things and the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites will come to carry all the holy articles. They must never touch the holy things, or they will die. The Kohathites will carry all the things from the tent of meeting.
When Aaron and his sons finished covering the holy things and the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites will come to carry all the holy articles. They must never touch the holy things, or they will die. The Kohathites will carry all the things from the tent of meeting. Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, will be in charge of the oil for the lamps, the sweet-smelling incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He is in charge of the whole tent and everything in it, the holy place and its contents. read more. Jehovah continued to speak to Moses and Aaron: Do not let the Kohathite families from Levi's tribe be destroyed. This is what you must do so that they will not die when they come near the most holy things: Aaron and his sons will go into the holy place and tell each man what he will do and what he will carry. However the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die. Jehovah said to Moses: Take a census of the Gershonites. List them by households and families. Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to serve at the tent of meeting. This is what the Gershonite families will do and what they will carry: They will carry the sheets that are part of the inner tent and the tent of meeting. They will also carry the inner cover for the tent of meeting, the outer cover of fine leather that goes over it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains for the courtyard around the tent and the altar, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the equipment used to set up the curtains. The Gershonites will do everything that needs to be done with these things. All their work, whatever they carry and all their duties, will be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You are in charge of telling them everything they are to carry. This is the work of the Gershonite families in the tent of meeting. Ithamar, son of the priest Aaron, will be in charge of them.
This is the work of the Gershonite families in the tent of meeting. Ithamar, son of the priest Aaron, will be in charge of them. Register the Merarites by families and households. read more. Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to serve at the tent of meeting.
This is what the Merarite families will do as they work at the tent of meeting. Ithamar, son of the priest Aaron, will be in charge of them.
However Moses gave none of these gifts to the Kohathites, because they took care of the holy things. They had to carry the holy things on their own shoulders.
When I killed all the first-born in Egypt, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal.
I assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons, as a gift from the Israelites. They are to work in the tent for the people of Israel and to protect the Israelites from the disaster that would strike them if they came too near the Holy Place.
From the age of twenty-five each Levite shall perform his duties in the tent of my presence, They must retire from active service when they are fifty years old. read more. They may assist the other Levites in their duties at the tent of meeting. But they may not do any regular work. This is how you will handle the Levites' duties.
Jehovah said to Aaron: You, your sons, and your family will be responsible for any sins against the holy place. You and your sons will also be responsible for any sins you commit when you work as priests. Bring the other Levites from your ancestor's tribe to join you and help you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the words of my promise.
Bring the other Levites from your ancestor's tribe to join you and help you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the words of my promise. They are to fulfill their duties to you and their responsibilities for the tent. However they must not have any contact with sacred objects in the Holy Place or with the altar. If they do, both they and you will be put to death. read more. They are to work with you and fulfill their responsibilities for all the service in the tent. No unqualified person may work with you.
They are to work with you and fulfill their responsibilities for all the service in the tent. No unqualified person may work with you. You and your sons alone must fulfill the responsibilities for the Holy Place and the altar. That way my anger will not again break out against the people of Israel. read more. I chose the other Levites from among the Israelites to help you. They are a gift given to Jehovah to do the necessary work at the tent of meeting.
I chose the other Levites from among the Israelites to help you. They are a gift given to Jehovah to do the necessary work at the tent of meeting. Only you and your sons may do the work of priests, everything done at the altar and under the canopy. This is my gift to you: You may serve me as priests. Anyone else who comes near the holy place to do this work must die.
When they are one month old, you must buy them back at the fixed price of two ounces of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.
Jehovah said to Aaron: You will have no land or property of your own as the other Israelites will have. I am your possession and your property among the Israelites. I have given the Levites one-tenth of every Israelite's income. This is in return for the work they do at the tent of meeting. read more. The other Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting. Otherwise, they will suffer the consequences of their sin and die.
The other Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting. Otherwise, they will suffer the consequences of their sin and die. Only the Levites will do the work at the tent of meeting. They are responsible for their own sins. This is a long lasting law for future generations. They will own no property, as the other Israelites will. read more. Instead, I will give the Levites what the Israelites contribute to Jehovah, one-tenth of the Israelites' income. This is why I said about them: They will own no property as the other Israelites do. Jehovah said to Moses: Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'You will take one-tenth of the Israelites' income that I am giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute one-tenth of that income as your contribution to Jehovah. Your contribution will be considered to be grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. You will also contribute one-tenth of your income to Jehovah out of all that you receive from the Israelites' income. You will give Jehovah's contribution to the priest Aaron. Out of all the gifts you receive, you must contribute the best and holiest parts to Jehovah.' Also tell them: 'When you contribute the best part, your contribution will be considered to be produce from the threshing floor or winepress. You and your households may eat it anywhere. This is because it is the wages you receive for your work at the tent of meeting. When you contribute the best part, you will not suffer the consequences of any sin. You will not be dishonoring the holy offerings given by the Israelites, and you will not die.'
Obey the commandments of Jehovah your God. Walk in his ways and respect him.
You shall eat in the presence of Jehovah your God, at the place where He chooses to establish his name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to respect Jehovah your God always.
Do not neglect the Levites who live in your towns. They have no property of their own.
Do not neglect the Levites who live in your towns. They have no property of their own.
Approach the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days. Inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. Act according to the terms of the verdict they declare to you from that place Jehovah chooses. Be careful to abide by all that they teach you. read more. Act according to the verdict and the terms they tell you. Do not turn away from the word they declare to you. The man who acts presumptuously and does not listen to the priest or the judge will die. This way you will purge the evil from Israel. The priests and judges are there to serve Jehovah your God.
He may serve there, as a priest of Jehovah his God, like the other Levites who are serving there. He is to receive the same amount of food as the other priests. He may keep everything his family sends him.
Moses wrote this Law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and to all the elders of Israel.
Moses wrote this Law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and to all the elders of Israel. Moses commanded them: At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths,
Moses commanded them: At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before Jehovah your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this Law in front of all Israel in their hearing.
when all Israel comes to appear before Jehovah your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this Law in front of all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town. Assemble them that they may hear and learn and respect Jehovah your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this Law.
Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town. Assemble them that they may hear and learn and respect Jehovah your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this Law. Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to respect Jehovah your God, as long as you live on the land you will possess when you cross the Jordan River.
Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to respect Jehovah your God, as long as you live on the land you will possess when you cross the Jordan River.
Take this Book of the Law, and put it next to the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah your God, where it will be a witness against you.
They commanded the people, saying: When you see the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, you should leave here and follow it.
As they carried the ark into the Jordan and the feet of the priests dipped into the water, for Jordan is at food stage at the time of harvest.
Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, even to this day, in the place he should choose.
The people of Kiriath Jearim got the Ark and took it to Abinadab's house on a hill in their town. His son Eleazar took care of it.
Wearing a linen ephod, David danced in Jehovah's presence with all his might.
and Heman's associate Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,
and from their associates, the Merarites, at his left hand: Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,
Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.
Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family, the Korahites, were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the tent just as their fathers had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of Jehovah.
Some of their Kohathite brothers were in charge of preparing for every Sabbath the bread set out on the table.
From the tribe of Levi, there were four thousand six hundred troops. This included Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, who had three thousand seven hundred under his command.
David insisted that only the Levites carry God's Ark because Jehovah had chosen them to carry his Ark and to serve him from generation to generation.
So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, and from his relatives they appointed Asaph Berechiah's son. From their own relatives, Merari's descendants, they appointed Ethan son of Kushaiah.
The Levites thirty years old or older were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.
These were the descendants of Levi by their families, the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the Temple of Jehovah.
These were the descendants of Levi by their families, the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the Temple of Jehovah. For David had said: Since Jehovah, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem from generation to generation,
For David had said: Since Jehovah, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem from generation to generation, the Levites no longer need to carry the Tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.
the Levites no longer need to carry the Tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service. According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.
According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more. The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron's descendants in the service of the Temple of Jehovah: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the House of God. read more. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah. They were to do the same in the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to Jehovah on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve before Jehovah regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them. So the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the Temple of Jehovah.
David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with lyres, harps and cymbals; and the number of those who performed their service was: Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asharelah the sons of Asaph under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. read more. Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Jehovah. Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. All these the sons of Heman the king's seer to exalt him according to the words of God, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman. All these were under the direction of their father to sing in the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman under the direction of the king. Their number who were trained in singing to Jehovah, with their relatives, all who were skillful, two hundred eighty-eight. They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the pupil.
From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, seventeen hundred able men, were responsible in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of Jehovah and for the king's service.
The priests and Levites in every region of Israel aligned with Rehoboam. The priests abandoned their land and property and went to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his descendants rejected them as Jehovah's priests.
We still serve Jehovah our God! We have not abandoned him. Priests descended from Aaron perform their duties, and Levites assist them. Every morning and every evening they offer him incense and animal sacrifices burned whole. They present the offerings of bread on a table that is ritually clean, and every evening they light the lamps on the gold lamp stand. We do what Jehovah has commanded! But you have abandoned him! read more. God is with us as our leader. His priests will sound their trumpets to call the army to fight you. Men of Israel do not wage war against Jehovah the God of your ancestors. You will not succeed.
Jehoshaphat also appointed some Levites, some priests, and some of the family leaders to serve as judges in Jerusalem. He told them: Faithfully serve Jehovah! read more. Warn your relatives living in other cities about every case they bring to you, even if the case involves bloodshed or commandments, rules, or regulations derived from the law. Then your relatives will not become guilty in front of Jehovah. Otherwise, he will become angry with you and your relatives. Do this and you will not be guilty of anything. The chief priest Amariah will be in charge of you in every matter involving Jehovah. Zebadiah, who is the son of Ishmael and the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be in charge of every matter involving the king. The Levites will serve as officers of the court. Be strong and do your job. May Jehovah be with those who do right.
The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised Jehovah, the God of Israel. Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. Before they began Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: 'People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in Jehovah your God. You will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed. read more. After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army. They sang: 'Praise Jehovah! His love is eternal!' As soon as they began singing, Jehovah confused the enemy camp,
He said: Listen to me, Levites. Perform the ceremonies to make the temple of Jehovah the God of your ancestors holy. Remove anything that has been corrupted from the holy place. Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what Jehovah our God considered evil. They deserted him. They turned away from Jehovah's tent and turned their backs on him. read more. They also shut the doors of the temple's entrance hall. They extinguished the lamps, and did not burn incense or sacrifice burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Jehovah was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He made them something that shocks and terrifies people and that people ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes. Our fathers were killed in battle. Our sons, daughters, and wives are prisoners because of this. Now I intend to make a pledge to Jehovah the God of Israel so that he may turn his burning anger away from us. Do not be negligent, my sons. Jehovah has chosen you to stand in front of him, serve him, be his servants, and burn sacrifices. So the Levites started to work. From Kohath's descendants were Mahath, son of Amasai, and Joel, son of Azariah. From Merari's descendants were Kish, son of Abdi, and Azariah, son of Jehallelel. From Gershon's descendants were Joah, son of Zimmah, and Eden, son of Joah. From Elizaphan's descendants were Shimri and Jeiel. From Asaph's descendants were Zechariah and Mattaniah. From Heman's descendants were Jehiel and Shimei. From Jeduthun's descendants were Shemaiah and Uzziel. These men gathered their relatives and performed the ceremonies to make themselves holy. They obeyed the king's order from Jehovah's word and entered the Temple to make it clean. The priests entered Jehovah's temple to make it clean. They carried into the courtyard every unclean thing that they found in Jehovah's Temple. Then the Levites took the unclean items outside the city to the Kidron Brook. They started on the first day of the first month. On the eighth day they went into Jehovah's entrance hall. For eight days they performed the ceremonies to make Jehovah's Temple holy. They finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. Then they went to King Hezekiah. They said: We have made Jehovah's entire temple clean. This includes the altar for burnt offerings, all its utensils, the table for the rows of bread and all its utensils, and all the utensils King Ahaz refused to use during his reign when he was unfaithful. We have restored them and made them holy. They are in front of Jehovah's altar. Early in the morning Hezekiah assembled the leaders of the city and went to Jehovah's Temple. They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as an offering for sin for the kingdom, the holy place, and Judah. Hezekiah told the priests, Aaron's descendants, to sacrifice the animals on Jehovah's altar. So they slaughtered the bulls. The priests sprinkled the blood on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. After that, they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. Then they brought the male goats for the offering for sin in front of the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them. The priests killed the goats and poured their blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sin of all the people. The king commanded that burnt offerings and sin offerings be made for all Israel. The king followed the instructions Jehovah gave to King David through Gad, the king's prophet, and through the prophet Nathan. He stationed Levites in the Temple, with harps and cymbals, and instruments like those that King David used. The priests also stood there with trumpets. Hezekiah gave the order for the burnt offering to be presented. The offering began and the people sang praise to Jehovah. The musicians began to play the trumpets and all the other instruments. Everyone there joined in worship. The singing and the rest of the music continued until all the sacrifices were burned. King Hezekiah and all the people knelt down and worshiped God. The king and the leaders of the nation told the Levites to sing to Jehovah the songs of praise that were written by David and by Asaph the prophet. So everyone sang with great joy as they knelt and worshiped God. Hezekiah said to the people: Now that you are ritually clean, bring sacrifices as offerings of thanksgiving to Jehovah. They obeyed, and some of them also voluntarily brought animals to be sacrificed as burnt offerings. They brought seventy bulls, one hundred sheep, and two hundred lambs as burnt offerings for Jehovah. They also brought six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep as sacrifices for the people to eat. Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.
They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves. They consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah. They stood in their regular places as instructed by the law of Moses. Moses was a man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood they received from the Levites. read more. Many people in the assembly had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean and could not make their lambs holy for Jehovah. Many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not made themselves clean. So they ate the Passover, but not in the way the written instructions said they should. Hezekiah prayed for them: May Jehovah forgive everyone who have their hearts set on dedicating their lives to serve God. May Jehovah the God of their ancestors do this for those who are not clean as required for the holy place. Jehovah listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. Thus the Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. Each day the Levites and priests praised Jehovah in song. They played Jehovah's instruments loudly. Hezekiah spoke encouraging words to all the Levites who had the skills to serve Jehovah. They ate the festival meals for seven days, sacrificed fellowship offerings, and confessed their sins to Jehovah the God of their ancestors.
The Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard and their prayer came to God's holy dwelling place, to heaven.
He told the Levites, who instructed all Israel and performed ceremonies to make themselves holy to Jehovah: Put the Holy Ark in the Temple that Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, built. It should not be carried on your shoulders any longer. Serve Jehovah your God and his people Israel. Get yourselves ready with the family groups of your divisions, which are listed in the records of King David of Israel and the records of his son Solomon. read more. Divide yourselves into groups. Then spread out throughout the Temple so that each family of worshipers will be able to get help from one of you. When the people bring you their Passover lamb, you must slaughter it and prepare it to be sacrificed to Jehovah. Make sure the people celebrate according to the instructions Jehovah gave Moses. Do not do anything to become unclean and unacceptable. Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep and goats, and three thousand bulls from his own flocks and herds for the people to offer as sacrifices. Josiah's officials also voluntarily gave some of their animals to the people, the priests, and the Levites as sacrifices. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, who were the officials in charge of the Temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred sheep and lambs and three hundred bulls to sacrifice during the Passover celebration. Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, gave the Levites five thousand sheep and goats and five hundred bulls as Passover sacrifices. Thus the service was prepared. The priests took their positions with the Levites according to their divisions, as the king had ordered. They slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests sprinkled the blood with their hands while the Levites skinned the lambs. They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the people according to their family divisions. The people could then present them to Jehovah as is written in the Book of Moses. The Levites did the same with the bulls. The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations. They boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people. After this was done, the Levites provided meat for themselves and for the priests descended from Aaron. Since the priests were kept busy until night, burning the animals that were burned whole and the fat of the sacrifices. The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet. The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them.
The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three. The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two. read more. The children of Pashhur, a thousand, two hundred and forty-seven. The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy-four. The music-makers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and twenty-eight. The children of the door-keepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred and thirty-nine.
When the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of Jehovah, the priests, dressed in their robes, took their places with horns, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with brass instruments, to give praise to Jehovah in the way ordered by David, king of Israel. They praised Jehovah and thanked him, saying: He is good; his loving kindness to Israel is for all generations. All the people gave a joyful cry. They praised Jehovah because the foundation of Jehovah's house was in place.
They put the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their order, for the worship of God at Jerusalem. This is recorded in the book of Moses.
I made them come together by the river flowing to Ahava. We were there in tents for three days. And after viewing the people and the priests I saw that no sons of Levi were there.
With the help of our God they got for us Ish-sechel, one of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah with his sons and brothers, eighteen; And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty; read more. Of the Nethinim, to whom David and the captains had given the work of helping the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim, all of them specially named.
And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah and Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the law clear to the people: and the people kept in their places. They read from the book the Law of God making it clear (translating it), so that their minds were able to take it in.
That we would take the first of our rough meal, and our lifted offerings, and the fruit of every sort of tree, and wine and oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God. The tenth of the produce of our land to the Levites for the Levites, take a tenth in all the towns of our ploughed land. The priest, the son of Aaron, is to be with the Levites, when the Levites take the tenths. The Levites are to take a tenth of the tenths into the house of our God, to the rooms, into the storehouse. read more. The children of Israel and the children of Levi are to take the lifted offering of the grain and wine and oil into the rooms where the vessels of the holy place are. This is together with the priests and the gatekeepers and the makers of music. We will not give up caring for the House of our God.
The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were listed as heads of families; and the priests, when Darius the Persian was king.
When the time came for the wall of Jerusalem to be made holy, they sent for the Levites out of all their places to come to Jerusalem, to keep the feast with joy, and with praise and melody, with brass and corded instruments of music. The sons of the music-makers came together from the lowland round about Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites, read more. From Beth-gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the music-makers made villages for themselves round about Jerusalem. The priests and the Levites made themselves clean; and they made the people clean, and the gateways and the wall.
I will make some of them priests and Levites, declares Jehovah.
But the Levites, who went far from me when Israel went astray, who went astray from me after their idols, will bear the punishment for their iniquity. They will be ministers in my sanctuary and having oversight at the gates of the house. They will slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them. read more. I have sworn against them because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel,' declares the Lord Jehovah. 'They will bear the punishment for their iniquity.' They will not serve as a priest to me, nor come near to any of my holy things, to the things that are most holy. They will bear their shame for their abominations that they have committed. Even so I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, of all its service and of all that will be done in it.'
This land that has been set apart will belong to the priests who are descendants of Zadok. They took care of my holy place. They did not wander away with the Israelites as the Levites did.
My covenant was with him [Levi]. It was of life and peace. I gave them to him that he might reverence me. He respected me and stood in awe of my name. The law of truth was in his mouth. Unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness. He turned many away from iniquity.
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. He will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer to Jehovah offerings in righteousness.
When a Levite came to the place he saw the man and passed by on the other side.
John gave his witness even as Jewish authorities sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem. They asked him: Who are you?
Joses, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, (this meaning: The son of consolation,) was a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus.
I request (urge) (implore) you brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Hastings
Morish
Le'vites
The tribe that descended from Levi, son of Jacob. When Moses came down from the mount and saw the golden calf which the people had made, he asked, "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him." He bade them gird on their swords and slay every man his brother, his companion, and his neighbour. And there fell of the people that day about three thousand. Moses spoke of it as consecrating themselves to the Lord, every man upon his son, and upon his brother, that God might bestow a blessing upon them. Ex 32:26-29.
The Levites were chosen by God as a redemption for all the firstborn of Israel, which God claimed for Himself. They thus became wholly His, and they were given to Aaron to minister in all that pertained to the service of the tabernacle, except the priesthood, which was restricted to Aaron and his descendants. Nu 3:5-51.
Of the Levites there were three main branches: the GERSHONITES, the KOHATHITES, and the MERARITES. Moses and Aaron were descendants of Kohath. When the camp of Israel rested, this tribe surrounded the tabernacle. When it moved they had to carry its various parts and the sacred things belonging thereto. According to Nu 4:3, etc., the Levites appear to have commenced their tabernacle service at the age of thirty; but in Nu 8:24-26 the age is given as twenty-five. It may be that they spent the first five years on probation, learning their duties. When Israel had settled in Canaan and the labour of carrying the tabernacle was over, they commenced their service at the age of twenty. They laboured till they were fifty years of age. 1Ch 23:24-27.
Before the Levites entered upon any service they were thoroughly cleansed and consecrated. The children of Israel put their hands upon them, and Aaron offered them "before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel" that they might execute the service of the Lord. An atonement was made for them. Nu 8:5-26.
The Levites had no inheritance in the land, and in order that they might be free to serve the Lord, tithes were given them. Nu 18. Forty-eight cities were given to them as places to dwell in, and the suburbs thereof for their cattle. Six of these cities were to be CITIES OF REFUGE. Nu 35:1-8. The names of the cities are given in Jos 20:7-9; 21:1-42.
In the time of David the Levites were set over 'the service of song;' others were door-keepers: some were singers and others played on various instruments. 1Ch 6:31; 15:16,26. In the days of Hezekiah after the temple had been cleansed, the Levites apparently helped to flay the sacrifices, being found "more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests." 2Ch 29:34. At the Passover that followed, the Levites had the charge of killing the passover lambs for the people who were unclean. 2Ch 30:17. On the return from exile the Levites helped to explain the law to the people. Ne 8:7-8. In the N.T. the Levites are mentioned only in Lu 10:32; Joh 1:19; Ac 4:36.
The Levites are typical of Christians, who are redeemed, cleansed, and consecrated to the service of the Lord, and have no inheritance on earth.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: Who is on Jehovah's side? Come to me. All the sons of Levi came to him. He said to them, Jehovah, the God of Israel says: 'Each man put his sword by his side. Go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp. Kill each one his brother, and each one his neighbor, and each one his kindred.' read more. The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men died that day. Moses said: Today you are ordained as Jehovah's. God gave you a blessing today. Each of you fought with your own sons and brothers.
Jehovah said to Moses: Bring the tribe of Levi, and have them stand in front of the priest Aaron to assist him. read more. They will work for him and the whole community in front of the tent of meeting, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent. They will take care of all the furnishings in the tent of meeting and work for the Israelites, doing what needs to be done for the inner tent. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. The Levites will be the only Israelites given to them. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who tries to do the priests' duties must be put to death. Jehovah said to Moses: Out of all the Israelites, I have taken the Levites to be substitutes for every firstborn male offspring among them. The Levites are mine, because every firstborn is mine. The day I killed every firstborn male in Egypt, I set apart as holy every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They will be mine. I am Jehovah. Jehovah said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai: Count the Levites by households and families. Count every male who is at least one month old. Moses did what Jehovah said. He registered them as he had been commanded. Gershon, Kohath, and Merari were the sons of Levi. Libni and Shimei were the sons of Gershon. Their families were named after them. Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel were the sons of Kohath. Their families were named after them. Mahli and Mushi were the sons of Merari. Their families were named after them. These were the households of Levite families. To Gershon belonged the families descended from Libni and Shimei. These were the families descended from Gershon. The total number of all the males at least one month old was seven thousand five hundred. The families descended from Gershon put up their tents on the west side behind the tent of meeting. The leader of the Gershonite households was Eliasaph, son of Lael. The Gershonites were in charge of the inner tent, the outer tent and cover, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains for the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the inner tent and the altar, and the ropes. They took care of all these things. To Kohath belonged the families descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. These were the families descended from Kohath. The number of all the males at least one month old was eight thousand six hundred. They were in charge of the holy place. The families descended from Kohath put up their tents on the south side of the tent of meeting. The leader of the Kohathite families and households was Elizaphan, son of Uzziel. They were in charge of the Ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the utensils used in the holy place, and the screen. They took care of all these things. The leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was in charge of those who carried out the duties in the Holy Place. The clan of Merari was composed of the families of Mahli and Mushi. The total number of males one month old or older that were enrolled was six thousand two hundred. This clan was to camp on the north side of the Tent, with Zuriel son of Abihail as leader of the clan. It was the duty of the Merarites to be in charge of the framework of the inner tent, the crossbars, posts, sockets, and all the equipment. They took care of these things. They were responsible for the posts for the surrounding courtyard, the bases, pegs, and ropes. Moses, Aaron, and his sons put up their tents on the east side in front of the tent of meeting. They were in charge of the holy place on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who tried to do the Levites' duties had to be put to death. The grand total of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted at Jehovah's command, by families, every male who was at least one month old, was twenty-two thousand. Jehovah said to Moses: Register every firstborn male of the Israelites who is at least one month old, and make a list of their names. I am Jehovah. Take the Levites for me to be substitutes for all firstborn Israelites. Also take the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for all firstborn animals of the Israelites. Moses registered all the firstborn Israelites as Jehovah commanded him. The total of all the firstborn males at least one month old was twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy three. They were listed by name. Jehovah said to Moses: Take the Levites to be substitutes for all the firstborn Israelites and the animals of the Levites to be substitutes for their animals. The Levites will be mine. I am Jehovah. There are two hundred and seventy-three more firstborn male Israelites than there are Levites. It will cost you two ounces of silver per person, using the standard weight of the holy place, to buy them back. Give the silver to Aaron and his sons. It will buy back those Israelites who outnumber the Levites. Moses took this ransom money from the Israelites who outnumbered the Levites. The silver Moses collected for the firstborn Israelites weighed thirty-four pounds using the standard weight of the holy place. Then Moses did what Jehovah said and gave Aaron and his sons this ransom money as he had been commanded.
Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to work at the tent of meeting.
Jehovah said to Moses: Separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites. Make them clean. read more. This is what you must do to make them clean: Sprinkle them with water to take away their sins. Make them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean. They must take a young bull and the grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil that is offered with it. You must take a second young bull as an offering for sin. Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting. Assemble the whole congregation of Israel. Then bring the Levites into Jehovah's presence, and the Israelites will place their hands on them. Aaron will present the Levites to Jehovah as an offering from the Israelites. Then they will be ready to do Jehovah's work. The Levites will place their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Sacrifice one of them as an offering for sin and the other one as a burnt offering to Jehovah. These sacrifices will pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for the Levites. Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and present them as an offering to Jehovah. In this way you will separate the Levites from the other Israelites. The Levites will be mine. Once you have made them clean and presented them as an offering, the Levites may come and do their work at the tent of meeting. They will be the only Israelites given to me. I have taken them to be mine as substitutes for every firstborn male offspring of the Israelites. When I killed all the first-born in Egypt, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal. I am now taking the Levites instead of all the first-born of the Israelites. I assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons, as a gift from the Israelites. They are to work in the tent for the people of Israel and to protect the Israelites from the disaster that would strike them if they came too near the Holy Place. Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel dedicated the Levites, as Jehovah commanded Moses. So the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Aaron dedicated them as a special gift to Jehovah. He also performed the ritual of purification for them. The people did everything Jehovah commanded Moses concerning the Levites. Thus the Levites were qualified to work in the tent under Aaron and his sons. Jehovah said to Moses: From the age of twenty-five each Levite shall perform his duties in the tent of my presence,
From the age of twenty-five each Levite shall perform his duties in the tent of my presence, They must retire from active service when they are fifty years old.
They must retire from active service when they are fifty years old. They may assist the other Levites in their duties at the tent of meeting. But they may not do any regular work. This is how you will handle the Levites' duties.
They may assist the other Levites in their duties at the tent of meeting. But they may not do any regular work. This is how you will handle the Levites' duties.
Jehovah spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. He said: Tell the Israelites to give the Levites some cities from their own property. They must also give the Levites the pastureland around those cities. read more. The Levites will have cities to live in and pastureland for their cattle, the flocks they own, and any other animals they have. The land around the cities that you give the Levites will extend fifteen hundred feet from the city wall. Outside the city measure off three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand feet on the south side, three thousand feet on the west side, and three thousand feet on the north side, with the city in the center. This will be their pastureland around the city. Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of refuge. You must allow murderers to escape to these cities. In addition, you must also give the Levites forty-two other cities. You will give a total of forty-eight cities with pastureland to the Levites. The cities you give the Levites from the property of the other Israelites must be given based on the amount of land each tribe owns. Take more cities from larger tribes and fewer from smaller tribes.
So, on the west side of the Jordan River they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah. East of the Jordan, on the desert plateau east of Jericho, they chose Bezer in the territory of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh. read more. These were the cities of refuge chosen for all the people of Israel and for any foreigner living among them. Any who killed a person accidentally could find protection there from the one looking for revenge. They could not be killed unless they had first received a public trial.
The leaders of the Levite families went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of all the tribes of Israel. There at Shiloh in the land of Canaan they said to them: Jehovah commanded through Moses that we were to be given cities to live in, as well as pasture land around them for our livestock. read more. So in accordance with Jehovah's command the people of Israel gave the Levites cities and pasturelands out of their own territories. The families of the Levite clan of Kohath were the first to be assigned cities. The families who were descended from Aaron the priest were assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. The rest of the clan of Kohath was assigned ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh. The clan of Gershon was assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh in Bashan. The families of the clan of Merari were assigned twelve cities from the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. By drawing lots, the people of Israel assigned these cities and their pasturelands to the Levites, as Jehovah commanded through Moses. These are the names of the cities from the territories of Judah and Simeon. These were given to the descendants of Aaron who were of the clan of Kohath and who were descended from Levi. Their assignment was the first to be made. They were given the city of Arba. Arba was Anak's father. Arba is now called Hebron. It is in the hill country of Judah, along with the pastureland surrounding it. The fields that were in the city and its towns had already been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession. In addition to Hebron, one of the cities of refuge, the following cities were assigned to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasturelands: nine cities from the tribes of Judah and Simeon. From the territory of Benjamin they were given four cities: Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon, with their pasturelands. Thirteen cities in all, with pasturelands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. The other families of the Levite clan of Kohath were assigned some cities from the territory of Ephraim. They were given four cities: Shechem and its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, one of the cities of refuge, Gezer, Kibzaim, and Beth Horon, with their pasturelands. From the territory of Dan they were given four cities: Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gathrimmon, with pasturelands. From the territory of West Manasseh they were given two cities: Taanach and Gathrimmon, with pasturelands. These families of the clan of Kohath received ten cities in all, with pasturelands. Another group of Levites, the clan of Gershon, received from the territory of East Manasseh two cities: Golan in Bashan, one of the cities of refuge, and Beeshterah, with pasturelands. From the territory of Issachar they received four cities: Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth, and Engannim, with pasturelands. From the territory of Asher they received four cities: Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob, with pasturelands. From the territory of Naphtali they received three cities: Kedesh in Galilee, with pasture lands, one of the cities of refuge, Hammoth-Dor, and Kartan, with pasturelands. The families of the clan of Gershon received a total of thirteen cities with pasturelands. The rest of the Levites, the clan of Merari, received from the territory of Zebulun four cities: Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal, with pasturelands. From the territory of Reuben they received four cities: Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath, with pasturelands. From the tribe of Gad they received four cities: Ramoth in Gilead, with pasturelands, one of the cities of refuge, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer, with pasturelands. The clan of Merari was assigned a total of twelve cities. From the land that the people of Israel possessed, a total of forty-eight cities, with the pasturelands around them, was given to the Levites. Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it.
These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of Jehovah after the ark came to rest there.
David told the Levite leaders to appoint some of their brothers to serve as musicians. They were expected to play music on harps, lyres, and cymbals to produce joyful music for singing.
Because God helped the Levites who carried the Ark of the Jehovah's Covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
These were the descendants of Levi by their families, the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the Temple of Jehovah. For David had said: Since Jehovah, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem from generation to generation, read more. the Levites no longer need to carry the Tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service. According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.
Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.
Many people in the assembly had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean and could not make their lambs holy for Jehovah.
And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah and Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the law clear to the people: and the people kept in their places. They read from the book the Law of God making it clear (translating it), so that their minds were able to take it in.
When a Levite came to the place he saw the man and passed by on the other side.
John gave his witness even as Jewish authorities sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem. They asked him: Who are you?
Joses, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, (this meaning: The son of consolation,) was a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus.
Smith
Le'vites
(descendants of Levi). Sometimes the name extends to the whole tribe, the priests included,
Ex 6:25; Le 25:32; Nu 35:2; Jos 21:3,41
etc; sometimes only to those members of the tribe who were not priests, and as distinguished from them. Sometimes again it is added as an epithet of the smaller portion of the tribe, and we read of "the priests the Levites."
The history of the tribe and of the functions attached to its several orders is essential to any right apprehension of the history of Israel as a people. It will fall naturally into four great periods:-- I. The time of the exodus. --There is no trace of the consecrated character of the Levites till the institution of a hereditary priesthood in the family of Aaron, during the first withdrawal of Moses to the solitude of Sinai.
The next extension of the idea of the priesthood grew out of the terrible crisis of Exod 32. The tribe stood forth separate and apart, recognizing even in this stern work the spiritual as higher than the natural. From this time they occupied a distinct position. The tribe of Levi was to take the place of that earlier priesthood of the first-born as representatives of the holiness of the people. At the time of their first consecration there were 22,000 of them, almost exactly the number of the first-born males in the whole nation. As the tabernacle was the sign of the presence among the people of their unseen King, so the Levites were, among the other tribes of Israel, as the royal guard that waited exclusively on him. It was obviously essential for their work as the bearers and guardians of the sacred tent that there should be a fixed assignment of duties; and now accordingly we meet with the first outlines of the organization which afterward became permanent. The division of the tribe into the three sections that traced their descent from the sons of Levi formed the groundwork of it. The work which they all had to do required a man's full strength, and therefore, though twenty was the starting-point for military service, Numb 1, they were not to enter on their active service till they were thirty.
At fifty they were to be free from all duties but those of superintendence.
(1) The Kohathites, as nearest of kin to the priests, held from the first the highest offices. They were to bear all the vessels of the sanctuary, the ark itself included.
(2) the Gershonites had to carry the tent-hangings and curtains.
(3) The heavier burden of the boards, bars and pillars of the tabernacle fell on the sons of Merari. The Levites were to have no territorial possessions. In place of them they were to receive from the others the tithes of the produce of the land, from which they, in their turn, offered a tithe to the priests, as a recognition of their higher consecration.
Distinctness and diffusion were both to be secured by the assignment to the whole tribe of forty-eight cities, with an outlying "suburb,"
of meadowland for the pasturage of their flocks and herds. The reverence of the people for them was to be heightened by the selection of six of these as cities of refuge. Through the whole land the Levites were to take the place of the old household priests, sharing in all festivals and rejoicings.
De 12:19; 14:26-27; 26:11
Every third year they were to have an additional share in the produce of the land.
De 14:28; 26:12
To "the priests the Levites" was to belong the office of preserving, transcribing and interpreting the law.
De 17:9-12; 31:26
II. The period of the judges. --The successor of Moses, though belonging to another tribe, did all that could be done to make the duty above named a reality. The submission of the Gibeonites enabled him to relieve the tribe-divisions of Gershon and Merari of the most burdensome of their duties. The conquered Hivites became "hewers of wood and drawers of water" for the house of Jehovah and for the congregation.
As soon as the conquerors had advanced far enough to proceed to a partition of the country, the forty-eight cities were assigned to them. III. The monarchy. --When David's kingdom was established, there came a fuller organization of the whole tribe. Their position in relation to the priesthood was once again definitely recognized. In the worship of the tabernacle under David, as afterward in that of the temple, the Levites were the gatekeepers, vergers, sacristans, choristers, of the central sanctuary of the nation. They were, in the language of
to which we may refer as almost the locus classicus on this subject, "to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Jehovah, in the courts, and the chambers, and the purifying of all holy things." They were, besides this, "to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah, and likewise at even." They were, lastly, "to offer" --i.e. to assist the priest in offering-- "all burnt sacrifices to Jehovah in the sabbaths and on the set feasts." They lived for the greater part of the year in their own cities, and came up at fixed periods to take their turn of work.
1-Chronicles/25/1/type/nsb'>1Ch 25:1,1; 26:1
... The educational work which the Levites received for their peculiar duties, no less than their connection, more or less intimate, with the schools of the prophets, would tend to make them the teachers of the others, the transcribers and interpreters of the law, the chroniclers of the times in which they lived. (Thus they became to the Israelites what ministers and teachers are to the people now, and this teaching and training the people in morality and religion was no doubt one of the chief reasons why they were set apart by God from the people, and yet among the people. --ED.) The revolt of the ten tribes, and the policy pursued by Jeroboam, who wished to make the priests the creatures and instruments of the king, and to establish a provincial and divided worship, caused them to leave the cities assigned to them in the territory of Israel, and gather round the metropolis of Judah.
In the kingdom of Judah they were, from this time forward, a powerful body, politically as well as ecclesiastically. IV. After the captivity. --During the period that followed the captivity of the Levites contributed to the formation of the so-called Great Synagogue. They, with the priests, formed the majority of the permanent Sanhedrin, and as such had a large share in the administration of justice even in capital cases. They appear but seldom in the history of the New Testament.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites according to their families.
Jehovah said to Moses: You and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders come up the mountain to me and worship at a distance.
They were in charge of the Ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the utensils used in the holy place, and the screen. They took care of all these things.
When Aaron and his sons finished covering the holy things and the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites will come to carry all the holy articles. They must never touch the holy things, or they will die. The Kohathites will carry all the things from the tent of meeting.
Take a census of the Gershonites. List them by households and families. Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to serve at the tent of meeting.
Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to serve at the tent of meeting. This is what the Gershonite families will do and what they will carry: read more. They will carry the sheets that are part of the inner tent and the tent of meeting. They will also carry the inner cover for the tent of meeting, the outer cover of fine leather that goes over it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains for the courtyard around the tent and the altar, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the equipment used to set up the curtains. The Gershonites will do everything that needs to be done with these things.
Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to serve at the tent of meeting.
They registered all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who were qualified to work at the tent of meeting.
They must retire from active service when they are fifty years old. They may assist the other Levites in their duties at the tent of meeting. But they may not do any regular work. This is how you will handle the Levites' duties.
I have given the Levites one-tenth of every Israelite's income. This is in return for the work they do at the tent of meeting.
Instead, I will give the Levites what the Israelites contribute to Jehovah, one-tenth of the Israelites' income. This is why I said about them: They will own no property as the other Israelites do.
Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'You will take one-tenth of the Israelites' income that I am giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute one-tenth of that income as your contribution to Jehovah.
Tell the Israelites to give the Levites some cities from their own property. They must also give the Levites the pastureland around those cities.
Tell the Israelites to give the Levites some cities from their own property. They must also give the Levites the pastureland around those cities.
Remember to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land.
Use the silver to buy whatever you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, liquor-whatever you choose. Then you and your family will eat and enjoy yourselves there in the presence of Jehovah your God. Do not neglect the Levites who live in your towns. They have no property of their own. read more. At the end of every third year bring the tithe of all your crops and store it in your towns.
Approach the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days. Inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. Act according to the terms of the verdict they declare to you from that place Jehovah chooses. Be careful to abide by all that they teach you. read more. Act according to the verdict and the terms they tell you. Do not turn away from the word they declare to you. The man who acts presumptuously and does not listen to the priest or the judge will die. This way you will purge the evil from Israel. The priests and judges are there to serve Jehovah your God.
You, the Levite and the alien among you will rejoice in all the good Jehovah your God has given you and your household. Finish paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing. Then you shall give it to the Levite, the stranger, and the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
Take this Book of the Law, and put it next to the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah your God, where it will be a witness against you.
The whole congregation of Israel listened. Moses recited all the words of this song:
They commanded the people, saying: When you see the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, you should leave here and follow it.
Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, even to this day, in the place he should choose.
So in accordance with Jehovah's command the people of Israel gave the Levites cities and pasturelands out of their own territories.
From the land that the people of Israel possessed, a total of forty-eight cities, with the pasturelands around them, was given to the Levites.
These were the descendants of Levi by their families, the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the Temple of Jehovah. For David had said: Since Jehovah, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem from generation to generation, read more. the Levites no longer need to carry the Tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service. According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more. The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron's descendants in the service of the Temple of Jehovah: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the House of God. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah. They were to do the same in the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to Jehovah on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve before Jehovah regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them. So the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the Temple of Jehovah.
David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with lyres, harps and cymbals; and the number of those who performed their service was:
David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with lyres, harps and cymbals; and the number of those who performed their service was:
The divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.
The priests and Levites in every region of Israel aligned with Rehoboam. The priests abandoned their land and property and went to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his descendants rejected them as Jehovah's priests.
That we would take the first of our rough meal, and our lifted offerings, and the fruit of every sort of tree, and wine and oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God. The tenth of the produce of our land to the Levites for the Levites, take a tenth in all the towns of our ploughed land.
But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of my sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me. They shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord Jehovah.
Watsons
LEVITES. Under this name may be comprised all the descendants of Levi; but it principally denotes those who were employed in the lowest ministries of the temple, by which they were distinguished from the priests, who, being descended from Aaron, were likewise of the race of Levi by Kohath, but were employed in higher offices. The Levites were descendants of Levi, by Gershom, Kohath, and Merari, excepting the family of Aaron; for the children of Moses had no part in the priesthood, and were only common Levites. God chose the Levites instead of the first-born of all Israel, for the service of his tabernacle and temple, Nu 3:6, &c. They obeyed the priests in the ministrations of the temple, and brought to them wood, water, and other things necessary for the sacrifices. They sung and played on instruments, in the temple, &c; they studied the law, and were the ordinary judges of the country, but subordinate to the priests. God provided for the subsistence of the Levites, by giving them the tithe of corn, fruit, and cattle; but they paid to the priests the tenth of their tithes; and as the Levites possessed no estates in the land, the tithes which the priests received from them were looked upon as the first-fruits which they were to offer to the Lord, Nu 18:21-24. God assigned them for their habitations forty-eight cities, with fields, pastures, and gardens, Numbers 35. Of these thirteen were given to the priests, six of which were cities of refuge, Jos 20:7; 21:19-20, &c. While the Levites were actually employed in the temple, they were subsisted out of the provisions in store there, and out of the daily offerings there made; and if any Levite quitted the place of his abode, to serve the temple, even out of the time of his half-yearly or weekly waiting, he was received there, kept and provided for, in like manner as his other brethren, who were regularly in waiting, De 18:6-8. The consecration of Levites was without much ceremony. They wore no particular habit to distinguish them from the other Israelites, and God ordained nothing particularly for their mourning, 2Ch 29:34. The manner of their consecration may be seen in Nu 8:5-7, &c.
Josephus says, that in the reign of Agrippa, king of the Jews, about A.D. 62, six years before the destruction of the temple by the Romans, the Levites desired permission from that prince to wear the linen tunic like the priests; and this was granted. This innovation was displeasing to the priests; and the Jewish historian remarks, that the ancient customs of the country were never forsaken with impunity. He adds, that Agrippa permitted likewise the families of the Levites, whose duty it was to guard the doors, and perform other troublesome offices, to learn to sing and play on instruments, that they might be qualified for the temple service as musicians. The Levites were divided into different classes: Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, and Aaronites or priests, Numbers 3, &c. The Gershonites, whose number was seven thousand five hundred, were employed in the marches through the wilderness in carrying the veils and curtains of the tabernacle; the Kohathites, whose number was eight thousand six hundred, in carrying the ark and sacred vessels of the tabernacle; the Merarites, whose number was six thousand two hundred, in carrying the several pieces of the tabernacle which could not be placed upon the chariots; and the Aaronites were the priests who served the sanctuary. When the Hebrews encamped in the wilderness, the Levites were placed around the tabernacle; Moses and Aaron at the east, Gershon at the west, Kohath at the south, and Merari at the north. Moses ordained that the Levites should not begin in the service of the tabernacle till they were five-and-twenty years of age, Nu 8:24-26; or, as he says elsewhere, from thirty to fifty years old, Nu 4:3. But David, finding that they were no longer employed in these grosser offices of transporting the vessels of the tabernacle, appointed them to enter on service at the temple at twenty years of age. The priests and Levites waited by turns, weekly, in the temple. They began their weeks on one Sabbath day, and on the Sabbath day in the following week went out of waiting, 1Ch 23:24; 2Ch 21:17; Ezr 3:8. When an Israelite made a religious entertainment in the temple, God required that the Levites should be invited to it, De 12:18-19.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Register all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are qualified to work at the tent of meeting.
Jehovah said to Moses: Separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites. Make them clean. read more. This is what you must do to make them clean: Sprinkle them with water to take away their sins. Make them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean.
From the age of twenty-five each Levite shall perform his duties in the tent of my presence, They must retire from active service when they are fifty years old. read more. They may assist the other Levites in their duties at the tent of meeting. But they may not do any regular work. This is how you will handle the Levites' duties.
I have given the Levites one-tenth of every Israelite's income. This is in return for the work they do at the tent of meeting. The other Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting. Otherwise, they will suffer the consequences of their sin and die. read more. Only the Levites will do the work at the tent of meeting. They are responsible for their own sins. This is a long lasting law for future generations. They will own no property, as the other Israelites will. Instead, I will give the Levites what the Israelites contribute to Jehovah, one-tenth of the Israelites' income. This is why I said about them: They will own no property as the other Israelites do.
You and your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of Jehovah your God at the place he will choose. There in the presence of Jehovah your God enjoy everything for which you have worked. Remember to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land.
Any Levite who wants to may come from any town in Israel to the one place of worship. He may serve there, as a priest of Jehovah his God, like the other Levites who are serving there. read more. He is to receive the same amount of food as the other priests. He may keep everything his family sends him.
So, on the west side of the Jordan River they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.
Thirteen cities in all, with pasturelands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. The other families of the Levite clan of Kohath were assigned some cities from the territory of Ephraim.
These were the descendants of Levi by their families, the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the Temple of Jehovah.
Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.
The second year and third month of their coming to the house of God in Jerusalem Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, took charge of the construction. Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come from the land where they were prisoners to Jerusalem: and the Levites, of twenty years or older, were responsible for overseeing the work of the house of Jehovah.