לֵוִי
Levite
BDB lists 2 entries for ‘Levite’ fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Gentilic
- A noun naming a member of a people, tribe, or region of origin (e.g. an Israelite, a Moabite).
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Every verse where H3881 appears in the Book of 2 Chronicles — 59 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
2 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles 5:4 הַ/לְוִיִּ֖ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp All the elders of Israel came: and the Levites took up the ark;
- 2 Chronicles 5:5 הַ/לְוִיִּֽם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp and they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; these did the priests the Levites bring up.
- 2 Chronicles 5:12 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֣ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brothers, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them one hundred twenty priests sounding with trumpets;)
- 2 Chronicles 7:6 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֞ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The priests stood, according to their offices; the Levites also with instruments of music of Yahweh, which David the king had made to give thanks to Yahweh, (for his loving kindness endures for ever), when David praised by their ministry: and the priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel stood.
- 2 Chronicles 8:14 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֣ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
- 2 Chronicles 8:15 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֛ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp They didn't depart from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
- 2 Chronicles 11:13 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border.
- 2 Chronicles 11:14 הַ/לְוִיִּ֗ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office to Yahweh;
- 2 Chronicles 13:9 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֑ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Haven't you driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made you priests after the manner of the peoples of [other] lands? so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, the same may be a priest of [those who are] no gods.
- 2 Chronicles 13:10 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֖ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and [we have] priests ministering to Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work:
- 2 Chronicles 17:8 הַ/לְוִיִּ֗ם הַ/לְוִיִּ֑ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.
- 2 Chronicles 19:8 הַ/לְוִיִּ֣ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers' [houses] of Israel, for the judgment of Yahweh, and for controversies. They returned to Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 19:11 הַ/לְוִיִּ֖ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Yahweh; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Yahweh be with the good.
- 2 Chronicles 20:14 הַ/לֵּוִ֖י ptcl def.art + n Gentilic ms Then on Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of Yahweh in the midst of the assembly;
- 2 Chronicles 20:19 הַ/לְוִיִּ֛ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice.
- 2 Chronicles 23:2 הַ/לְוִיִּם֙ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp They went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' [houses] of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 23:4 וְ/לַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם conj + prep det + n Gentilic mp This is the thing that you shall do: a third part of you, who come in on the Sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the thresholds;
- 2 Chronicles 23:6 לַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם prep det + n Gentilic mp But let none come into the house of Yahweh, save the priests, and those who minister of the Levites; they shall come in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the charge of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 23:7 הַ/לְוִיִּ֨ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be slain: and be you with the king when he comes in, and when he goes out.
- 2 Chronicles 23:8 הַ/לְוִיִּ֜ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men, those who were to come in on the Sabbath; with those who were to go out on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest didn't dismiss the shift.
- 2 Chronicles 23:18 הַ/לְוִיִּם֮ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of Yahweh under the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of Yahweh, to offer the burnt offerings of Yahweh, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David.
- 2 Chronicles 24:5 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּם֒ הַֽ/לְוִיִּֽם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year; and see that you hasten the matter. However the Levites didn't hurry.
- 2 Chronicles 24:6 הַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, Why haven't you required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?
- 2 Chronicles 24:11 הַ/לְוִיִּם֒ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp It was so, that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
- 2 Chronicles 29:4 הַ/לְוִיִּ֑ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp He brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east,
- 2 Chronicles 29:5 הַ/לְוִיִּ֑ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp and said to them, Hear me, you Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
- 2 Chronicles 29:12 הַ֠/לְוִיִּם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Then the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;
- 2 Chronicles 29:16 הַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the court of the house of Yahweh. The Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.
- 2 Chronicles 29:25 הַ/לְוִיִּ֜ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp He set the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Yahweh by his prophets.
- 2 Chronicles 29:26 הַ/לְוִיִּם֙ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
- 2 Chronicles 29:30 לַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם prep det + n Gentilic mp Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
- 2 Chronicles 29:34 הַ/לְוִיִּ֗ם הַ/לְוִיִּם֙ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
- 2 Chronicles 30:15 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֤ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Then they killed the Passover on the fourteenth [day] of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 30:16 הַ/לְוִיִּֽם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp They stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood [which they received] of the hand of the Levites.
- 2 Chronicles 30:17 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֞ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 30:21 הַ/לְוִיִּ֧ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day by day, [singing] with loud instruments to Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 30:22 הַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Hezekiah spoke comfortably to all the Levites who had good understanding [in the service] of Yahweh. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
- 2 Chronicles 30:25 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out of Israel, and the foreigners who came out of the land of Israel, and who lived in Judah, rejoiced.
- 2 Chronicles 30:27 הַ/לְוִיִּם֙ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.
- 2 Chronicles 31:2 וְ֠/הַ/לְוִיִּם וְ/לַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp conj + prep det + n Gentilic mp Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites after their divisions, every man according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace-offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 31:4 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֑ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Moreover he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 31:9 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֖ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
- 2 Chronicles 31:12 הַ/לֵּוִ֔י ptcl def.art + n Gentilic ms They brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: and over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second.
- 2 Chronicles 31:14 הַ/לֵּוִי֙ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic ms Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east [gate], was over the freewill-offerings of God, to distribute the offerings of Yahweh, and the most holy things.
- 2 Chronicles 31:17 וְ/הַ֨/לְוִיִּ֔ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp and those who were reckoned by genealogy of the priests by their fathers' houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their offices by their divisions;
- 2 Chronicles 31:19 בַּ/לְוִיִּֽם prep + n Gentilic mp Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men who were mentioned by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites.
- 2 Chronicles 34:9 הַ/לְוִיִּם֩ ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp They came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 34:12 הַ/לְוִיִּם֙ וְ/הַ֨/לְוִיִּ֔ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and [others of] the Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music.
- 2 Chronicles 34:13 וּ/מֵֽ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם conj + prep + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all who did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.
- 2 Chronicles 34:30 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֔ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 35:3 לַ֠/לְוִיִּם prep det + n Gentilic mp He said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to Yahweh, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; there shall no more be a burden on your shoulders: now serve Yahweh your God, and his people Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 35:5 לַ/לְוִיִּֽם prep det + n Gentilic mp Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of your brothers the children of the people, and [let there be for each] a portion of a fathers' house of the Levites.
- 2 Chronicles 35:8 וְ/לַ/לְוִיִּ֖ם conj + prep det + n Gentilic mp His princes gave for a freewill-offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand and six hundred [small cattle], and three hundred oxen.
- 2 Chronicles 35:9 הַ/לְוִיִּ֑ם לַ/לְוִיִּ֤ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp prep det + n Gentilic mp Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings five thousand [small cattle], and five hundred oxen.
- 2 Chronicles 35:10 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֥ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites by their divisions, according to the king's commandment.
- 2 Chronicles 35:11 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֖ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp They killed the Passover, and the priests sprinkled [the blood which they received] of their hand, and the Levites flayed them.
- 2 Chronicles 35:14 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּם֙ conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp Afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron [were busied] in offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night: therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
- 2 Chronicles 35:15 הַ/לְוִיִּ֖ם ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp The singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters were at every gate: they didn't need to depart from their service; for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.
- 2 Chronicles 35:18 וְ/הַ/לְוִיִּ֤ם conj + ptcl def.art + n Gentilic mp There was no Passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did any of the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
לויי — transliterated Lêvîyîy — is a Hebrew name carrying the sense “Levite.” Its earliest occurrence is Exodus 4:14. Spanning 258 verses in 16 books, it ranks among the common words of the Hebrew Bible. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3881 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 258
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 258 distinct verses.
- 16 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 16 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #174
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 174 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 258 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- 2 Chronicles 59 verses 23%
- Numbers 48 verses 19%
- Nehemiah 37 verses 14%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 258 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 147 verses · 57%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 72 verses · 28%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 39 verses · 15%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Levites 231×, Levite 22×, All the levites 4×
- American Standard Version†: Levites 214×, Levite 23×, ' houses of the levites 5×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Levites 208×, Levite 33×, Levitical 14×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Levites 242×, Levite 28×, Levites were 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3881 across 286† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 22 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3881 across 285† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 32 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H3881 across 281† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 17 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 10 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3881 across 286† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
15 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 15 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
לויי I m. Levi (√ and meaning dubious
- 1.
- a. Levi, son of Jacob and Leah, as individual, Gn 29:34; 34:25, 30; 35:23; 49:5 (all J); 35:23; 46:11; Ex 1:2; 6:16(×2) Nu 3:17; 16:1 (all P); 1 Ch 2:1; 5:22; 6:1, 4, 23, 28, 32; 23:6 Ezr 8:18; so בַּת־ל׳ [אֶת־] Ex 2:1 (E), Nu 26:59 (P). e.g. Genesis 29:34
- b. as head of a family of descendants, in phr. בֵּית לֵוִי Ex 2:1 (E), and (with ref. to tribe; late) Nu 17:23, מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית ל׳ Zc 12:13. e.g. Exodus 2:1
- c. often בְּנֵי(־)ל׳ Ex 32:26, 28 (E), Jos 21:10 (P), בְּנֵי(־)ל׳ with tribal ref. Nu 3:15; 4:2; 18:21 (charged with service of tabern., and hence to receive tithes; all P); as priests הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי Dt 21:5; 31:9, cf. Mal 3:3, and לֹא הָיוּ מִבְּנֵי ל׳ 1 K 12:31; from the בְּנֵי ל׳ the Zadokites are selected as priests Ez 40:46; according to 1 Ch 9:18 23:24, 27 בְּנֵי ל׳ are subordinate officials in temple (cf. v 28 f.), cf. 24:20; sharply disting. from priests Ezr 8:15, Ne 12:23 (cf. v 22); so also in later stratum of story of Korah’s revolt Nu 16:7, 8, 10 (P2). e.g. Exodus 32:26
- 2. as name of tribe, שֵׁבֶט ל׳ Dt 18:1 (priestly tribe), מַטֵּה ל׳ Nu 1:49 (in charge of tabern.), 3:6; 18:2 (ministers unto Aaron); לֵוִי alone = (tribe of) Levi Dt 27:12; 33:8 (earlier poem), Nu 26:58 (P), Ez 48:31; Mal 2:4 (priestly tribe, cf. v 1), 1 Ch 21:6; 27:17; מַטֵּה ל׳ = rod of (the tribe of) Levi Nu 17:18 (P); also (no inheritance, because charged with service of tabernacle) Dt 10:9. e.g. Deuteronomy 18:1
לויי II Levite
- 1. sg. of individual, אִישׁ ל׳ Ju 19:1 a certain Levite; pred. וְהוּא ל׳ Ju 17:1 and he was a Levite, so v 9; c. art. הַלּ׳ as subst. the Levite Ex 4:14 (J), Ju 17:10, 11, 12, 13 (as priest), Dt 18:6; 2 Ch 20:14; 31:12, 14, Ezr 10:15; הַנַּעַר הַלּ׳ Ju 18:3, 15; הָאִישׁ הַלּ׳ 20:4. e.g. Judges 19:1
- 2. c. art. הַלֵּוִי as subst. coll. the Levites: Ex 6:19; Nu 3:20, 32; 26:57 (all P); 18:23 (P; charged with service of tabern.); especially D, Dt 12:12, 18, 19; 14:27, 29; 16:1, 14; 26:10, 12, 13; also 1 Ch 24:6; Mal 2:8 (as priestly tribe), שֵׁבֶט הַלּ׳ Dt 10:8 tribe of the Levites (set apart for service), cf. Jos 13:14, 33; 1 Ch 23:14; בְּנֵי־הַלֵּוִי 1 Ch 12:27 (van d. H. v 26) sons of the Levites (i.e. of the tribe); so Ne 10:40 (as tithe-collectors); בֵּית הַלֵּוִי ψ 135:20 house (family, tribe) of the Levites e.g. Exodus 6:19
- 3. pl. לְוִיִּם chiefly Chr and P;—always c. art. הַֽלְוִיִּם except sf. לְוִיֵּנוּ Ne 10:1; the art. is om. by 𝔊𝔙 and most in Is 66:21; always = subst. Levites;— e.g. Nehemiah 10:1
- A.
- a. earlier usage:—as bearing the ark 1 S 6:15; 2 S 15:24; Dt 31:25, so (with priests) 1 K 8:4 = 2 Ch 5:5 (ℌ הכהנים הַל׳; read prob. וְהַל׳ as in K, 𝔊𝔖𝔙 cf. Öt VB); also 1 Ch 15:2, 26, 27; 23:26; 2 Ch 5:4 (for הכהנים ‖ 1 K 8:3). e.g. 1 Samuel 6:15
- b. not disting. from priests by D: הַכֹּהֲנִים הַל׳ Dt 17:9, 18; 18:1; 24:8; 27:9, Jos 3:3; 8:33 (both D; as bearing ark), also Je 33:18, 21 (הַל׳ הַכּ׳), Ez 43:19; 44:15; cf. Dt 18:7; 27:14 Je 33:22; הַכּ׳ הַל׳ likewise 2 Ch 23:18; 30:27 (but read prob. וְהַל׳ after 𝔊𝔖𝔙, cf. Öt and infr.) e.g. Deuteronomy 17:9
- c. as tribal designation, Ex 6:25; Nu 3:39; 4:18, 46; Jos 21:1 (all P), 1 Ch 9:33, 34; 15:12; 2 Ch 35:5; Ne 11:15, 16; 12:24; with ref. to share in land Lv 25:32(×2), 33(×2) (H), Nu 1:47; 2:33; Jos 14:3, 4; 21:3, 4, 8, 20, 27, 34, 38, 39 (all P), 18:7 (D), 1 Ch 6:49; cf. also 2 Ch 11:14†. e.g. Exodus 6:25
- d. set apart for service in tabern., Ex 38:21; Nu 1:50, 51(×2), 53(×2); 2:17; 7:5, 6; 8:6 + 18 times Nu 8 (all P), cf. 1 Ch 6:33; 16:4; ministers to Aaron and his sons Nu 3:9; 8:19; 18:6 (P); set apart for י׳ (as redemption for first-born) Nu 3:12(×2) + 7 times Nu 3 (P); with certain perquisites Nu 18:24, 26, 30 + 9 times Nu (P). e.g. Exodus 38:21
- B. in Chr. the tribal idea is in the background, and thought of Levites as official class is prominent:
- a. disting. from priests הַכּ׳ וְהַל׳ 1 Ch 9:14 (cf. v 10), 13:2; 15:4, 11, 14; 23:2; 24:6, 31 + 67 times Chr.; also Is 66:21 (according to Vrss., but dub.), Ez 44:10; 45:5 (cf. v 4), 48:11, 12, 13, 22. e.g. 1 Chronicles 9:14
- b. as porters, 1 Ch 9:26; 26:17, cf. 34:9; as in charge of music, 1 Ch 15:16, 17, 22 2 Ch 5:12; 29:25, 30; 34:12 Ne 12:27; yet disting. from porters and singers, Ne 7:1; 13:5, 10; disting. also from נְתִינִים 1 Ch 9:2; Ezr 8:20; Ne 10:29; further (with various official functions) 1 Ch 9:31 + 29 times Chr.; of groups of individuals, 2 Ch 17:8(×2); 29:12; 34:12 Ezr 2:40 = Ne 7:43, Ezr 8:33; Ne 3:17; 9:5; 10:10; 12:8, also 8:7 (om. וְ; 𝔙 BeRy Ryle). e.g. 1 Chronicles 9:26
- c. בְּנֵי־הַלְוִיִּם 1 Ch 15:15 (bearing ark), 24:30 (tribal designation).—See, on Levites, especially GfGesch. d. Stammes Levi in MeArchiv i. 68 ff. 208 ff. WeProl. Cap. iv RSOTJC. 435 f., 2nd ed., 360 f. BauPriesterthum 50 f., 68 f., and often e.g. 1 Chronicles 15:15
- A.
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.pr.m. Levi (√ and meaning dubious; Gn 29:34 (J) interpr. as joined, i.e. husband to wife; Nu 18:2, 4 (P; appar. in word-play) of Levites as joined to, attendant upon, Aaron; orig. as attached to, accompanying Isr. from Egypt, LagOr ii. 20 f.; as attached to, attending upon the ark, BauPriest. 74; in this case i. לֵוִי would be derived from ii. לֵוִי in priestly sense; HomA. u. A. 1890, 30 f. proposes Minaean לוא, lauʾân, priest, cf. Id.Süd-Arabic Chrest. 127; ag. all such views v. KauSK 1890, 771 f.; WeProl. ed. 5, 141; Hist. Isr. 145 StaZAW i (1881), 112 ff. GrayProp. Names, p. 96, cf. NöZMG xl (1886), 167, make לֵוִי n. gent. from לֵאָה (q.v.); cf. a further sugg. WeSkizzen iii. 114)—𝔊 Λευ(ε)ι(ν);—
II. adj.gent. Levite;—לֵוִי, 40 times; pl. לְוִיִּם 250 times; sf. 1 pl. לְוִיֵּנוּ Ne 10:1;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from לוי (Lêvîy) (H3878) — Levi.
Forms in the corpus
The 77 distinct written forms H3881 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 17 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H3881, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Levite). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
A descendant of the tribe of Levi (Ex. 6:25; Lev. 25:32; Num. 35:2; Josh. 21:3, 41). This name is, however, generally used as the title of that portion of the tribe which was set apart for the subordinate offices of the sanctuary service (1 Kings 8:4; Ezra 2:70), as assistants to the priests.
When the Israelites left Egypt, the ancient manner of worship was still observed by them, the eldest son of each house inheriting the priest's office. At Sinai the first change in this ancient practice was made. A hereditary priesthood in the family of Aaron was then instituted (Ex. 28:1). But it was not till that terrible scene in connection with the sin of the golden calf that the tribe of Levi stood apart and began to occupy a distinct position (Ex. 32). The religious primogeniture was then conferred on this tribe, which henceforth was devoted to the service of the sanctuary (Num. 3:11-13). They were selected for this purpose because of their zeal for the glory of God (Ex. 32:26), and because, as the tribe to which Moses and Aaron belonged, they would naturally stand by the lawgiver in his work.
The Levitical order consisted of all the descendants of Levi's three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; whilst Aaron, Amram's son (Amram, son of Kohat), and his issue constituted the priestly order.
The age and qualification for Levitical service are specified in Num. 4:3, 23, 30, 39, 43, 47.
They were not included among the armies of Israel (Num. 1:47; 2:33; 26:62), but were reckoned by themselves. They were the special guardians of the tabernacle (Num. 1:51; 18:22-24). The Gershonites pitched their tents on the west of the tabernacle (3:23), the Kohathites on the south (3:29), the Merarites on the north (3:35), and the priests on the east (3:38). It was their duty to move the tent and carry the parts of the sacred structure from place to place. They were given to Aaron and his sons the priests to wait upon them and do work for them at the sanctuary services (Num. 8:19; 18:2-6).
As being wholly consecrated to the service of the Lord, they had no territorial possessions. Jehovah was their inheritance (Num. 18:20; 26:62; Deut. 10:9; 18:1, 2), and for their support it was ordained that they should receive from the other tribes the tithes of the produce of the land. Forty-eight cities also were assigned to them, thirteen of which were for the priests "to dwell in", i.e., along with their other inhabitants. Along with their dwellings they had "suburbs", i.e., "commons", for their herds and flocks, and also fields and vineyards (Num. 35:2-5). Nine of these cities were in Judah, three in Naphtali, and four in each of the other tribes (Josh. 21). Six of the Levitical cities were set apart as "cities of refuge" (q.v.). Thus the Levites were scattered among the tribes to keep alive among them the knowledge and service of God. (See PRIEST.)
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 220 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 258 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Exodus 4:14
- Leviticus 25:32
- Numbers 1:47
- Deuteronomy 12:12
- Joshua 3:3
- Judges 17:7
- 1 Samuel 6:15
- 2 Samuel 15:24
- 1 Kings 8:4
- 1 Chronicles 6:19
- 2 Chronicles 5:4
- Ezra 1:5
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.