Levi

Levi, in the Old Testament, the third son of Jacob and Leah (see Genesis 29:34). He took part with his brother Simeon in the slaughter of the Canaanite inhabitants of Shechem (see Genesis 34), for which act Jacob pronounced a curse on them both (see Genesis 49:7). While in Egyptian bondage, the house of Levi divided itself into three families—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi's descendants were called Levites.