Levi
Levi (patriarch)
Born 1755 BC traditional (Jones)
The third son of Jacob by Leah. The origin of the name is found in Leah’s words (Gen. 29:34), “This time will my husband be joined [Heb. yillaveh] unto me.” He is mentioned as taking a prominent part in avenging his sister Dinah (Gen. 34:25-31).
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897).
- The 24th generation from Adam, counting Adam as the first.
- Born in the era of the Patriarchs, 1996–1707 BC.
- Named in the same verses as Simeon, Gershon, Jacob, Kohath, Merari, Reuben, Issachar, and Judah.
Computed from the data. Years are traditional (Jones).
Family
Two generations up and the children; a button shows the grandchildren. Gold lines join partners; grey lines run from parent to child; a dotted line marks a parent named in the text but not by descent.
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Stories
4 events in which Levi takes part, in order of the traditional chronology. Years are traditional (Jones).
- 1755 BCBirth of LeviGen 29:34
- 1727 BCJoseph sold to EgyptGen 37:3-36
- 1707 BC7 years of famineGen 41:54–43:34
- 1705 BCJoseph's brothers return to EgyptGen 43:1–45:28
Timeline
The strip runs from Creation to AD 100; the shaded part, 1780–1663 BC, is drawn below at a larger scale around these mentions, with 5 contemporaries. Years are traditional (Jones), shown as recorded, not as settled fact.
Mentions
12 tagged verses in 5 books. Select a book to read its verses.
Later verses tagged with Levi are about the tribe of Levi, not the man: 52 verses, counted separately.
The name in each translation
| Text | Occurrences of each name |
|---|---|
| BSB | Levi 66 |
| KJV | Levi 72 |
| ASV | Levi 74 |
Whole-word, case-sensitive count of the name string (regex \bName\b, so possessives like "Abraham's" count) across the whole Bible text of each translation; this counts the string, not the person, so other people who share the name are included and pronoun references are not. How Begat counts
Every verse
All 12 tagged verses, by book, in canonical order. The Berean Standard Bible is shown; switch to the King James or American Standard Version.
Genesis6 verses
- 29:34
Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.
- 34:25
Three days later, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and slaughtered every male.
- 34:30
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
- 35:23
The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
- 46:11
The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
- 49:5
Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.
Exodus1 verse
- 1:2
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
1 Kings1 verse
- 12:31
Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites.
1 Chronicles3 verses
Nehemiah1 verse
- 12:23
As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
The full entry, public domain, as printed in 1897.
The third son of Jacob by Leah. The origin of the name is found in Leah’s words (Gen. 29:34), “This time will my husband be joined [Heb. yillaveh] unto me.” He is mentioned as taking a prominent part in avenging his sister Dinah (Gen. 34:25-31). He and his three sons went down with Jacob (46:11) into Egypt, where he died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years (Ex. 6:16).