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According to Jewish (Christian, and Islamic) traditions, the ancient People of Israel was made of Twelve Tribes. A portion of the Land of Israel was given to the descendants of each of the Twelve Patriarchs (see map), with the exception of the House of Levi who was granted the priesthood, and the House of Joseph, which was divided between his two children, Manasseh and Ephraim.

< Tribe of Reuben -- Tribe of Simeon -- Tribe of Judah -- Tribe of Dan -- Tribe of Naphtali -- Tribe of Gad -- Tribe of Asher -- Tribe of Issachar -- Tribe of Zebulun -- Tribe of Manasseh -- Tribe of Ephraim -- Tribe of Benjamin -- see also House of Levi and House of Joseph >

Overview

In the Blessing of Jacob (Genesis 49) the Twelve Tribes correspond exactly to the Twelve Patriarchs, sons of Jacob, according to the following order: 1. Tribe of Reuben, 2. Tribe of Simeon, 3. Tribe of Levi, 4. Tribe of Judah, 5. Tribe of Zebulun, 6. Tribe of Issachar, 7. Tribe of Dan, 8. Tribe of Gad, 9. Tribe of Asher, 10. Tribe of Naphtali, 11. Tribe of Joseph, and 12. Tribe of Benjamin. "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing" (Gen 49:28). The picture was complicated by the fact that in the Blessing, Jacob doomed the Sons of Levi (to whom no priestly role was attributed) as well as the Sons of Simeon to be "scattered." The text seems to suggest that they were no longer regarded as existing tribes. The status of these two tribes is in fact ambivalent in the ancient Jewish tradition.

In the Blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33), the Tribe of Simeon is the only not to be mentioned among the "united tribes of Israel" (Deut 33.4). The Tribe of Levi is already given a priestly role but is still mentioned as one of the Twelve Tribes, and so is the Tribe of Joseph, even though the Sons of Joseph are divided between the Tribe of Ephraim and the Tribe of Manasseh. The order is as follows: 1. Tribe of Reuben, 2. Tribe of Judah, 3. Tribe of Levi, 4. Tribe of Benjamin, 5-6. Tribe of Joseph (Tribe of Ephraim and Tribe of Manasseh), 7. Tribe of Zebulun, 8. Tribe of Issachar, 9. Tribe of Gad, 10. Tribe of Dan, 11. Tribe of Napfthali, and 12. Tribe of Asher.

According to the Book of Joshua, after the conquest, each Tribe received their portion of the Land of Israel. First Moses allotted the Tribe of Reuben, the Tribe of Gad and half of the Tribe of Manasseh their territories "beyond the Jordan." Later Joshua gave their territories to the Tribe of Judah, the Tribe of Ephraim, half of the Tribe of Manasseh, the Tribe of Benjamin, the Tribe of Simeon, the Tribe of Zebulun, the Tribe of Issachar, the Tribe of Asher, the Tribe of Naphtali, and the Tribe of Dan. No territory was given to the House of Levi in reason of their priestly status. The status of the Sons of Simeon also appears ambiguous; they are counted as one of the Twelve Tribes, yet they did not receive a territory of their own as they were "scattered" among the Sons of Judah. The "loss" of the Tribe of Levi (and the Tribe of Simeon) was compensated by doubling the House of Joseph into two Tribes-- the Tribe of Ephraim and the Tribe of Manasseh (and possibly by the division of the Tribe of Manasseh in two halves).

Ezekiel's vision of the post-exilic Restoration divides the Land of Israel according to the Twelve Tribes (including the Tribe of Simeon and with the Tribe of Ephraim and the Tribe of Manasseh in place of the Tribe of Levi and the Tribe of Joseph). The gates of the new Jerusalem, however, are named after each of the Twelve Patriarchs, including Levi and Joseph.

The two censuses of Numbers 1 and 26 provide the standard (post-exilic) list of the Twelve Tribes (with the Tribe of Ephraim and the Tribe of Manasseh in place of the Tribe of Levi and the Tribe of Joseph), according to the following order: 1. Tribe of Reuben, 2. Tribe of Simeon, 3. Tribe of Judah, 4. Tribe of Issachar, 5. Tribe of Zebulun, 6. Tribe of Ephraim, 7. Tribe of Manasseh, 8. Tribe of Benjamin, 9. Tribe of Dan, 10. Tribe of Asher, 11. Tribe of Gad, and 12. Tribe of Naphtali. The House of Levi is now clearly set aside from the Twelve Tribes, while the Tribe of Simeon is fully reintroduced; their demise only being signaled by a dramatic decrease in size from the First to the Second census.

2 Chronicles 9 does no longer give them the status of a Tribe to the Sons of Simeon after the schism between the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. They were "lost" even before the events following the Assyrian and Babylonian exile made all Tribes disappeared, except the Tribe of Judah, the Tribe of Benjamin and the priestly House of Levi.

While foretelling the eschatological restoration of the Twelve Tribes, the Revelation of John provides a list of the Twelve Tribes that includes Levi, Joseph and Manasseh but quite inexplicably, neither Ephraim nor Dan. The tribes are listed as follows: 1. Tribe of Judah, 2. Tribe of Reuben, 3. Tribe of Gad, 4. Tribe of Asher, 5. Tribe of Naphtali, 6. Tribe of Manasseh, 7. Tribe of Simeon, 8. Tribe of Levi, 9. Tribe of Issachar, 10. Tribe of Zebulun, 11. Tribe of Joseph, and 12. Tribe of Benjamin.

The Twelve Tribes in ancient Sources

• See Twelve Tribes (sources)

Related categories

• Twelve Patriarchs

External links

• [ Wikipedia]