Tribe of Levi

Most scholars view the Torah as projecting the origins of the Levites into the past to explain their role as landless cultic functionaries.

[2] Notable descendants of the Levite lineage according to the Bible include Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezra, and Malachi.

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.

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.

[5] In the Book of Numbers the Levites were charged with ministering to the Kohanim and keeping watch over the Tabernacle: The Book of Jeremiah speaks of a covenant with the Kohanim and Levites, connecting it with the covenant with the seed of King David: The Book of Malachi also spoke of a covenant with Levi: Malachi connected a purification of the "sons of Levi" with the coming of God's messenger: Critical scholars who follow the documentary hypothesis propose that those parts of the Torah attributed to the Elohist seem to treat Levite as a descriptive attribute for someone particularly suited to the priesthood, rather than as a firm designation of a tribe, and believe that Moses and Aaron are being portrayed as part of the Joseph group rather than being part of a tribe called Levi.