Today’s name is ‘Le•vi’, (pronounced as Le•vee), the third son of Leah and Jacob.
You may remember what happened before the births of Shimeon and Reuben, his older brother. Jacob, who wanted to marry Rachel and worked for 7 years to win her, was cheated by her father, Laban, who gave him at the wedding night his other daughter, Leah, instead of Rachel. He was forced to serve Laban for 7 more years for the right to marry Rachel, whom he loved. According to the Hebrew Bible, Leah was hated by Jacob.
“And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said, ‘Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have born him three sons; therefore was his name called Levi’”
In this case, the English is quite close to the Hebrew, but still not exactly. Levi means ‘to accompany,’ ‘to escort,’ ‘to walk together.’ The tribe of Levi is called after their father Levi, Jacob’s son. This tribe did not receive a parcel of land to settle, and therefore it actually accompanies (lives among) the other tribes. A perfect example of a name foreshadowing future destiny.