Levi, along with his brother Simeon, took drastic action against the defilers of their sister Dinah. (Ge 34:25, 26, 31) This expression of violent anger was cursed by Jacob, who foretold that Levi’s descendants would be scattered in Israel, a prophecy that was fulfilled when the Levites were indeed scattered throughout 48 Levite cities in the territories of Israel’s various tribes in the land of Canaan. (Ge 49:7; Jos 21:41)

The scattering of the Levites among the other tribes of Israel was in fulfillment of Jacob’s deathbed prophecy.​—Ge 49:5-7.