Faith Fact- The 12 Tribes of Israel

 


The 12 Tribes of Israel are each named for members of Jacob's line. Jacob was the son of Isaac and fraternal twin brother of Esau. Isaac was the son of Abraham, whose name includes the Hebrew word for "father" as he is called in Genesis 12 to be “a great nation” through which “all the families of the earth shall be blessed”.

Jacob is renamed Israel after he wrestles with the stranger in Genesis 32: 22-32. The name Israel itself means "He strives with God."

Israel's children (Genesis 29: 31-24) are listed below in order of birth, with the names of the tribes who were given land placed in bold:

Reuben- Leah's son, Hebrew "See, a son", Genesis 29:32
Simeon- Leah's son, Hebrew "Heard", Genesis 29:33
Levi- Leah's son, Hebrew "Joined" or "Attached", Genesis 29:34
Judah- Leah's son, Hebrew "Praise", Genesis 29:35
Dan- Bilhah's (Rachel's servant) son, Hebrew "He judged", Genesis 30:6
Naphtali- Bilhah's son, Hebrew "Wrestling", Genesis 30:8
Gad- Zilpah's (Leah's servant) son, Hebrew "Fortune", Genesis 30:11
Asher- Zilpah's son, Hebrew "Happy", Genesis 30:13
Issachar- Leah's son, Hebrew "Wages" or "Hire", Genesis 30:18
Zebulun- Leah's son, Hebrew "Honor", Genesis 30:20
Jacob- Rachel's son, Hebrew "He adds", Genesis 30:24
Benjamin- Rachel's son, Hebrew "Son of the right hand", Genesis 35:18

Notice that Levi and Jacob are not tribes who have land allotted to them in the land of Israel. Levi was the tribe of priests, and the other tribes were to give the Levites part of their bounty as sacrifices to God (Deuteronomy 18:1-8).

The other two tribes of Israel get their names from Joseph’s sons:
Manasseh- Hebrew "Making to Forget", Genesis 41:51
Ephraim- Hebrew "Fruitful", Genesis 41:52

It is worth noting too that when Israel is broken up into two kingdoms, those areas are often called by the name of just one of the Tribes in their territory. The Southern Kingdom, for example, is generally referred to as Judah. The Northern Kingdom is usually just called Israel, though in Hosea, the prophet often refers to the North as Ephraim.