Levi was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, or Israel. The term "Levite" refers to a person who is a member of the Israelite tribe whose ancestor was Levi.
* The Levites were responsible for taking care of the temple and conducting religious rituals, including offering sacrifices and prayers.
* All Jewish priests were Levites, descended from Levi and part of the tribe of Levi. (Not all Levites were priests, however.)
* The Levite priests were set apart and dedicated for the special work of serving God in the temple.
* Two other men named "Levi" were ancestors of Jesus, and their names are in the genealogy in the gospel of Luke.
(See also: [Matthew](../names/matthew.md), [priest](../kt/priest.md), [sacrifice](../other/sacrifice.md), [temple](../kt/temple.md), [twelve tribes of Israel](../other/12tribesofisrael.md))