Twelve Tribes of Israel Chart

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The nation of Israel was made up of tribes—the families descended from Jacob’s sons (and grandsons). To the earliest readers of the Old Testament, these names were common knowledge. Which means when words like “Levi,”“Judah” and “Ephraim” show up in the Bible, they usually don’t come with an explanation—the authors assumed the first readers understood. The Israelites entered the Promised Land and conquered the previous inhabitants of Canaan. The land was allocated to the people according to their tribes. The tribe of Levi was given priestly duties as well as taking care of the Ark of the Covenant. During this time, the Israelites did not have a defined system of government, and their cases were heard by judges who were guided by God. The Israelites were not happy with this form of leadership and opted for a monarchical government. The first king was Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. King David took over leadership after the death of Saul and is referred to as the founder of Israel for his exemplary leadership and military skills. King Solomon inherited the kingdom from his father David and was notable for his wisdom and the building of the temple. He introduced forced labor in Israel exempting the tribes of Judah and Benjamin thus leading to the splitting of the kingdom into the Northern and Southern kingdoms after his death. The Divided Kingdom The Muslim understanding of how the Bedouin tribes originated is outlined in the chart below. Some Bible scholars identify the Muslim Kahtan as the Biblical Joktan (see the Founding of the Nations chart). What Were The Twelve Tribes Of Israel? The 12 Tribes' respective territorial claims in Biblical times (left) relative to the geographic map of Israel today (right). To Simeon and Levi, Jacob said that they were alike in their fierce anger and cruelty, referring to the account of how they led the charge of all the brothers to kill the men of Shechem and to lame their oxen, after the king's son defiled their younger sister Dinah by seducing her ( Genesis 33:18-34:31).

You can see the tools I used to put this list together on the original blog post. Heads up: at the time I wrote the original, I was an employee of Logos. The story of the 12 tribes of Israel Many of us are familiar with the ancient story of Abraham and his desire to have a son. In the Biblical account of his story, Abraham first had a son with his ‘handmaiden’ Hagar. This first-born son was named Ishmael. Abraham’s second son, Isaac, was declared the ‘son of promise.’ The Jews today claim decent from Abraham through this second son, Isaac. Few people today know what happened to the descendants of Ishmael. It is often assumed that they simply became the Arabs of the Middle East, but to most of us, our knowledge stops there. The Bible gives us the following record: While most of us think of the Nabataeans as people who transported goods in the desert by camel caravan, it has become increasingly evident that the Nabataeans were also a sea trading people. The Word of God was written for readers of all times, so that anybody reading it can draw wisdom from it, provided they have eyes to see and ears to hear. In the Bible, Israel and Judah may refer to either the literal biological descendants of Abraham or the spiritual descendants of Abraham (the New Testament Gentile Church). Furthermore, often the Word of God uses analogies to link events or teachings meant for both the past and the future.

Jacob

The Tribe of West Manasseh was a large tribe, so it was granted a large territory ( Joshua 16 and 17).

There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else” ( 1 Samuel 9:1-2). To Naphtali, Jacob said that he was a "doe set free that utters beautiful words". The Hebrew word for "doe" comes from a root word, meaning "leader, mighty man, noble man", a word that express strength and prominence. To be a mighty man of God you have to be faithful and strong in your obedience, and this is what this blessing alludes to. We don’t read much about the man Dan, but we do see his tribe up to no good in the book of Judges. The tribe did not secure their original portion of land ( Judges 1:34; 18:1), and instead migrated northward. In the process, they took for themselves other gods ( Judges 18:14–17) and set up a new priesthood (Judges 18–20). The tribe later joins Jeroboam in idolatry when the kingdom of Israel divides ( 1 Kings 12:28–29). Notable tribesman: Samson 8. Gad. Naphtali: “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won” ( Genesis 30:8). The tribe of Naphtali produced freedom and beauty ( Genesis 49:21). The tribe was located north of Galilee. Joshua 13:33 - "To the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them."

Benjamin

Kind of like how I can assume my readers in the US immediately know what I’m talking about if I reference “D.C.,”“Houston,” or “Chicago.” Although the chronology is not yet clear, it appears that some Edomites remained behind. Those that emigrated into Judea became known as “Idumaeans.” These were some of the people that opposed the Jews during the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem under Ezra, and later, the rebuilding of the city walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah.

Jacob prophesied that Asher’s tribe would enjoy rich foods ( Genesis 49:20), and the tribe went on to possess a region of eastern Galilee which is still known for its olive groves. 10. Naphtali. After the division of the kingdom into Judah in the south and Israel in the north, the divided Israelites led separate lives, with intermittent bloody wars being waged between them. However, they maintained their religious heritage in observance of their traditions. The two kingdoms were disobedient to God through worship of idols, and they were conquered by other gentile nations. Judah was conquered by the Babylonians while Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. The tribes of Israel were scattered to various parts of the world as punishment for their disobedience. The Significance of the Israelite Tribes Today

In the Old Testament time Israel was the only nation on earth under God, its constitution was God's Law and everyone lived according to God's Principles and Commandments. If someone from another nation had the desire to follow God, he could certainly to do so, God never prevented anyone from loving Him and following Him.