Originally posted by: BAMAVOO
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wikipedia info on the 12 tribes (and their founders)
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Reuben (????????, Standard Hebrew R??uven, Tiberian Hebrew R??û?en) is the first-born son of Jacob and the founder of the Tribe of Reuben, as related in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible.
Reuben means "behold a son", and was so named because his mother Leah was hoping that by presenting him to Jacob she would overcome Jacob's preference for his second wife, her younger sister Rachel.
Although part of the plot to kill and later enslave their brother Joseph, it is Reuben who advises the others not to kill Joseph, (Genesis 37:20-22), and who later points out that their troubles in Egypt were the consequence of the plot, (Genesis 42:22). Later he offers his own two sons as surety for the safety of Benjamin, (Genesis 42:37,) in order to more quickly relieve the famine, an offer Jacob refuses. He is probably the wisest and most compassionate of the older brothers.
But as firstborn, Reuben should have been the leader of his brothers, and have taken responsibility for their collective actions, which he fails to do. This justifies the punishment by which his rights as first-born were transferred to the children of Joseph (according to I Chronicles v. 1). His other failing is to commit, what may appear to be incest with Bilhah, but it is not clear exactly what transpired, see Genesis 35:22, 49:3,4.
The Tribe of Simeon or Bnei Shim'on (Hebrew ????????? "Hearkening; listening", Standard Hebrew ?im?on, Tiberian Hebrew ?im?ôn) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Simeon son of Jacob. It was "divided and scattered" according to the prediction in Genesis 49:5-7. They gradually dwindled in number, and sank into a position of insignificance among the other tribes. They decreased in the wilderness by about two-thirds (compare Numbers 1:23; 26:14). Moses pronounces no blessing on this tribe; it is passed over in silence in Deuteronomy (chapter 33). Contemporary scholars believe that the tribe had been absorbed by Judah by the time that Moses' blessings were written.
This tribe received as their portion a part of the territory already allotted to Judah (Joshua 19:1-9). It lay in the south-west of the land, with Judah on the east and the Tribe of Dan on the north; but it is unlikely that it was a compact territory. In Jacob's blessings, Simeon is compared to his brother Levi, and the two were cursed for their massacre of the inhabitants of Shechem. Rather than being allotted a separate territory, Levi was given scattered cities in the territories of other tribes. It is therefore assumed that Simeon was also given scattered cities in the southern half of the Tribe of Judah.
Subsequent notices of this tribe are but few (1 Chronicles 4:24-43). Like the Tribe of Reuben on the east of Jordan, this tribe had little influence on the history of Israel.
Levi or Levy (????? "My heart", Standard Hebrew Levi, Tiberian Hebrew Lewî) was the founder of the Levite tribe of ancient Israel. He was a son of Leah and Jacob, also known as Israel, who was in turn a son of Isaac, the son of Abraham.
The Bible descibes Levi as a clever but ferocious politician and soldier, prone to fits of anger. The Bible tells of when Shechem (a Hivite) had raped Levi's sister, Dinah. When Shechem came to request to be given Dinah as a wife, Levi with his brother Simeon agreed to the marriage on the condition that the Hivites be circumcised. Shechem agreed to this, but on the third day after the mass circumcision, while the Hivites were still sore, Levi and Simeon led an attack on the Hivite city and killed all the Hivite men and appropriated their wealth (Gen 34). He was also involved in the plot to kill his half brother Joseph. Jacob refused to make Levi his heir on account of his anger (Gen 49:5).
Levi had three sons; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. According to the bible Levi lived to be 137 years old (Ex 6:16).
The most famous descendant of Levi was Moses, who received the law from God on Mt. Sinai in the Book of Exodus. His brother, Aaron became the first Levite High-priest of Israel, known as a Kohen - Gadol.
The Tribe of Judah (Hebrew: ????????, "Praise"; Standard Hebrew Y?huda, Tiberian Hebrew Y?hû?ah) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Judah, son of Jacob.
Together with the Tribe of Benjamin, Judah formed the Southern Kingdom, also known confusingly as the Kingdom of Judah, when the kingdom was divided. These two tribes were thus not carried into captivity with the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom, also known confusingly as the Kingdom of Israel, when it fell. This started the tradition (some say myth) of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
As Benjamin was always very much the minor partner, in time the tribe of Judah became identified with the entire Israelite nation, and even the entire Hebrew nation, and gave their name to the Jews, see Jews as Israelites.
This entry incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation.
Tribe of Judah - Judah and his three surviving sons went down with Jacob into Egypt (Gen. 46:12; Ex. 1:2). At the time of the Exodus, when we meet with the family of Judah again, they have increased to the number of 74,000 males (Num. 1:26, 27). Its number increased in the wilderness (26:22). Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, represented the tribe as one of the spies (13:6; 34:19). This tribe marched at the van on the east of the tabernacle (Num. 2:3-9; 10:14), its standard, as is supposed, being a lion's whelp. Under Caleb, during the wars of conquest, they conquered that portion of the country which was afterwards assigned to them as their inheritance. This was the only case in which any tribe had its inheritance thus determined (Josh. 14:6-15; 15:13-19).
The inheritance of the tribe of Judah was at first fully one-third of the whole country west of Jordan, in all about 2,300 square miles (Josh. 15). But there was a second distribution, when Simeon received an allotment, about 1,000 square miles, out of the portion of Judah (Josh. 19:9). That which remained to Judah was still very large in proportion to the inheritance of the other tribes. The boundaries of the territory are described in Josh. 15:20-63.
This territory given to Judah was divided into four sections. (1.) The south (Heb. negeb), the undulating pasture-ground between the hills and the desert to the south (Josh. 15:21.) This extent of pasture-land became famous as the favourite camping-ground of the old patriarchs. (2.) The "valley" (15:33) or lowland (Heb. shephelah), a broad strip lying between the central highlands and the Mediterranean. This tract was the garden as well as the granary of the tribe. (3.) The "hill-country," or the mountains of Judah, an elevated plateau stretching from below Hebron northward to Jerusalem. "The towns and villages were generally perched on the tops of hills or on rocky slopes. The resources of the soil were great. The country was rich in corn, wine, oil, and fruit; and the daring shepherds were able to lead their flocks far out over the neighbouring plains and through the mountains." The number of towns in this district was thirty-eight (Josh. 15:48-60). (4.) The "wilderness," the sunken district next the Dead Sea (Josh. 15:61), "averaging 10 miles in breadth, a wild, barren, uninhabitable region, fit only to afford scanty pasturage for sheep and goats, and a secure home for leopards, bears, wild goats, and outlaws" (1 Sam. 17:34; 22:1; Gospel of Mark 1:13). It was divided into the "wilderness of En-gedi" (1 Sam. 24:1), the "wilderness of Judah" (Judg. 1:16; Matt. 3:1), between the Hebron mountain range and the Dead Sea, the "wilderness of Maon" (1 Sam. 23:24). It contained only six cities.
Nine of the cities of Judah were assigned to the priests (Josh. 21:9-19).
Most Jews are descended from this tribe.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims some of its adherents as descended from this tribe.
The Tribe of Zebulun or Bnei Zvulun (Hebrew ???????? / ???????? "Dwelling; habitation", Standard Hebrew Z?vulun / Z?vulon, Tiberian Hebrew Z??ûlun / Z??ûlon) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Zebulun son of Jacob, numbered at Sinai (Num. 1:31) and before entering Canaan (26:27). It was one of the tribes which did not drive out the Canaanites, but only made them tributary (Judg. 1:30). It took little interest in public affairs. It responded, however, readily to the summons of Gideon (6:35), and afterwards assisted in enthroning David at Hebron (1 Chr. 12:33, 40). Along with the other northern tribes, Zebulun was carried away into the land of Assyria by Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 15:29).
In Deborah's song the words, "Out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer" (Judg. 5:14) has been rendered in the R.V., "They that handle the marshal's staff." This is a questionable rendering. "The word sopher ('scribe' or 'writer') defines the word shebhet ('rod' or 'pen') with which it is conjoined. The 'rod of the scribe' on the Assyrian monuments was the stylus of wood or metal, with the help of which the clay tablet was engraved, or the papyrus inscribed with characters. The scribe who wielded it was the associate and assistant of the 'lawgivers.'" (Sayce).
The territory of the Tribe of Zebulun was located in the southern Galilee, adjacent to the Tribe of Issachar, and the two tribes had strong bonds between them. The prophet Jonah was a member of the Tribe of Zebulun (I Kings 14:15).
Traditionally, the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun were considered to have a symbiotic relationship, whereby Issachar would devote his time to the study and teaching of Torah, and Zebulun would financially support him. In exchange, Zebulun would receive a share in the spiritual reward for Issachar's learning. In modern times, although the identity of Issachar and Zebulun are unknown, these terms are still used by those engaged in such a partnership.
Issachar or Yissachar (??????????? "Reward; recompense", Standard Hebrew Yissa?ar, Tiberian Hebrew Yissâ?ar) was the fifth son of Jacob and his first wife Leah. According to Genesis, Issachar was conceived on the night that Leah tried to use mandrakes brought to her by her oldest son Reuben to remedy her infertility. Because Leah took her child's birth to mean that she was divinely favored, she gave him the name Issachar.
As the ancestor of the tribe of Israel bearing his name, Issachar and his people settled in the Jezreel Valley and the low hills east of Mount Tabor. Jacob's blessing, given in Egypt and recorded in Genesis 49, describes Issachar as "a strong ass" who "became a slave at forced labor", perhaps indicating that the tribe of Issachar was one subject to the Canaanites of that region.
Issachar fathered four sons who joined him in the migration of Jacob's family to Egypt, where he died and was buried. Among his descendants were the judge Tola and two kings of Israel, Baasha and his son Elah.
The Tribe of Dan (???? "Judge", Standard Hebrew Dan, Tiberian Hebrew Dan) is one of the Hebrew tribes, which the bible claims was founded by Dan, son of Jacob and Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant (Genesis 30:4).
The tribe originally settled in the central coastal area of the promised land (Joshua 19), in proximity to the area controlled by the Philistines. Samson, the legenday warrior against the Philistines, was said to be a member of this tribe. Later, the bible claims that the tribe moved to the northern part of the land (Judges 18), apparently due to military pressure by the Philistines. There, its principal settlement was Tel Dan. The move involved a religious act of definace, when the Dan people installed their own independent legacy of Levite clergy.
When Jeroboam led the revolt of the northern tribes and established the Kingdom of Israel, Dan was one of the tribes in it, and so would count as one of the Lost Tribes exiled by the Assyrians.
The original territory of Dan, before the move to the north, is approximately the metropolitan area of Tel Aviv. Hence this metropolis is known in Hebrew as Gush Dan - the Dan area.
The Beta Israel, a group of Jews living in Ethiopia which was isolated from Israel until the 19th century claim to be descendants of the Tribe of Dan, though it is not clear how they got there.
Sea Peoples
The bible describes Dan as a sea faring tribe, and the tribe may be the same as the Danua mentioned in egyptian accounts. The Danua were part of a tribal confederation known as the Sea Peoples, which also included Peleset (the Philistines), Shekelesh (taken to mean men of Sheker and thus possibly Issachar), Tjekker (thought to mean of Acco, and thus may refer to Manessah), Weshesh (technically Uashesh, and thus may refer to Asher).
Records only state that the Sea People attacked Egypt, and other nations, but not where they came from or where they went to. As such there has been much speculation, with some thinking they either invaded, or returned home to, coastal Canaan, and subsequently their federation for some unknown reason split, with some tribes joining the Israelite federation.
Since their nearest neighbours in the original federation would have been the Philistines, the Philistines would have had particularly strong feelings such a betrayal by Dan. This may have contributed to the strong hostility between the two groups.
During the period of activity by the Sea Peoples, a group referred to as the Danoi appear and receive mention in Homer (and subsequently danae is introduced into greek mythology explaining their co-heritage with the greeks. The majority of academics researching Homer think that the Danoi are the same group as either the tribe of Dan, the Danua, or both.
This has lead to much speculation on more spurious theories such as that the tribe of Dan were the Danes, or the Tuatha Dé Danann of Ireland, based on the principle that the word Don and Dan appears in many names of rivers and places in celtic, scandanavian, and other areas. An alternative explanation, and the one supported by more mainstream scholars, is that Don, Dan, etc. appear in the names of rivers and similar places due to the fact that Dan/Don are celtic and germanic words for river.
It must be stressed, however, that a majority of modern scholars think that the Sea Peoples (apart from the Peleset, whom they agree are the Philistines) were predominantly of Greek island origin, though this fails to explain why the Egyptians depict them as being circumcised or having semitic names. Contrasting with the majority opinion is the current fact that no supporters of the standard view have identified which location(s) the sea people actually originate from successfully, and as such the issue is one of the major outstanding problems of this period of history.
The Tribe of Gad (???? "soldier" or "luck", Standard Hebrew Gad, Tiberian Hebrew Ga?) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Gad son of Jacob, who was born to Zilpah, the handmaiden of Jacob's first wife, Leah.
The Tribe of Gad settled east of the River Jordan in the land of Gilead. Gad was one of the 10 tribes that made up the northern kingdom after the 12 tribe nation had split into 2 kingdoms. The northern kingdom was called Israel, and the southern called Judah. Eventually the northern kingdom was sent into captivity, and then they are said to have disappeared.
The Tribe of Asher (?????? "happy", Standard Hebrew A?er, Tiberian Hebrew ?A?er) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Asher son of Jacob.
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Sea Peoples
The tribe may be the same as the Weshesh mentioned in egyptian accounts (the W of Weshesh is a modern invention for ease of pronunciation, the egyptian records containing mention of the group refer to Uashesh). The Weshesh were part of a tribal confederation known as the Sea Peoples, which also included Peleset (the Philistines), Danua (possibly Dan), Tjekker (thought to mean of Acco, and thus may refer to Manessah), Shekelesh (thought to mean men of Sheker, and thus may refer to Issachar).
Records only state that the Sea People attacked Egypt, and other nations, but not where they came from or where they went to. As such there has been much speculation, with some thinking they either invaded, or returned home to, coastal Canaan, and subsequently their federation for some unknown reason split, with some tribes joining the Israelite federation.
It must be stressed, however, that a majority of modern scholars think that the Sea Peoples (apart from the Peleset, whom they agree are the Philistines) were predominantly of Greek island origin, though this fails to explain why the Egyptians depict them as being circumcised or having semitic names. Contrasting with the majority opinion is the current fact that no supporters of the standard view have identified which location(s) the sea people actually originate from sucessfully, and as such the issue is one of the major outstanding problems of this period of history.
Tribe of Naphtali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This entry incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation.
The Hebrew Tribe of Naphtali "My wrestling", was founded by Naphtali, son of Jacob. On this tribe Jacob pronounced the patriarchal blessing, "Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words" (Gen. 49:21). It was intended thus to set forth under poetic imagery the future character and history of the tribe.
At the time of the Exodus this tribe numbered 53,400 adult males (Num. 1:43), but at the close of the wanderings they numbered only 45,400 (26:48-50).
Along with Dan and Asher, they formed "the camp of Dan," under a common standard (2:25-31), occupying a place during the march on the north side of the tabernacle.
The possession assigned to this tribe is set forth in Josh. 19:32-39. It lay in the north-eastern corner of the land, bounded on the east by the Jordan River and the lakes of Merom and Galilee, and on the north it extended far into Coele-Syria, the valley between the two Lebanon ranges. It comprehended a greater variety of rich and beautiful scenery and of soil and climate than fell to the lot of any other tribe. The territory of Naphtali extended to about 800 square miles (2072 km²), being the double of that of Issachar. The region around Kadesh, its most prominent town, was originally called Galil, a name afterwards given to the whole northern division of Canaan. A large number of foreigners settled here among the mountains, and hence it was called "Galilee of the Gentiles" (q.v.), Matt. 4:15, 16. The southern portion of Naphtali has been called the "Garden of Palestine." It was of unrivalled fertility. It was the setting of much of Jesus' public ministry as descibed in the Christian Gospels.
Naphtali was the most powerful of the northern tribes: Deborah's general Barak, who defeated Sisera, was a member of this tribe. Nevertheless, its remoteness made it subject to many other invasions throughout its history. Naphtali was also the first to suffer from the invasion of Benhadad, king of Syria, in the reigns of Baasha, king of Israel, and Asa, king of Judah (1 Kings 15:20; 2 Chr. 16:4). In the reign of Pekah, king of Israel, the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser III swept over the whole north of Israel, and carried the people into captivity (2 Kings 15:29). Thus the kingdom of Israel came to an end (B.C. 722).
Tribe of Joseph
The Tribe of Joseph is not usually listed with the Hebrew tribes although Joseph is one of Jacobs twelve sons, the eldest of Rachel. It is sometimes referred to as the House of Joseph.
Rather, the two tribes founded by his sons Ephraim and Manasseh are listed separately. This is so because, upon his death-bed, Jacob grants the privilege of the Hebrew first-born upon Joseph (Rachel's eldest and not to Reuben who is Leah's eldest). According to Torah law, the first born receives a "double portion" (pi sh'tayim) relative to his siblings. Thus Joseph is entitled to two tribes who will have rights to two portions of land in the Land of Israel. This also fits in with the fact that because the Levites do not receive any portion in the land (they are to tend to the service of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem) that when the Tribe of Levi is omitted, the number of tribes still comes to twelve. See Tribe of Ephraim, Tribe of Manassah.
Benjamin
In the Old Testament, Benjamin (??????????? "Son of my right hand" but in some Rabbinical traditions "Son of the south", Standard Hebrew Binyamin, Tiberian Hebrew Binyamîn) is the younger son of Jacob and Rachel (Gen. 35:18).
His birth took place on the road between Bethel and Ephrath, characterized later by Christian writers as at a short distance from Bethlehem, because many centuries later the prophet Micah referred to "Bethlehem Ephrata", There is no other connection with Bethlehem. His mother died in giving him birth, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, "son of my pain", an ill-omened name which was changed by his father into Benjamin. His posterity were the tribe of Benjamin, sometimes translated "Benjamites" (Gen. 49:27; Deut. 33:12; Joshua 18:21).
The tribe of Benjamin at the Exodus was the smallest but one (Num. 1:36, 37; Ps. 68:27). During the march its place was along with Manasseh and Ephraim on the west of the tabernacle. At the entrance into Canaan it counted 45,600 warriors. It has been inferred by some from the words of Jacob (Gen. 49:27) that the figure of a wolf was on the tribal standard: "Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth; in the morning he shall devour the prey, at evening he shall divide the spoil."
This tribe is mentioned in Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5.
The inheritance of this tribe lay immediately to the south of that of Ephraim, and was about 26 miles in length and 12 in breadth. Its eastern boundary was the Jordan. Dan intervened between it and the Philistines. Its chief towns are named in Josh. 18:21-28.
The history of the tribe contains a sad record of a desolating civil war in which they were engaged with the other eleven tribes. By it they were almost exterminated (Judg. 20:20, 21; 21:10). (See GIBEAH ¯T0001476.)
The first king of the Jews was Saul, a Benjamite. A close alliance was formed between this tribe and that of Judah in the time of David ((2 Sam. 19:16, 17), which continued after his death (1 Kings 11:13; 12:20). After the Exile these two tribes formed the great body of the Jewish nation (Ezra 1:5; 10:9), and to this day the other ten are referred to as the lost tribes of Israel.
The tribe of Benjamin was famous for its archers (1 Sam. 20:20, 36; 2 Sam. 1:22; 1 Chr. 8:40; 12:2) and slingers (Judges 20:6).
The gate of Benjamin, on the north side of Jerusalem (Jer. 37:13; 38:7; Zech. 14:10), was so called because it led in the direction of the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. It is called by Jeremiah (20:2) "the high gate of Benjamin"; also "the gate of the children of the people" (17:19). (Comp. 2 Kings 14:13.)
