| NAME | MOTHER | REFERENCE | BLESSINGS | KEY NOTES | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rueben | Leah | Genesis 30:14; 37:22; 42:37; 49:4 | He is not blessed with the headship | Slept with Jacob’s concubine Bilhah Convinced his brothers not to kill Joseph Settled east of the Jordan | ||
| Simeon | Leah | Genesis 29:33; 34 | Simeon and Levi are a pair They will be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel | With Levi, they destroyed the village of Schechem (Gen. 34) Lived in the southernmost part of the Land of Israel Simeon was later swallowed up by Judah Numbers 1:23; 26:14 dwindling numbers Duet. 33 & Judges 5 no mention of Simeon | ||
| Judah | Leah | Genesis 30:35; 37:27 | His preeminence is to be acknowledged by his brothers Lionlike strength Leadership will be long lasting Territory will be fertile | His idea to sell Joseph Later kingdom of all the southern tribes of Israel | ||
| Zebulun | Leah | Genesis 49:13; Judges 5:18 | She will live on the seacoast and be involved in shipping | Duet 33:19 also said they would be drawing wealth from the sea Joshua 19:10-16 occupied inland territory Perhaps the Philistines & Phoenicians employed them their labor Convenient anchorage sites for very small ships proven through modern excavation | ||
| Issachar | Leah | Genesis 30:9-18; 49:14-15 | He will become a servant/slave | Not mentioned in Judges 1 | ||
| Dan | Bilhah | Genesis 14:14; 30:5; 49:16 | Shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel “Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward” | Very little of the knowledge of the history of this tribe In the wilderness census 60,000 Genealogy of Chronicles ignore the tribe Known for gorilla warfare | ||
| Gad | Zilpah | Genesis 49:19 | Shall be raided by raiders Shall raid at their heels | Engaged in a series of wars with the Arameans, Moabites, Ammonites Reputation as fighting warriors | ||
| Asher | Zilpah | Genesis 30:13; 49:20 | His bread shall be rich and shall yield royal dainties | Setteled in Western Galilee between Carmel and Phoenicia Area famed for its fertility | ||
| Naphtali | Bilhah | Genesis 30:8; 49:21; Judges 5:18 | Called him "a running deer" | Played big role in the war with Deborah Little known of early history | ||
| Ephraim | Rachel | Genesis 48:13-20 | Blessing of the firstborn His offspring shall be plentiful enough for nations | Moses gave a numerical superiority to that of Manasseh Jacob transfers to Ephraim the contents of the blessing that he himself had received in Genesis 35:11 | ||
| Manasseh | Rachel | Genesis 48:13-20 | His older brother shall be greater but he will become a people and shall be great | Settled across the largest territory in Israel From the Jordan River across to the Mediterranean Sea | ||
| Benjamin | Rachel | Genesis 48:14; 49:27 | A ravenous wolf | The portrayal of the Benjaminite’s as warlike and predatory pertains to the tribe and not the individual | ||
| PRIESTLY TRIBE | ||||||
| Levi | Leah | Genesis 30:34; Exodus 32:26-29 | Simeon and Levi are a pair They will be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel | Duet. 33:8-10 Moses reverses the curse |
