... Ezekiel blamed the Levites for cultic aberrations in the pre-exilic period (Ezekiel 44:10). As their punishment, the Levites were to be demoted from the priesthood and made responsible for all the menial chores in the temple. They could remain temple servants, but they forfeited their priestly prerogatives. ...

... Perhaps this exalted status is not unrelated to P’s awareness of attempts by Levite groups to acquire priestly rank for themselves. Numbers 16–18, which tells of Korah’s rebellion against Aaron’s authority, openly speaks of bitter disagreements between priests and Levites; and further disharmony, this time within the Levite groups themselves, may perhaps be discerned in variations in order of named Levitical groups, some claiming higher status or even the priesthood (e.g. Numbers 3:17, Gershon–Kohath–Merari, and Numbers 4:2, 22, 42, Kohath–Gershon–Merari: so Gunneweg 1965: 171–88). While this is likely, it should not be over-pressed. Korah’s group did indeed claim the priesthood, but based this claim, not on Levitical rights, but on the assertion that the whole congregation is holy (Numbers 16:3), over against P’s repeated insistence that Israel is to be holy (Leviticus 11:44–5; 19:2; 20:7, 26). P has no animus against Levites, and in return for the work with the tent they are granted the whole of the tithe (Numbers 18:21–4), a massive economic benefit from which they are in turn to grant one-tenth to the priests (Numbers 18:26). ...