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The Tribe of Levi was one of the tribes of Israel, traditionally descended from Levi, son of Jacob, the patriarch of the Israelites. Moses and his brother, Aaron, were both descendants of the Tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan (Joshua 13:33), the Sons of Levi were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel Himself is their inheritance" (Deuteronomy 18:2).〔, cited in 〕 The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites and had political responsibilities as well. In return, the landed tribes were expected to give tithe to the Cohanim, particularly the tithe known as the Maaser Rishon. The Cohanim were the priests. They performed the work in the Temple. The Levites who were not Cohanim played music in the Temple or served as guards. Notable descendants of the Levite dynasty according to the Bible include Miriam, Samuel, Ezekiel, Ezra, and Malachi. The descendants of Aaron, who was the first ''kohen gadol'', high priest, of Israel, were designated as the priestly class, the Kohanim. As such, Kohanim and Levites comprise family dynasties within the tribe of Levi to this day, integrated in Jewish and Samaritan societies. ==In the Bible== The tribe is named after Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (also called Israel). Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (). Kohath's son Amram was the father of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. The descendants of Aaron: the ''Kohanim'' ("Priests"), had the special role as priests in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and also in the Temple in Jerusalem. The remaining Levites (''Levi'yim'' in Hebrew), divided into three groups (the descendants of Gershon, or Gershonites, the descendants of Kohath, or Kohathites, and the descendants of Merari, or Merarites) each filled different roles in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple services. Levites' principal roles in the Temple included singing Psalms during Temple services, performing construction and maintenance for the Temple, serving as guards, and performing other services. Levites also served as teachers and judges, maintaining cities of refuge in Biblical times. The Book of Ezra reports that the Levites were responsible for the construction of the Second Temple and also translated and explained the Torah when it was publicly read. In Egypt the Levites were the only tribe that remained committed to God. During the Exodus the Levite tribe were particularly zealous in protecting the Mosaic law in the face of those worshipping the Golden Calf, which may have been a reason for their priestly status.〔From quoting 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tribe of Levi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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