Genesis 35
Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.
Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtali.
Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:
Gad and Asher.
Gad and Asher.
The task of naming the 12 Tribes of Israel proves to be a difficult task because the 12 named tribes differs throughout the bible. In Revelation 7:5-8 the tribes are listed as Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. This naming refers to the 144,000 witnesses that are called from the above tribes. Perhaps Ephraim and Dan were not called upon as witness. With all of that said, what are the twelve tribes of Israel? Every list in the Bible contains Simeon, Judah, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin. In addition to those nine tribes, there are Ephraim, Reuben, Joseph, Dan, and Levi. Most would view Ephraim, Dan, and Levi as the additional three to result in twelve tribes.
Genesis 49:
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[e]
Notable information about the Tribe of Judah:
- The Tribe of Judah inhabits the area of Gaza (Joshua 15); Gaza is referred to as an integral part of the land of Israel
- Jesus was born of Mary with Joseph as his earthly father; Joseph was of the Tribe of Judah (Luke 3:23-34; Matthew 1:1-16)
- The Kingdom of Judah experiences much evil at the hands of wicked leaders, is this foreshadowing of the great deliverer, the Messiah?
It is my belief and understanding that the 12 tribes are named for Joseph's twelve sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin). Even though Reuben was the oldest, due to immorality (KJV Gen 35:20-22), he forfeits his birthright. Even though technically Joseph is the 11th son, he is next in line for the birthright because Rachel was the 2nd wife and he was her firstborn. So, as the birthright son, he is entitled to a double-portion. In Gen 48 (KJV), Jacob blesses Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh and "adopts" them as his own sons. This becomes Joseph's double-portion. I believe that in the list of the tribes Joseph and Ephraim are used synonymously. So, in effect there are 13 tribes. I've read that some biblical scholars think that John may have left out Dan (in Revelations) because there is an old Jewish tradition that the Antichrist was to come through the tribe of Dan. But, of course no one really knows why Dan was left out.
ReplyDeleteThis is way more than you were probably hoping for, but it's just a few thoughts. I love talking about the scriptures, and I tend to relish every opportunity. Sorry if it is overkill.
One more thing...sometimes Ephraim and Manasseh are referred to as half-tribes...they would then equal one tribe...which would be Joseph. Okay, I'll shut up now.
ReplyDelete