Λευΐτας (Leuitas) in John 1:19: Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
Λευΐτας (Leuitas) in John 1:19
Textual Witness
The witness reads Λευΐτας in the phrase ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευΐτας, within the report that the Jews sent representatives.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The grammar helps the reader see the Levites as part of the sent group, which sharpens the scene of inquiry without changing the basic meaning of the verse.
How To Communicate It
Use the form to explain that the verse names a plural group of Levites among the envoys, not to build claims beyond the narrative frame.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Accusative plural identifies a role in the sentence, but the surrounding verb and narrative must control the interpretation.
- Masculine grammatical gender is a form label here and should not be treated as a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a group of people, here Levites, and functions as a substantive in the sentence.
Accusative: the form usually marks the direct object or another object-like role in the clause, so it fits the sent group here.
Plural: the form is grammatically plural in this occurrence and refers to more than one Levite.
Masculine: the noun belongs to the masculine grammatical class, which describes the form and does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευΐτας
The accusative form is governed by the verb of sending in the surrounding clause and by the list of persons sent from Jerusalem.
It names the Levites as part of the group dispatched to question John, alongside the priests.
It does not by itself identify the Levites as the subject of the verb or as the main topic apart from the sending context.
How Much The Form Matters Here
Moderate: The accusative plural identifies the Levites as part of the sent delegation, which clarifies the scene of inquiry.
Accusative direct object in a sent group. names part of the group sent to question John. Attached to the priests and Levites listed together. Governed by the verb of sending from Jerusalem. The case marks the sent group, while the narrative explains their role in the inquiry.
Who was included in the group sent to John? The Levites are included with the priests as the accusative objects of the sending action.
Direct: The accusative plural directly supports rendering the Levites as part of the group sent.
The form identifies the sent group, not the subject who sends them.
Accusative group is the actor: The accusative marks the group acted upon by the sending verb, not the sending subject.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads Λευΐτας in the phrase ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευΐτας, within the report that the Jews sent representatives.
The lemma Λευΐτης means a Levite, that is, a member of the Levitical group tied to Israel's priestly service.
The plural accusative fits the coordination with priests and marks the Levites as the people sent, while the broader sentence supplies the action and purpose.
John's testimony is framed by a formal inquiry from Jerusalem, and the Levites are part of the delegation that asks him who he is.
The form supports a plain narrative reading in which official representatives are sent to investigate John, without adding more than the verse states.
In translation and teaching, this form can be rendered simply as Levites or as the Levites, preserving their role in the delegation.
Do not derive theological status, spiritual rank, or a special doctrinal emphasis from the case or gender alone.