Levi

Meaning: "Attached" Leah believed that having given birth to another son, Jacob would become attached to her.

Symbol: Breastplate of the high priest

Stone/Color: Not represented on the breastplate / Often associated with the tabernacle colors: gold, purple, blue, and red.

Family: Third son of Jacob, born to Leah

Size: First Census: Not counted with the other tribes because they were caretakers of the tabernacle, not fighting men. They were counted separately and numbered 22,000. Second Census: 23,000.

Location: Joshua gave them 48 towns throughout the Promised Land in which to live and serve as ministers of the law among the tribes.

Jacob's Blessing: Along with his brother Simeon, Levi attacked the people of the city of Shechem to avenge the assault on his sister Dinah (Gen. 34:24-31). Jacob rebuked them for the attack (Gen. 49:5-7).

Moses' Blessing: "Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands" (Deut. 33:11).

Notable: The priests were chosen from the tribe of Levi. Levites who were not chosen to be priests, however, still participated in caretaking of the tabernacle (Num. 3:5-10). Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest wore the breastpale with the precious stones and entered the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle. He sprinkled a sacrified animal's blood on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant to atone for the people's sins (Lev. 16). The Levites sided with the Southern Kingdom of Judah and migrated to Jerusalem after the Northern Kingdom engaged in idol worship and rejected the Levites as priests

(2 Chron. 11:13-47). When the Jews returned to the land after exile, Ezra had to send a special delegation to persuade some of the Levites to return (Ezra 8:15-36). Moses. Aaron (the first high priest), Miriam, Ezra, Ezekiel, John the Baptist, and Barnabas were from the tribe of Levi.