![]() ![]() (This included Reuben, Simeon, Naftali, Issachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulon, Gad, Ephraim and Menashe.) The new, northern kingdom made up of these ten Tribes took the name Israel. This backfired because ten of the 12 Tribes holding territory seceded and formed their own country. He decided to show them who was boss by refusing their demand. As noted, Levi didn’t have any territory of their own they lived in various cities throughout the 12 territories though they were largely concentrated near Jerusalem because that’s where the Temple was.Īfter King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam was approached by the people demanding tax relief. So, while we always speak of 12 Tribes, there were actually 13. In fact, it counts Menashe twice because the territory of Menashe was split geographically on opposite sides of the Jordan with a different leader for each section! Nevertheless, the count of 12 Tribes is maintained by omitting Gad and Asher.) This list includes Levi and it also counts both Ephraim and Menashe. For example, I Chronicles 27 lists the Tribal heads. (These are the most common ways but there are others. When this is the case, the Tribes of Ephraim and Menashe are typically combined into a single unit comprising all the descendants of Joseph. Sometimes, however, Levi is included in the count. Their job was to work in the Temple and they were supported by various tithes and offerings, as is explicit in Deuteronomy 18:1-2. This is because the Tribe of Levi did not have a territory in Israel. Typically, this is done by omitting Levi. So, here we have 13 Tribes – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Naftali, Issachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulon, Gad, Benjamin, Judah, Ephraim and Menashe. ![]() Jacob then gave the double portion to Joseph, who was the firstborn of his mother, Rachel. A firstborn son normally receives a double portion but Reuben forfeited this when he disrupted his father’s marital arrangements (in Genesis 35). These were named for Joseph’s sons (Jacob’s grandsons), each of whom was the progenitor of his own Tribe. Jacob may have had only one more son, Joseph, but there were two more Tribes: Ephraim and Menashe. (Jacob! Jacob and sons!) Benjamin and Judah, which leaves only one….” Zebulon and Gad brought the total to nine. Naftali and Issachar, with Asher and Dan. As per lyrics from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (which is easier to recite than looking them up in their actual order of birth), “Reuben was the oldest of the children of Israel, with Simeon and Levi the next in line. Eleven of these were named for 11 of Jacob’s sons, whose descendants constituted the populations of these Tribes. There were 12 Tribes in total (kind of), not all of which were “lost.” Second, answering your question really requires a refresher course in Biblical history. First off, there are 10 “lost” Tribes, not 12. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |