Levite
A Levite or Levi[2] (Hebrew language: לֵוִי) is a Jewish male descended from the Tribe of Levi on the father's side.[3]
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~500,000–600,000 worldwide[a] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Israel | 240,000 |
 United States | 200,000 |
 France | 16,000 |
 Canada | 12,000 |
| Languages | |
| Vernacular: Hebrew, English Historical: Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism, Samaritanism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Jews, Samaritans | |
Levites are the descendants of the Tribe of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Levites are integrated in Jewish and Samaritan communities, but keep a distinct status. There are estimated 300,000 Levites among Ashkenazi Jewish communities.[1] Total percentage of Levites among Jews is about 4%. | |
The Levites of the Book of Leviticus were priests. In that book and the Book of Numbers they help Moses make prayers to God in the tabernacle (a holy tent).
References
- ↑ Behar, Doron M.; Saag, Lauri; Karmin, Monika; Gover, Meir G.; Wexler, Jeffrey D.; Sanchez, Luisa Fernanda; Greenspan, Elliott; Kushniarevich, Alena; Davydenko, Oleg; Sahakyan, Hovhannes; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Boattini, Alessio; Sarno, Stefania; Pagani, Luca; Carmi, Shai; Tzur, Shay; Metspalu, Ene; Bormans, Concetta; Skorecki, Karl; Metspalu, Mait; Rootsi, Siiri; Villems, Richard (2017). "The genetic variation in the R1a clade among the Ashkenazi Levites' y chromosome". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 14969. Bibcode:2017NatSR...714969B. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14761-7. PMC 5668307. PMID 29097670.
- ↑ "Levite synonyms, Levite antonyms".
Synonyms for Levite ... noun a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi .. the branch that provided male assistants to ...
- ↑ "Membership in the Levites is determined by paternal descent." "Medical Definition of Levite". Archived from the original on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2017-02-19.