Deuteronomy 33:10

Hebrew Bible

8 Of Levi he said: “Your Thummim and Urim belong to your godly one, whose authority you challenged at Massah, and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah. 9 He said to his father and mother, ‘I have not seen him,’ and he did not acknowledge his own brothers or know his own children, for they kept your word, and guarded your covenant. 10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law; they will offer incense as a pleasant odor, and a whole offering on your altar. 11 Bless, O Lord, his goods, and be pleased with his efforts; undercut the legs of any who attack him, and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.” 12 Of Benjamin he said:“The beloved of the Lord will live safely by him; he protects him all the time, and the Lord places him on his chest.”

Malachi 2:7

Hebrew Bible

5 “My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me. 6 He taught what was true; sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin. 7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 You, however, have turned from the way. You have caused many to violate the law; you have corrupted the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

 Notes and References

"... As well as being instructional in character (compare Deuteronomy 33:10), priestly wisdom involved participation in purity, in the divine words. Hence we arrive at an explicit formulation of the idea implied by the expression in Deuteronomy, that a major function of priestly wisdom is the ability to do true judgment for all time. The development of Levi’s sapiential and even judicial role may be summarized by saying that he does not just “teach Jacob Torah”, but becomes a central sapiential figure, instructing, teaching and participating in divine wisdom. Furthermore, certain other features of the Levitical role as presented in the Aramaic Levi Document serve to expand the areas of life and teaching over which Levi and the Levites have authority. ALD obviously attributes a cultic role to Levi, yet it stresses the transmission of cultic teaching and lore from the antediluvian Book of Noah (ALD 10:10) to Abraham (ALD 10:3 and 10:10), to Isaac (ALD 5:8) and then to Levi. Thus it sets the Levitical priesthood in the sacerdotal line reaching back to Adam. It is significant for our discussion that Levitical cultic authority and teaching is anchored in prior tradition and in recognition by the patriarchs rather than in Levi’s consecration to the priesthood as such. His consecration makes him fit to receive the teaching. This strategy concentrates the antique traditions of priesthood in the Levitical line. Thus, the tendency to establish Levi as an ideal priest from the past is already to be found in Malachi 2:4–9 ..."

Greenfield, Jonas C. The Aramaic Levi Document: Edition, Translation, Commentary (p. 36) Brill, 2004

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