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:This article discusses the Biblical patriarch. 
For Levi Strauss, the inventor of jeans, see Levi
Strauss. For Levites, see Levite. or names and
familynames, see Levi (uation).

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Levi or Levy (לֵוִי
Standard Hebrew Levi, Tiberian Hebrew Lēwî)
was the founder of the Levite tribe of ancient
Israel.  He was a son of Leah and Jacob, also
known as Israel, who was in turn a son of Isaac,
the son of Abraham.  

The Bible describes Levi as a clever but ferocious
politician and soldier, prone to fits of anger.
The Bible tells of when Shechem (a Hivites|Hivite)
had raped Levi's sister, Dinah. When Shechem came
to request to be given Dinah as a wife, Levi with
his brother Simeon agreed to the marriage on the
condition that the Hivites be circumcised. Shechem
agreed to this, but on the third day after the
mass circumcision, while the Hivites were still
sore, Levi and Simeon led an attack on the Hivite
city and killed all the Hivite men and
appropriated their wealth (Gen 34). He was also
involved in the plot to kill his half brother
Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph. Jacob refused to
make Levi his heir on account of his anger (Gen
49:5).

Levi had three sons; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
According to the Bible, Levi lived to be 137 years
old (Ex 6:16).

The most famous descendant of Levi was Moses, who
received the law from God on Mt. Sinai in the Book
of Exodus.  His brother, Aaron, became the first
Levite High-priest of Israel, known as a Kohen -
Gadol.

== See also ==

* Levi (uation)
* Levy, Levin, Lewy, Lewi

* Alexander Levi