Exodus 6:16

These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — God speaks to Moses during the patriarchal genealogy sequence, following the enumeration of Simeon’s sons and preceding the account of Gershon’s descendants.

The words — The Hebrew terms שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי־לֵוִי (shemot benei-Levi) literally mean "names of the sons of Levi," while לְתוֹלְדֹתָם (letoldotam) denotes their recorded lineage or generations.

The thread — This precise list of Levi’s three sons appears in Genesis 46:11, Numbers 3:17, and 1 Chronicles 6:1 as a recurring genealogical anchor.

Why it lands — The text records Levi’s age and his three sons as factual data, requiring the reader to accept the unadorned transmission of tribal lines before covenant promises proceed.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְאֵ֨לֶּהve./'E.lehand/ these שְׁמ֤וֹתshe.Mot[were] [the] names of בְּנֵֽי־be.nei-[the] sons of לֵוִי֙le.ViLevi לְתֹ֣לְדֹתָ֔םle./To.le.do.Ta/mto/ descendants/ their גֵּרְשׁ֕וֹןge.re.ShonGershon וּקְהָ֖תu./ke.Hatand/ Kohath וּמְרָרִ֑יu./me.ra.Riand/ Merari וּשְׁנֵי֙u./she.Neiand/ [the] years of חַיֵּ֣יchai.Yei[the] life of לֵוִ֔יle.ViLevi שֶׁ֧בַעShe.va'[were] seven וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֛יםu./she.lo.Shimand/ thirty וּמְאַ֖תu./me.'Atand/ one hundred שָׁנָֽה׃sha.Nahyear[s]

King James Version

And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.

Cross-references

Genesis 46:11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Numbers 3:17 These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
1 Chronicles 6:1 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
1 Chronicles 6:16 The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
Numbers 26:57 Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari.
Genesis 35:28 And Isaac lived 180 years.
Genesis 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.
Genesis 50:26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.
Exodus 6:18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
Exodus 6:20 And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.

People named

LeviKohathMerariGershon