Jacob and Leah's 3rd Son, Levi From Which the Cohens Come From and Where They Went

  Nadene Goldfoot                                                 

12 sons of Jacob 

Levi and his older brother Simeon had avenged the dishonoring of their sister, Dinah, by slaying the men of Shechem (Gen.34.)which was a bad act for which their descendants would pay.  Shechem's name today is Nablus, located originally between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Eball, an ancient Canaanite town.  It was in Jordanian territory from 1948 to 1967 and has been under control of Israel now.  It dates back to 2,000 BCE and was under Egyptian control then since their 12th dynasty.  It was pillaged by Simeon and Levi.   Shechem then became under territory of Ephraim and was a Levitical city  and a city of refuge.  It became the center of the House of Joseph, where Joseph is buried.  In 1967, 44,000 lived in Shechem.  For decades it has been a center of fanatical Arab nationalism.  A small Jewish community formerly existed there.  

For this act they were rebuked by their father, Jacob, who forecast that their descendants would be scattered throughout Israel because of it. (Gen. 49:7.)                          

                                      Descendants of Jacob-Israel

1   [2] Jacob-Israel d: in Goshen, E. Egypt age 147

.. +Leah b: in Aram m: in Haran m: in Haran

. 2   Reuben

. 2   Simeon

. 2   Levi

..... +Milkah

. 2   [1] Judah

..... +Daughter of Shua

. *2nd Wife of [1] Judah:

..... +Canaanite Woman

. *3rd Wife of [1] Judah:

..... +Tamar

. 2   Issachar

. 2   Zebulun

. 2   Dinah

*2nd Wife of [2] Jacob-Israel:

.. +Rachel m: in Haran m: in Haran

. 2   Joseph b: in Canaan, 18th-16th centuries BCE? Hyksos period (2500-1587 BCE) d: in age 110

..... +Asenath b: in Egypt

. 2   Benjamin

*Friend of [2] Jacob-Israel:

.. +Bilhah

. 2   Dan

. 2   Naphtali

*Friend of [2] Jacob-Israel:

.. +Zilpah

. 2   Gad

. 2   Asher

Nevertheless, in the 2nd Temple Period after 538 BCE, when all contact with gentile women was eschewed, the act of Levi and Simeon was extolled in (Judith 9:2).  This is found in the Catholic text.  

Levi had one daughter, Jochebed, who was the mother of Moses, and 3 sons:  Gershom/Gershon, Kohath, whose son, Amram was  the father of Moses), and Merari.  

Levi died in Egypt at the age of 137. On the Exodus at the 1st census, there was no census taken for the Levites.  

Each family of Levites was assigned specific duties connected with the transport and assembly of the parts of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.  The family of Aaron (only brother of Moses) was singled out for service within the Tabernacle , and then later, at the Temple as Priests in the fullest sense.  

After the conquest of Canaan/Eretz Yisrael, the Levites jobs were to teach the Torah to the people, being therefore excluded from any territorial inheritance, but receiving 48 towns with their environs throughout the country, as well as a tithe of the agricultural produce. 

This arrangement worked a little differently in practice.  Certain towns assigned to the Levites were only captured a long time after the conquest, or not at all, and there is no evidence to show how effective their tithing collection had been.  So, some of the Levites served at High Places (Judg.17) especially in the Northern Kingdom after Israel's king Jeroboam I (930-910 BCE of the tribe of Ephraim) had instituted independent worship.  In his utopian Temple land, Ezekiel replaced the non-Jewish NETHINIM (Nethinim (ha-netinim, הַנְּתִינִים‎, lit. "the given ones", or "subjects"), or Nathinites or Nathineans, was the name given to the Temple assistants in ancient Jerusalem. The term was applied originally in the Book of Joshua (where it is found in its verbal form) to the Gibeonites. with the Levites, but this scheme was never executed. 

                                             

According to Chronicles, when the Temple service was organized traditionally by David, the Levites were divided into groups, each doing different work, like the singers,, instrumentalists, gatekeepers, assistants to the priests during the sacrifice, etc).  Like the priests, every group was divided into 24 sections, each serving for a week at a time. 

In 2nd Temple times (538 BCE and later) , the priests outnumbered the Levites and apparently shared their tithe.  In halakhah, the Levite is regarded as 2nd to the priest at the Reading of the Law, and has the privilege of having the priest's hands before the latter blesses the people.   

Those that were his descendants were known as the Levites.  They were consecrated by their Uncle Moses to serve with the special group at the Tabernacle, and to instruct the people.  

In ancient times, the 1st-born of each family served as priest, but because of the loyalty of the Levites during the incident of the Golden Calf, they replaced the 1st-born role.                                                  

When Jacob was dying, he had gathered all his sons around him and he explained who would take over his position as leader and why.   Simeon, 2nd son and Levi, 3rd son, got the same reading and punishment.  They had been partners in a crime showing their rage and tempers.  Jacob made sure they were to be separated in the new land of Canaan.  Yet, they received special treatment because Moses and Aaron were both Levites, and the Levites were to produce the Cohens, the priests for the Israelites and not receive land.  Instead, they would live with the population, going from home to home while teaching.  The Levites went back to the beginning through the male line.  

 Every male should have been a Cohen and show over 3,000 years later in 2020 that they would have a tag  born on them showing that they were Cohens-from Aaron, the Levite with a J1.  Yet, today only about half of the Jews-the remnants of Judah, bear this.  There are others, such as E-L117, G, QBZ67,  and an occasional I and less frequently, a T.  it showed that something had happened to the original J1 Levite leader and someone else, like a spouse's son, had to take over the role.  

I look back at all this and think that G-d certainly had it figured.  It has taken this long for so much to take place.  So many Jews are losing their grip on who they stand for, who their genes have come from, and care very little about it now-days.  Then there others who have had an awakening.  The opposite has happened to them and they are most interested, caring so much that they are putting their lives on the line.  I often wonder how much our genes have to do with our determinations of who we are.  If we are the miracles of being direct ancestors, how much of our genes still has a hold on our thoughts and actions?  

Our people today have intermarried with each other so much without our own knowledge, that we have been given a lot of double shots of genes.  We are an endogamous people.  On occasion someone has had double genes for genius, etc.  At times it has worked against us with genetic illnesses.  

Tree of Levi

Descendants of Levi

1   Levi

.. +Milkah

.     2   [2] Jochebed

..... +[1] Amram, son of Kohath

.....        3   (1)Mirium, daughter of Amram 

.....             3   (2) Aaron, son of Amram  b: in Egypt c1395 BCE d: in                        Mt. Hor, (Hor Hahar) border of Edom  ......... +Elisheba

.....            3   (3) MOSES b: in Egypt 1391 BCE d: in Canaan, outside-1271 BCE

.........   +Zipporah

. 2   Gershon

.....          3   Livni Laadan

.....     3   Shimei

.  2   Kohath, son of Levi

.....          3  [1] Amram, son of Kohath

......... +[2] Jochebed

Resource;

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/judith/9

The New Standard  Jewish Encyclopedia 

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jacobs-prophecies.html