the descendants of Levi, through his sons Gershom, Kohath, and Merari, whose descendants formed so many sub-tribes or great families of the general body. In a narrower sense the term Levites designates the great body of the tribe employed in the subordinate offices of the hierarchy, to distinguish them from that one family of their body—the family of Aaron—in which the priestly functions were vested.

In the wilderness the office of the Levites was to carry the tabernacle and its utensils and furniture from place to place, after they had been packed up by the priests. In this service each of the three Levitical families had its separate department; the Gershonites carried the hangings and cords of the tabernacle, for which they were allowed two wains, each drawn by four oxen. The Kohathites carried the ark, the table of shew-bread, the candlestick, the two altars, and such of the hangings as belonged to the sanctuary; for this they had no wains or oxen, the whole being carried upon their shoulders. The Merarites had charge of the substantial parts of the tabernacle—the boards, pillars, bars, bases, &c., and also all the ordinary vessels of service—for which they were allowed four wains and eight oxen. In this manner they proceeded in their journeys; and when they settled in a place, and had erected the tabernacle, the different families pitched their tents around it in the following manner: the Gershonites behind it on the W., the Kohathites on the S., the Merarites on the N., and the priests on the E. They all assisted Aaron and his sons in taking care of, and attending on the Tabernacle, when it was pitched; but they were allowed to take no part in the services of the altar.

This was the nature of their service in the desert; but when they entered the land of Canaan, and the tabernacle ceased to be migratory, the range of their service was considerably altered. While part attended at the tabernacle, the rest were distributed through the country in the several cities which were allotted to them.

In the time of David, when the number of the priests and Levites had much increased, a third and very important alteration was effected. Like the priests, the Levites were also divided into twenty-four courses. In the Book of Chronicles we have four times twenty-four courses of Levites mentioned, but all their employments are not distinctly stated. The most conspicuous classification is that of twenty-four courses of porters and servants, and twenty-four of musicians.

The office of the porters was to open and shut the doors and gates of the temple courts, at which they also attended throughout the day to prevent the entrance of any harmful or unclean person or thing. They had also the charge of the treasure-chambers in their respective wards; for we find four of the chief porters holding this trust in 1 Chron. ix. 26.

Besides acting as porters and servants during the day, we learn that they were also the guards of the temple. Minute particulars with reference to the second temple are given by the rabbinical and other authors; and, so far as they are correct, which they seem to be in substance, they may be supposed to apply equally well to the first temple, from which they must have been in the main transmitted. Levites. The whole number of guards to the temple at night is stated to have been twenty-four, of whom three were priests. These are described as having been under an overseer, called "the man of the mountain of the house."

Thus one division of the Levites was employed as porters during the day, and another as guards during the night: a third division served as musicians. A catalogue of these is given in 1 Chron. xxv. 1-9, according to their employments; and another, according to their courses, in 1 Chron. xxv. 9-31. On grand occasions, when a full band was formed, the family of Heman sung in the middle (1 Chron. vii. 33-39), the family of Asaph on the right hand (vi. 39-43), and the family of Ethan on the left. The ordinary place for the musicians was at the east end of the court of the priests, between the court of Israel and the altar.

It seems that the singers could never be under twelve, because that number was particularly mentioned at their first appointment (1 Chron. xxv. 9); but there was no objection to any larger number. The young sons of the Levites were, on such occasions only, allowed to enter the court of the priests with their fathers, that their small voices might relieve the deep bass of the men (Gemar. tit. Succah, ch. v.); and for this authority was supposed to be found in Ezra iii. 9.

At thirty years of age they became qualified for every part of the Levitical service. This was under the tabernacle; but when the temple was built, and bodily strength was less required, the age was reduced to twenty. After fifty they were no longer called upon to serve as a matter of obligation; but they might attend if they thought proper, and perform any usual service which was not considered burdensome. Thus, in the wilderness, they ceased at that age to carry any part of the burdens when the ark and tabernacle were removed. In addition to the more menial duties before described, the Levites doubtless assisted the priests in the important work of the education of the people.

The subsistence of the Levites was provided for in a peculiar manner. It consisted, first, of a compensation for the abandonment of their right to one-twelfth of the land of Canaan; and, secondly, of a remuneration for their services in their official capacity as devoted to the services of the sanctuary. The territorial compensation lay in the 48 cities which were granted to the whole tribe, including the priests. These cities were scattered among the different tribes, as centres of instruction, and had 1000 square cubits, equal to above 305 English acres, attached to each of them, to serve for gardens, vineyards, and pasturage. It is obvious, however, that this alone could not have been an adequate compensation for the loss of one-twelfth of the soil, seeing that the produce of 305 acres could not in any case have sufficed for the wants of the inhabitants of these cities. The further provision, therefore, which was made for them must be regarded as partly in compensation for their sacrifice of territory, and as a remuneration for the dedication of their services to the public. This provision consisted of the tithe, or tenth of the produce of the grounds allotted to the other tribes. The simplest view of this payment is to regard it, first, as the produce of about as much land as the Levites would have been entitled to if placed on the same footing as the other tribes; and also as the produce of so much more land, which the other tribes enjoyed in consequence of its not having been assigned to the tribe of Levi.

When first numbered after the Exodus, the Levites amounted to 22,300, of whom 8580 were fit for service. Just before entering Canaan, they had slightly increased, viz., to 23,000. In David's time there were 38,000 fit for service (1 Chron. xxiii. 3-5), which, at the same ratio as above, would give a total of about 96,000. After the revolt of the ten tribes, they joined themselves to Judah and Benjamin. The restoration of the house of David in Joash Levites was mainly effected by the Levites (2 Chron. xxiii. 1-11). After the edict of Cyrus, only about 350 of them returned to Jerusalem. During the captivity they seem to have lost, in a great measure, a proper sense of their obligations and duties, for many of them married idolatrous wives (Neh. x. 9-13). In the apocryphal books the Levites are not spoken of; and only a few notices of them occur in the New Testament, where they are also called scribes and lawyers.

Godwyn's Moses and Aaron; Witsius, Dissert. II. de Theocrat. Israelitici; Jennings' and Brown's Antiquities; Carpzov, Apparat. Crit.; Saubert, Comm. de Sacerdot. et Sacr. Heb. personis; Gramberg, Krit. Gesch. der Religionsideen des Alten Test.