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לֵוִי

𐤋𐤅𐤉

Lêvîy

H3879 noun

SILEX Entry

Root לוה to join, attach, accompany

Definition

Personal name Levi; by extension, member of the tribe descended from Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel. In genealogical and narrative texts, denotes (a) the third son of Jacob and Leah, (b) his descendants as an Israelite tribe, and (c) individuals or groups identified as Levites, a social and cultic class with particular roles within ancient Israelite society. The name can also function in later sources as a family or clan designation.

Semantic Range

Levi (personal name); Levite (tribal or clan designation); member of the Levitical tribe; person with specific cultic duties; social/class identity within Israel

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root לוה (l-w-h), meaning 'to attach, join, accompany.' The name likely means 'joined, attached.' The word לֵוִי (Levi) is constructed as a personal name, not directly attested as a common noun or participle from the root, but the biblical narrative in Genesis 29:34 offers an etymology linked to Leah's words, 'now my husband will be joined to me.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Originally, לֵוִי refers to an individual—Jacob and Leah's son—and by extension to his descendants, the Levites. In the Torah, Levites are one of Israel's twelve tribal groups, especially noted for their distinctive role in worship, maintaining the sanctuary, and priestly service (Numbers, Deuteronomy). The priestly elite (kohanim) are portrayed as a subset of the Levite tribe, descendants of Aaron. In later Second Temple and post-exilic periods, Levite could signify a specific cultic functionary; by the Persian era, the term also has geographic and social significance as the Levites become associated with specific towns (cf. Joshua 21)." In English Bibles, the term often becomes 'Levi' (the person) or 'Levite' (the group), but this obscures the distinction between descent and functional/cultic office. In the Aramaic texts of Ezra and Daniel, לֵוִי is used for the tribe/class. The concept and identity of Levites developed over time: some texts regard them as a full tribe, others as a social class within Israel. Contemporary translations may use 'Levite(s)' or retain 'Levi' for the patriarch, but these may not fully capture the complexities of the term's connotations in different biblical eras. Later Jewish tradition (post-biblical) further redefined both the religious and genealogical identity of Levites, but this is beyond the biblical lexical scope.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to לִוְיָה; {something attached, i.e. a wreath}; Levite.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לוה (l-w-h) — to join, attach, accompany

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3867 לָוָה the self-joined one
H3878 לֵוִי the Joined-one
H3880 לִוְיָה encircling garland-of
H3881 לֵוִיִּי Joined-One
H3882 לִוְיָתָן coiled sea-dragon

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3879-01 וְ/לֵוָיֵ֜/א velevaye AC/Ngmpd/Td and the Levites and the joined-ones 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3879-01 Ezra 6:16 וְ/לֵוָיֵ֜/א velevaye AC/Ngmpd/Td and the Levites and the joined-ones
H3879-01 Ezra 6:18 וְ/לֵוָיֵ/א֙ velevaye AC/Ngmpd/Td and the Levites and the joined-ones
H3879-01 Ezra 7:13 וְ/לֵוָיֵ֗/א velevaye AC/Ngmpd/Td and Levites and the joined-ones
H3879-01 Ezra 7:24 וְ֠/לֵוָיֵ/א velevaye AC/Ngmpd/Td and-Levites and the joined-ones
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