A son of Jacob (Gen. 29: 34) whose name was taken by one of the
six tribes who claimed to trace their ancestry back to Jacob's
wife Leah. The Levites did not participate in the country's
share‐out by Joshua (Josh. 13–19) but were regarded as chosen
for the cult (Josh. 18: 7) in various minor capacities (1 Kgs.
8: 4; 1 Chron. 9: 26). They did not enjoy the priestly status of
those descended from Aaron (Ezek. 44: 10–14) through Zadok
(Ezek. 40: 46). This distinction is traced to Moses himself by
the post‐exilic P (Num. 18: 2).