The Father as Priest of the Household

THE FATHER AS PRIEST IN PATRIARCHAL TIMES IN THE DAYS of the early patriarchs, the father was the priest for the whole family, and this honor and responsibility of exercising the priesthood usually was bestowed upon the first-born son upon the death of the father. This practice continued until the law of Moses transferred this right to the tribe of Levi, which tribe then furnished the priests to Israel as a nation. [Manners And Customs of Bible Lands]