Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “the Levites”
Levites
The Levites were members of the Israelite tribe descended from Levi, the son of Jacob. Rather than receiving land as an inheritance, they were set apart for the work of the tabernacle and the temple. Among them, the descendants of Aaron became priests.
Levitical Cities
The Levitical cities were the forty-eight cities, together with their surrounding pasturelands, that the tribes of Israel set aside as dwelling places for the tribe of Levi, which received no land as an inheritance. The six cities of refuge were among them.
Uzzi
Uzzi was the overseer of the Levites living in Jerusalem after the return from exile. He was the son of Bani and belonged to the descendants of Asaph, the family responsible for singing in the temple (Nehemiah 11:22).
Temple Gatekeepers
The temple gatekeepers were Levites who guarded the gates of the tabernacle and the temple in Jerusalem and oversaw entry, the storehouses, and the temple furnishings. They are described most fully in 1 Chronicles and also appear in Psalm 84:10, a psalm of the sons of Korah.
Jeshua (Levite)
Jeshua was a leader of the Levites who returned from the Babylonian exile. He oversaw the rebuilding of the temple, and in the time of Nehemiah he helped explain the Law to the people and led a prayer of repentance.
Chenaniah
Chenaniah was a chief of the Levites who directed and taught the singing when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He appears in 1 Chronicles 15.
Levi (Son of Jacob)
Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah and the ancestor of the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses and Aaron, as well as the Levites and priests who served in the tabernacle and the temple, were all his descendants.
Bezer
Bezer was a Reubenite city on the plain east of the Jordan River. It was one of the three cities of refuge that Moses set apart and was also a city given to the Levites.
Hananiah (Ruler of the Citadel)
Hananiah was the ruler of the citadel (fortress) of Jerusalem mentioned in Nehemiah 7:2. After the city wall was rebuilt, Nehemiah placed Jerusalem in his charge together with Nehemiah's brother Hanani. Scripture describes him as a faithful man who feared God above many.
Nethinim
The Nethinim were a group who assisted the Levites in the temple at Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian exile. They appear chiefly in Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 Chronicles.
Joshua 21
Joshua 21 records how the Levites received by lot forty-eight cities, together with their surrounding pasturelands, in which to dwell among the inheritances of the other tribes. The chapter closes by summarizing that God had fulfilled all His promises of land and rest.
Numbers 35
Numbers 35 contains the ordinance granting the Levites forty-eight cities with their surrounding pasturelands, the system of six cities of refuge that protects those who have killed someone unintentionally, and the principles for judging cases of homicide.
1 Chronicles 15
In this chapter David has the Levites carry the Ark of the Covenant and appoints singers and musicians, and the ark is brought from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David. The chapter ends with Michal despising David as he dances.
Nehemiah 12
Nehemiah 12 lists the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel and gives the genealogy of the high priests. It then records the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem and the arrangements for the storehouses that supplied those who served in the temple.
Numbers 18
Numbers 18 distinguishes the duties of the priests from those of the Levites and establishes the portion the priests are to receive, the tithe given to the Levites, and the "tithe of the tithe" that the Levites in turn offer.
1 Chronicles 26
1 Chronicles 26 continues the record of the duties assigned to the Levites in the time of David. It lists the divisions of the temple gatekeepers and the assignment of gates by lot, the men in charge of the treasuries and the dedicated things, and the officers and judges responsible for affairs outside the temple.
Numbers 3
Numbers 3 records the genealogy of Aaron's sons and the tribe of Levi. It sets apart the Levites as those given to God in place of Israel's firstborn, assigns each Levite family its camp position and tabernacle duties, and then numbers both the Levites and the firstborn, requiring a redemption price for the difference.
Numbers 8
Numbers 8 records how Aaron is to light the seven lamps of the lampstand, the rite by which the Levites are cleansed and presented to the LORD, and the age limits for Levitical service.
2 Chronicles 23
2 Chronicles 23 tells how the priest Jehoiada gathered the captains of hundreds and the Levites, made the hidden prince Joash king in the temple, and put to death Athaliah, who had seized the throne. He then renewed the covenant, and the people abolished the worship of Baal.
Nehemiah 13
The final chapter of the Book of Nehemiah, recording the reforms Nehemiah carried out after returning from the royal court: concerning the temple chambers, the portions due to the Levites, trade on the Sabbath, and marriages with foreigners.