Levi, Son of Simeon

Background and Family

Levi is situated within the genealogical record found in the third chapter of Luke’s Gospel. He is identified as the son of Simeon and the father of Matthat (Luke 3:29). Based on his position in the list, he is part of the royal tribe of Judah. The lineage recorded in Luke 3:23–38 traces the ancestry of Jesus backward to Adam, and Levi appears among the generations that lived after the time of King David but before the birth of Christ.

Because the biblical text provides only the names of his immediate father and son, little is known regarding his personal life, occupation, or specific location within the land of Israel. However, he is part of a sequence of names—Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, and Levi—that highlight the preservation of the family of Judah through various eras of biblical history.

Major Life Events

There are no narrative events, speeches, or specific actions attributed to this Levi in the Holy Scriptures. His life is recorded solely within the context of the genealogical registers of the New Testament. The lack of descriptive detail suggests that he was a private citizen who did not hold a public office mentioned in the historical books of the Old Testament, such as the kingship or the priesthood. His significance is defined not by his own deeds, but by his status as a biological or legal progenitor of the Messiah.

Relationship to Other Biblical Figures

Levi’s primary relationships are defined by his ancestry and his descendants. He is the son of Simeon (not to be confused with the patriarch Simeon, son of Jacob) and the father of Matthat. As a member of the tribe of Judah, he is a distant descendant of King David. Within the specific structure of Luke’s genealogy, he represents one of the many generations that maintained the lineage of the 'House of David' during the centuries leading up to the Roman period.

Spiritual Significance

The spiritual significance of Levi lies in his inclusion in the Genealogy of Jesus. To the author of Luke, every name in this list serves as a testament to God’s faithfulness in fulfilling the covenantal promises made to David. By recording Levi’s name, the Gospel writer emphasizes that Jesus was not a figure without roots, but the culmination of a specific, divinely preserved human history. Levi represents the 'hidden' years of the Davidic line—a time when the descendants of the kings lived in relative obscurity, yet remained central to the unfolding plan of salvation history.

"the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi," — Luke 3:29 (BSB)