View source for Twelve Tribes of Israel

{{Short description|Descendants of Jacob in the Abrahamic religions}}
{{redirect|Twelve Tribes}}

[[File:Mosaic Tribes.jpg|250px|thumb|Mosaic depicting the twelve tribes and their Hebrew names, with symbolic images.
<br>*[[Tribe of Asher|Asher]]: a tree<br>*[[Tribe of Dan|Dan]]: [[Lady Justice#Scales|Scales of justice]]<br>*[[Tribe of Judah|Judah]]: [[Kinnor]], [[cithara]] and crown, symbolising [[King David]]<br>*[[Tribe of Reuben|Reuben]]: [[Mandrake]] (Genesis 30:14)<br>*[[Tribe of Joseph|Joseph]]: Palm tree and sheaves of wheat, likely references to the dreams he received as a child (Genesis 37:7)<br>*[[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]]: [[gazelle]] (Genesis 49:21)<br>*[[Tribe of Issachar|Issachar]]: Sun, moon and stars ([[1 Chronicles]] 12:32)<br>*[[Tribe of Simeon|Simeon]]: towers and walls of the city of [[Shechem]]<br>*[[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]]: jug, ladle and fork<br>*[[Tribe of Gad|Gad]]: tents, symbolizing their itinerancy as cattle-herders<br>*[[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]]: ship, due to their bordering the [[Sea of Galilee]] and [[Mediterranean]]<br>*[[Tribe of Levi|Levi]]: [[Priestly breastplate]], symbolizing the [[Kohen|Kohanim]]
]]

The '''Twelve Tribes of Israel''' ({{langx|he|שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל}} {{Transliteration|he|Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl}}, {{Literal translation|Staffs of Israel}}) are described in the [[Hebrew Bible]] as being the descendants of [[Jacob]], a [[Patriarchs (Bible)|Hebrew patriarch]] who was a son of [[Isaac]] and thereby a grandson of [[Abraham]]. Jacob, later known as [[Israel (name)|Israel]], had a total of twelve sons, from whom each tribe's ancestry and namesake is derived: [[Reuben (son of Jacob)|Reuben]], [[Simeon (son of Jacob)|Simeon]], [[Levi]], [[Judah (son of Jacob)|Judah]], [[Dan (son of Jacob)|Dan]], [[Naphtali]], [[Gad (son of Jacob)|Gad]], [[Asher]], [[Issachar]], [[Zebulun]], [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]], and [[Benjamin]]. Collectively known as the [[Israelites]], they inhabited a part of [[Canaan]]—the [[Land of Israel]]—during the [[Iron Age]]. Their history, society, culture, and politics feature heavily in the [[Abrahamic religions]], especially [[Judaism]].

In the biblical narrative, after [[Moses]] oversaw the [[The Exodus|Israelites' departure from Egypt]], he died and was succeeded by [[Joshua]], who led the [[conquest of Canaan]] and subsequently allotted territory for all but the [[Tribe of Levi]], which was instead dedicated [[Levitical city|48 cities]]. This development culminated in the establishment of [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|Israel and Judah]], purportedly beginning with a [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|Kingdom of Israel and Judah]] before splitting into the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] in the north and the [[Kingdom of Judah]] in the south.

Wars with neighbouring [[Ancient Near East|Near Eastern powers]] eventually resulted in the destruction of both Israel and Judah: the [[Assyrian captivity|Assyrian conquest of Israel]] resulted in the mass displacement of most of the Israelites, giving rise to the legacy of the [[Ten Lost Tribes]]; and the [[Babylonian captivity|Babylonian conquest of Judah]] resulted in the mass displacement of much of the remaining Israelites, who belonged to the [[Tribe of Judah]] and the [[Tribe of Benjamin]].

In modern scholarship, there is skepticism as to whether the Twelve Tribes of Israel [[Historicity of the Bible|actually existed]], with the use of "12" thought more likely to [[12 (number)#Judaism and Christianity|signify a symbolic tradition]] as part of a national founding myth,<ref name="Glassman" /> although some academics disagree with this view.<ref>{{cite book |title=Saul, Benjamin, and the Emergence of Monarchy in Israel: Biblical and Archaeological Perspectives |last=Blum |first=Erhard |publisher=SBL Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-88414-451-9 |pages=213 |editor-last=Krause |editor-first=Joachim J. |chapter=The Israelite Tribal System: Literary Fiction or Social Reality? |editor-last2=Sergi |editor-first2=Omer |editor-last3=Weingart |editor-first3=Kristin |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wH3-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA201}}</ref>

== Biblical narrative ==
{{Tribes of Israel}}
=== Genealogy ===
Jacob, later called Israel, was the second-born son of [[Isaac]] and [[Rebecca]], the younger twin brother of [[Esau]], and the grandson of [[Abraham]] and [[Sarah]]. According to biblical texts, he was chosen by [[God in Judaism|God]] to be the patriarch of the Israelite nation. From what is known of Jacob, he had two wives, sisters [[Leah]] and [[Rachel]], and two concubines, [[Bilhah]] and [[Zilpah]]. The twelve sons form the basis for the twelve tribes of Israel, listed in the order from oldest to youngest: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Jacob was known to display favoritism among his children, particularly for Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of his favorite wife, Rachel, and so the tribes themselves were not treated equally in a divine sense. Joseph, despite being the second-youngest son, received double the inheritance of his brothers, treated as if he were the firstborn son instead of Reuben, and so his tribe was later split into two tribes, named after his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible_(King_James)/Numbers#13:11|title=The King James Bible|via=Wikisource}}</ref>

=== Sons and tribes ===
[[File:Biblical Jacob and his 12 sons Genealogy (Family Tree).jpg|thumb|Parentage of Jacob's twelve sons, per Genesis 35]]
The [[Israelites]] were the descendants of twelve sons of the [[Patriarchs (Bible)|biblical patriarch]] [[Jacob]]. Jacob also had at least one daughter, [[Dinah]], whose descendants were not recognized as a tribe.  The sons of Jacob were born in [[Padan-aram]] from different mothers, as follows:<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|35:23-26|KJV}}</ref>
* The sons of [[Leah]]; [[Reuben (son of Jacob)|Reuben]] (Jacob's firstborn), [[Simeon (son of Jacob)|Simeon]], [[Levi]], [[Judah (son of Jacob)|Judah]], [[Issachar]], and [[Zebulun]]
* The sons of [[Rachel]]; [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] and [[Benjamin]] (Jacob's last)
* The sons of [[Bilhah]], Rachel's handmaid; [[Dan (son of Jacob)|Dan]] and [[Naphtali]]
* The sons of [[Zilpah]], Leah's handmaid; [[Gad (son of Jacob)|Gad]] and [[Asher]]

{{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|27:12–13|KJV}} lists the twelve tribes:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Tribe of Reuben|Reuben]] (Hebrew {{Script/Hebrew|רְאוּבֵן}} ''Rəʼūḇēn'')
* [[Tribe of Simeon|Simeon]] ({{Script/Hebrew|שִׁמְעוֹן}} ''Šīməʻōn'')
* [[Tribe of Levi|Levi]] ({{Script/Hebrew|לֵוִי}} ''Lēwī'')
* [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]] ({{Script/Hebrew|יְהוּדָה}} ''Yəhūdā'')
* [[Tribe of Issachar|Issachar]] ({{Script/Hebrew|יִשָּׂשכָר}} ''Yīssāḵār'')
* [[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]] ({{Script/Hebrew|זְבוּלֻן}} ''Zəḇūlun'')
* [[Tribe of Dan|Dan]] ({{Script/Hebrew|דָּן}} ''Dān'')
* [[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]] ({{Script/Hebrew|נַפְתָּלִי}} ''Nap̄tālī'')
* [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]] ({{Script/Hebrew|גָּד}} ''Gāḏ'')
* [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]] ({{Script/Hebrew|אָשֵׁר}} '''Āšēr'')
* [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]] ({{Script/Hebrew|בִּנְיָמִן}} ''Bīnyāmīn'')
* [[Tribe of Joseph|Joseph]] ({{Script/Hebrew|יוֹסֵף}} ''Yōsēp̄''), later split into two "half-tribes":
** [[Tribe of Ephraim|Ephraim]] ({{Script/Hebrew|אֶפְרַיִם}} '''Ep̄rayīm'')
** [[Tribe of Manasseh|Manasseh]] ({{Script/Hebrew|מְנַשֶּׁה}} ''Mənašše'')
{{div col end}}

Jacob elevated the descendants of [[Ephraim]] and [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]] (the two sons of [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] and his Egyptian wife [[Asenath]])<ref>{{Bibleverse|Genesis|41:50|KJV}}</ref> to the status of full tribes in their own right due to Joseph receiving a [[double portion]] after Reuben lost his birth right because of his transgression with Bilhah.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Genesis|35:22|KJV}}; {{Bibleverse|1 Chronicles| 5:1,2|KJV}}; {{Bibleverse|Genesis|48:5|KJV}}</ref>

In the biblical narrative the period from the [[conquest of Canaan]] under the leadership of [[Joshua]] until the formation of the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|United Kingdom of Israel]] passed with the tribes forming a loose confederation, described in the [[Book of Judges]]. Modern scholarship has called into question the beginning, middle, and end of this picture<ref name="McNutt1999">"In any case, it is now widely agreed that the so-called 'patriarchal/ancestral period' is a later 'literary' construct, not a period in the actual history of the ancient world. The same is the case for the 'exodus' and the 'wilderness period', and more and more widely for the 'period of the Judges.'" {{cite book|author=Paula M. McNutt|title=Reconstructing the Society of Ancient Israel|url=https://archive.org/details/reconstructingso0000mcnu|url-access=registration|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=978-0-664-22265-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/reconstructingso0000mcnu/page/n59 42]}}</ref><ref name="Levenson2011">{{cite book|author=Alan T. Levenson|title=The Making of the Modern Jewish Bible: How Scholars in Germany, Israel, and America Transformed an Ancient Text|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ZXR0Z4I-kkC&pg=PA202|date=16 August 2011|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1-4422-0518-5|page=202}}</ref> and the account of the conquest under Joshua has largely been abandoned.<ref name="BakerArnold2004">"Besides the rejection of the Albrightian 'conquest' model, the general consensus among OT scholars is that the Book of Joshua has no value in the historical reconstruction. They see the book as an ideological retrojection from a later period — either as early as the reign of Josiah or as late as the Hasmonean period."
{{cite book|editor1=David W. Baker|editor2=Bill T. Arnold|author=K. Lawson Younger Jr.|chapter=Early Israel in Recent Biblical Scholarship|title=The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vO8XRZyhvpMC&pg=PA200|date=1 October 2004|publisher=Baker Academic|isbn=978-0-8010-2871-7|page=200}}</ref><ref name="Congress1999">"It behooves us to ask, in spite of the fact that the overwhelming consensus of modern scholarship is that Joshua is a pious fiction composed by the deuteronomistic school, how does and how has the Jewish community dealt with these foundational narratives, saturated as they are with acts of violence against others?" {{cite book|author=Carl S. Ehrlich|title=Jewish Studies at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, Volume 1: Biblical, Rabbinical, and Medieval Studies|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ZlRPQJ8Qd4C&pg=PA117|year=1999|chapter=Joshua, Judaism and Genocide|publisher=Brill|isbn=90-04-11554-4|page=117}}</ref><ref name="BerlinBrettler2014">"Recent decades, for example, have seen a remarkable reevaluation of evidence concerning the conquest of the land of Canaan by Joshua. As more sites have been excavated, there has been a growing consensus that the main story of Joshua, that of a speedy and complete conquest (e.g. {{bibleverse|Joshua|11:23|KJV}}: 'Thus Joshua conquered the whole country, just as the {{Lord}} had promised Moses') is contradicted by the archaeological record, though there are indications of ''some'' destruction and conquest at the appropriate time. {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yErYBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT951|title=The Jewish Study Bible|edition=Second|date=17 October 2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-939387-9|page=951|author1=Adele Berlin|author2=Marc Zvi Brettler}}</ref> The Bible's depiction of the 'period of the Judges' is widely considered doubtful.<ref name="McNutt1999"/><ref>"The biblical text does not shed light on the history of the highlands in the early Iron I. The conquest and part of the period of the judges narratives should be seen, first and foremost, as a Deuteronomist construct that used myths, tales, and etiological traditions in order to convey the theology and territorial ideology of the late monarchic author(s) (e.g., Nelson 1981; Van Seters 1990; Finkelstein and Silberman 2001, 72–79, Römer 2007, 83–90)." {{cite book|author=Israel Finkelstein|title=The Forgotten Kingdom: The Archaeology and History of Northern Israel.|url=https://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/pubs/9781589839106_OA.pdf|date=2013|publisher=Society of Biblical Literature|isbn=978-1-58983-912-0|page=24}}</ref><ref name="McCann2002">"In short, the so-called 'period of the judges' was probably the creation of a person or persons known as the deuteronomistic historian."{{cite book|author=J. Clinton McCann|title=Judges|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YV4kEFf6GpsC&pg=PA5|year=2002|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=978-0-8042-3107-7|page=5}}</ref> The extent to which a united Kingdom of Israel ever existed is also a matter of ongoing dispute.<ref name="Faust2016">"Although most scholars accept the historicity of the united monarchy (although not in the scale and form described in the Bible; see Dever 1996; Na'aman 1996; Fritz 1996, and bibliography there), its existence has been questioned by other scholars (see Whitelam 1996b; see also Grabbe 1997, and bibliography there). The scenario described below suggests that some important changes did take place at the time." {{cite book|author=Avraham Faust|author-link=Avraham Faust|title=Israel's Ethnogenesis: Settlement, Interaction, Expansion and Resistance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MOHeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT172|date=1 April 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-94215-2|page=172}}</ref><ref name="VaughnKillebrew2003">"In some sense most scholars today agree on a 'minimalist' point of view in this regard. It does not seem reasonable any longer to claim that the united monarchy ruled over most of Palestine and Syria." {{cite book|author=Gunnar Lebmann|editor1=Andrew G. Vaughn|editor-link=Andrew G. Vaughn|editor2=Ann E. Killebrew|editor2-link=Ann E. Killebrew|title=Jerusalem in Bible and Archaeology: The First Temple Period|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yYS4VEu08h4C&pg=PA156|year=2003|publisher=Society of Biblical Lit|isbn=978-1-58983-066-0|page=156}}</ref><ref name="EdelmanZvi2014">"There seems to be a consensus that the power and size of the kingdom of Solomon, if it ever existed, has been hugely exaggerated." {{cite book|editor1=Diana Vikander Edelman|editor2=Ehud Ben Zvi|author1=Philip R. Davies|chapter=Why do we Know about Amos?|title=The Production of Prophecy: Constructing Prophecy and Prophets in Yehud|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zWTfBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA71|date=18 December 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-49031-9|page=71}}</ref>

Living in [[Babylonian captivity|exile]] in the sixth century BC, the prophet [[Ezekiel]] has a vision for the restoration of Israel,<ref>{{Bibleverse|Ezekiel|47:13|KJV}}</ref> of a future in which the twelve tribes of Israel are living in their land again.<ref name="Chyutin2006">{{cite book|author=Michael Chyutin|title=Architecture and Utopia in the Temple Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kqB4ZSmemnkC&pg=PA170|date=1 January 2006|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-567-03054-2|page=170}}</ref>

=== Land allotment ===
{{See also|Judges 1#List of cities}}
[[File:12 Tribes of Israel Map.svg|thumb|upright|350px|[[Joshua]]'s allotment of land to the Israelite tribes according to [[Book of Joshua|Joshua 13–19]]]]
According to [[Book of Joshua|Joshua 13–19]], the [[Land of Israel]] was divided by lots into twelve sections corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. There is a contractual aspect of the division of the land according to the tribes. According to the [[Babylonian Talmud]] (''[[Baba Bathra]]'' 106b), the lots did not actually function as a legal allocation of property but only clarified the division. Rather, the legal allocation of property took effect when the tribes actually settled on the land and worked the land.

The tribes receiving land differed from the biblical tribes. For example, the [[Tribe of Levi]] had no land appropriation but had six [[Cities of Refuge]] under their administration. In addition, there was no land allotment for the [[Tribe of Joseph]], but Joseph's two sons, [[Ephraim]] and [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]], received their father's land portion.<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|48:5|HE}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Joshua|14:14|HE}}</ref>

Thus the tribes receiving an allotment were:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-twelve-tribes-of-israel|title=The Twelve Tribes of Israel|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
# [[Tribe of Reuben|Reuben]]
# [[Tribe of Simeon|Simeon]]
# [[Tribe of Ephraim|Ephraim]]
# [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]]
# [[Tribe of Issachar|Issachar]]
# [[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]]
# [[Tribe of Dan|Dan]]
# [[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]]
# [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]]
# [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]]
# [[Tribe of Manasseh|Manasseh]]
# [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]]
{{div col end}}

==Descendants==
* The Tribe of Reuben: Reuben was a member of the Northern Kingdom of Israel until the kingdom was conquered by [[Assyria]]. According to 1 Chronicles 5:26, [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] of Assyria (ruled 745–727 BC) deported the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to "Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River." According to the Moabite [[Mesha Stele]] (ca. 840 BCE) the Moabites reclaimed many territories in the second part of the 9th century BCE (only recently conquered by Omri and Ahab according to the Stele). The stele does mention fighting against the tribe of Gad but not the tribe of Reuben, even though taking Nebo and Jahaz which were in the centre in their designated homeland. This would suggest that the tribe of Reuben at this time was no longer recognizable as a separate force in this area. Even if still present at the outbreak of this war, the outcome of this war would have left them without a territory of their own, just like the tribes of Simeon and Levi. This is, according to Richard Elliot Friedman in ''Who Wrote the Bible?'', the reason why these three tribes are passed over in favour of Judah in the J-version of Jacob's deathbed blessing (composed in Judah before the fall of Israel).
* The Tribe of Simeon: An [[apocrypha]]l [[midrash]] claims that the tribe was deported by the [[Babylonians]] to the [[Kingdom of Aksum]] (in what is now [[Ethiopia]]), to a place behind ''the dark mountains''.<ref>"Simeon, Tribe of" (''Jewish Encyclopedia'' 1906)</ref>
* The Tribe of Ephraim: As part of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]], the territory of Ephraim was conquered by the [[ancient Assyrians|Assyrians]], and the tribe exiled; the manner of their exile led to [[Lost Ten Tribes|their further history being lost]].  However, several modern day groups claim descent, with varying levels of academic and rabbinical support.  The [[Samaritan]]s claim that some of their adherents are descended from this tribe, and many [[Persian Jews]] claim to be descendants of Ephraim.  Further afield, in India the [[Telugu Jews]] claim descent from Ephraim, and call themselves ''Bene Ephraim'', relating similar traditions to those of the [[Mizo Jews]], whom the modern state of Israel regards as descendants of Manasseh.<ref name="auto1">[http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20003&Itemid=86 'Lost tribe of Israel' found in southern India], ''Canadian Jewish News'', 7 October 2010</ref>
* The Tribe of Issachar: R' David Kimchi (ReDaK) to I Chronicles 9:1 expounds that there remained from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun in the territory of Judah after the exile of the ten tribes. This remnant returned with the tribe of Judah after the Babylonian Exile.<Ref>[https://www.ics.uci.edu/~dan/genealogy/Miller/issachar.htm The Tribe of Issachar]</ref>
* The Tribe of Judah: returned to their original land along with what remained from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun that had not been exiled elsewhere, after the Babylonian Exile.<Ref>[https://www.ics.uci.edu/~dan/genealogy/Miller/issachar.htm The Tribe of Issachar]</ref>
* The Tribe of Zebulun: As part of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]], the territory of Zebulun was conquered by the [[ancient Assyrians|Assyrians]], [[Assyrian captivity of Israel|and the tribe exiled]]; the manner of their exile led to [[Lost Ten Tribes|their further history being lost]]. Israeli Knesset member [[Ayoob Kara]] speculated that the [[Druze]] are descended from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, probably Zevulun. Kara stated that the Druze share many of the same beliefs as Jews, and that he has genetic evidence to prove that the Druze were descended from Jews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140251|title=MK Kara: Druze are Descended from Jews|last=Lev|first=David|date=25 October 2010|work=Israel National News|publisher=Arutz Sheva|access-date=13 April 2011}}</ref>
* The Tribes of Dan; Gad; Asher and Naphtali: [[Ethiopian Jews]], also known as [[Beta Israel]], claim descent from the Tribe of Dan, whose members migrated south along with members of the tribes of [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]], [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]], and [[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]], into the [[Kingdom of Kush]], now [[Ethiopia]] and [[Sudan]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sjO8JOSKDCMC ''From Tragedy to Triumph: The Politics Behind the Rescue of Ethiopian Jewry''], Mitchell Geoffrey Bard. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. {{ISBN|0-275-97000-0}}, {{ISBN|978-0-275-97000-0}}. p. 2</ref> during the destruction of the [[First Temple]]. As noted above the Tribe of Simeon was also deported to the [[Kingdom of Aksum]] (in what is now [[Ethiopia]]).
* The Tribe of Manasseh: Part of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]], the territory of Manasseh was conquered by the [[ancient Assyrians|Assyrians]], and the tribe exiled; the manner of their exile led to [[Lost Ten Tribes|their further history being lost]]. However, several modern day groups claim descent, with varying levels of academic and rabbinical support. Both the [[Bnei Menashe]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.israel365news.com/199549/india-lost-tribe-of-menashe-celebrates-sukkot/|title=India: Lost tribe of Menashe celebrates Sukkot|date=September 20, 2021|website=Israel365 News &#124; Latest News. Biblical Perspective.}}</ref> (the [[Mizo Jews]], whom the modern state of Israel regards as descendants of Manasseh)<ref name="auto1" /> and the [[Samaritan]]s claim that some of their adherents are descended from this tribe.
* The Tribe of Benjamin apparently became part of the Tribe of Judah.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==Symbols==
Symbols are being attributed to the 12 tribes:

*Reuben: water ({{bibleverse |Genesis |49}})<ref name= Aish>{{cite web |last= Laing |first= Yehezkel |title= Did Archaeologists Discover an Ancient Seal of the Twelve Tribes? |date= 18 December 2024 |website= Aish.com |quote= "... symbols ... used by Jacob, just before his death, in his blessing to his sons in Genesis 49: Reuben is likened to water, Yehuda a lion, Zevulun a ship, Dan a snake and Naphtali a deer. Three other symbols match those used by Moses in his blessings to the tribes, just before his death, in Deuteronomy 33: Joseph is likened to a bull, Benjamin to two hills and Asher to oil or an olive tree. Of the remaining four tribal symbols, some can be found in other ancient Jewish sources. For example, the Midrash says Shimon’s symbol was the gates to the city of Shechem (Midrash BaMidbar Rabbah 2:7)." |url= https://aish.com/did-archaeologists-discover-an-ancient-seal-of-the-twelve-tribes/ |access-date= 19 December 2024}}</ref>
*Simeon: the gates of [[Shechem]] (Midrash BaMidbar Rabbah 2:7)<ref name= Aish/>
*Levi: [[Thummim and Urim]] (see {{bibleverse |Deut |33:8}}){{cn |date= December 2024}}
*Judah: lion ({{bibleverse |Genesis |49}})<ref name= Aish/>
*Issachar: donkey (Genesis 49:14) or sun, moon, and stars (based on tradition of having created a calendar system)
*Zebulun: ship ({{bibleverse |Genesis |49}})<ref name= Aish/>
*Dan: snake ({{bibleverse |Genesis |49}})<ref name= Aish/>
*Naphtali: deer ({{bibleverse |Genesis |49}})<ref name= Aish/>
*Gad: military encampment/tent (Genesis 49:19)
*Asher: oil or an olive tree ({{bibleverse |Deut |33}})<ref name= Aish/>
*Benjamin: two hills ({{bibleverse |Deut |33}})
*Joseph: bull ({{bibleverse |Deut |33}})<ref name= Aish/>
**Ephraim: 
**Manasseh:

==In Christianity==
The twelve tribes of Israel are referred to in the [[New Testament]]. In the [[gospels]] of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] ({{bibleverse-nb|Matthew|19:28|KJV}}) and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] ({{bibleverse-nb|Luke|22:30|KJV}}), [[Jesus]] anticipates that in the [[Kingdom of God]] his [[Twelve Apostles|disciples]] will "sit on [twelve] thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel". The [[Epistle of James]] ({{bibleverse-nb|James|1:1|KJV}}) addresses his audience as "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad".

The [[Book of Revelation]] ({{Bibleverse-nb|Revelation|7:1-8|KJV}}) gives a list of the twelve tribes. However, the [[Tribe of Dan]] is omitted while [[Tribe of Joseph|Joseph]] is mentioned alongside [[Tribe of Manasseh|Manasseh]]. In the vision of the [[New Jerusalem|Heavenly Jerusalem]], the tribes' names (the names of the twelve sons of [[Jacob]]) are written on the city gates ({{bibleverse|Ezekiel|48:30-35|KJV}} & {{bibleverse|Revelation|21:12-13|KJV}}).

In [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], a [[patriarchal blessing]] usually contains a declaration of the lineage of the recipient of blessing in relation to the twelve tribes of Israel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patriarchal Blessings |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/patriarchal-blessings?lang=eng |website=Gospel Topics |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref>

== In Islam ==
The [[Quran]] (7th century CE) states that the people of [[Moses]] were split into twelve tribes. Surah 7 ([[Al-A'raf]]) verse 160 says:
<blockquote><p>"We split them up into twelve tribal communities, and We revealed to [[Moses]], when his people asked him for water, [saying], 'Strike the rock with your cane,' whereat twelve fountains gushed forth from it. Every tribe came to know its drinking-place. And We shaded them with clouds, and We sent down to them manna and quails: 'Eat of the good things We have provided you.' And they did not wrong Us, but they used to wrong [only] themselves."<ref>al-quran.info/#7:160/1</ref></p></blockquote>

== Historicity ==
[[File:Jacob Blessing his Sons MET DP801460.jpg|thumb|The dying Jacob blesses his twelve sons ([[Adam van Noort]])]]
[[File:Tabernakel omringd door tentenkampen van de twaalf stammen van Israël Leger-Ordening Israels volgens de meening der Joden (titel op object), RP-P-1896-A-19368-331.jpg|thumb|The twelve tribes of Israel camped around the [[tabernacle]]. ([[Jan Luyken]], 1673)]]
[[File:Charles Francois Delamarche. Carte De La Terre Hebreux ou Israelites partagee selon l'ordre de Dieu aux douze tirbus descendantes Des Douze Fils De Jacob. Paris 1797.jpg|thumb|Map of tribal territories in the [[Land of Israel]] ([[Charles François Delamarche]], 1797)]]
=== Scholarly examination ===
For thousands of years, Christians and Jews have accepted the history of the twelve tribes as fact. Since the 19th century, however, [[historical criticism]] has examined the veracity of the historical account; whether the twelve tribes ever existed as they are described, the historicity of the eponymous ancestors, and even whether the earliest version of this tradition assumes the existence of twelve tribes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/did-israel-always-have-twelve-tribes|title=Did Israel Always Have Twelve Tribes? |website=www.thetorah.com}}</ref>

Biblical lists of tribes, not all of which number 12, include the following:
* The [[Blessing of Jacob]] ({{bibleverse|Genesis|49|KJV}}) directly mentions Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin and especially extolls Joseph over his brothers.
* [[Blessing of Moses]] ({{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|33|KJV}}) mentions Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Asher, Reuben, Levi, and Judah, omitting Simeon.
* [[Judges 1]] describes the conquest of Canaan; Benjamin and Simeon are mentioned in the section about Judah's exploits, and are listed alongside the Calebites and the [[Kenite]]s, {{cn span|two Judahite clans.|date=May 2021|reason=The assertion that they are Judahite clans rather than tribes in their own right is arguable. Weber and Glassman consider them tribes.}} Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali and Dan are mentioned, but Issachar, Reuben, Levi and Gad are not.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://isthatinthebible.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/the-twelve-or-so-tribes-of-israel/|title=The Twelve (or So) Tribes of Israel|first=Paul|last=D|date=July 9, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Glassman">{{Cite book |last=Glassman |first=Ronald M. |date=2017 |title=The Origins of Democracy in Tribes, City-States and Nation-States |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-51695-0_60 |location=Cham |publisher=Springer |page=632 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-51695-0_60 |isbn=978-3-319-51695-0 |access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref>
* the [[Song of Deborah]] ({{bibleverse|Judges|5:2–31|KJV}}), widely acknowledged as one of the oldest passages in the Bible, mentions eight of the tribes: Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, Issachar, Reuben, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. The people of the Gilead region, and [[Machir (biblical region)|Machir]], a subsection of Manasseh, are also mentioned. The other five tribes (Simeon, Levi, Judah, Gad, and Joseph) are not mentioned.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/1518497|title=The Twelve Tribes in the Song of Deborah|author=De Moor, Johannes C.|year=1993|journal=Vetus Testamentum|volume=43|issue=4|pages=483–494|doi=10.2307/1518497|jstor=1518497|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* The [[Rechabites]] and the [[Jerahmeel]]ites are also presented as Israelite tribes elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, but never feature in any list of tribes of Israel.<ref name="Glassman"/>

=== Theories of origin ===
Scholars such as [[Max Weber]] (in ''[[Ancient Judaism (book)|Ancient Judaism]]'') and Ronald M. Glassman (2017) concluded that there never was a fixed number of tribes. Instead, the idea that there were always twelve tribes should be regarded as part of the Israelite national [[founding myth]]: the [[12 (number)|number 12]] was not a real number, but an ideal number, which had symbolic significance in Near Eastern cultures with [[duodecimal]] counting systems, from which, among other things, the modern [[12-hour clock]] is derived.<ref name="Glassman"/>

Biblical scholar [[Arthur Peake]] saw the tribes originating as [[postdiction]], as [[eponym]]ous [[metaphor]] giving an [[aetiology]] of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation.<ref name="Peake's commentary on the Bible">[https://books.google.com/books?id=vjsJAQAAIAAJ Peake's commentary on the Bible] (1962) by Matthew Black, Harold Henry Rowley, and Arthur Samuel Peake – [[Thomas Nelson (publisher)]]
</ref>

Translator Paul Davidson argued:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/is-the-niv-a-deliberate-mistranslation/|title=Is the NIV a deliberate mistranslation? &#124; Psephizo|date=July 16, 2015}}</ref> "The stories of Jacob and his children, then, are not accounts of historical [[Bronze Age]] people. Rather, they tell us how much later Jews and [[Israelites]] understood themselves, their origins, and their relationship to the land, within the context of folktales that had evolved over time." He goes on to argue that most of the tribal names are "not personal names, but the names of ethnic groups, geographical regions, and local deities. E.g. [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]], meaning "son of the south" (the location of its territory relative to [[Samaria]]), or [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]], a [[Phoenicia]]n territory whose name may be an allusion to the goddess [[Asherah]]."<ref name="auto" />

Historian Immanuel Lewy<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/theodor-gaster/the-birth-of-the-bible-by-immanuel-lewy/|title=The Birth of the Bible, by Immanuel Lewy|date=July 1, 1951}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blankgenealogy.com/getperson.php?personID=I5329&tree=Blank1|title=Immanuel Lewy b. 19 Sep 1884 Berlin, Germany d. 2 Feb 1970 New York, NY, USA: Blank Family|website=blankgenealogy.com}}</ref> in [[Commentary (magazine)|''Commentary'']] mentions "the Biblical habit of representing clans as persons. In the Bible, the twelve tribes of Israel are sons of a man called [[Jacob]] or Israel, as [[Esau|Edom or Esau]] is the brother of Jacob, and [[Ishmael]] and [[Isaac]] are the sons of [[Abraham]]. [[Biblical Elam|Elam]] and [[Ashur (Bible)|Ashur]], names of two ancient nations, are sons of a man called [[Shem]]. [[Sidon]], a Phoenician town, is the first-born of [[Canaan (son of Ham)|Canaan]]; the lands of Egypt and Abyssinia are the sons of [[Ham (son of Noah)|Ham]]. This kind of mythological geography is widely known among all ancient peoples. Archaeology has found that many of these personal names of ancestors originally were the names of clans, tribes, localities, or nations. [...] if the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are those of mythological ancestors and not of historical persons, then many stories of the [[Patriarchal age|patriarchal]] and [[Moses|Mosaic]] age lose their historic validity. They may indeed partly reflect dim reminiscences of the Hebrews' tribal past, but in their specific detail they are fiction."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/immanuel-lewy/the-study-of-man-archaeology-and-the-bibles-historical-truth/|title=The Study of Man: Archaeology and the Bible's Historical Truth|date=May 1, 1954|website=Commentary Magazine}}</ref>

Norman Gottwald argued that the division into twelve tribes originated as an administrative scheme under King David.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xrXUAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Twelve+Tribes+%22+fact+%22song+of+deborah%22&pg=PA362|title=Tribes of Yahweh: A Sociology of the Religion of Liberated Israel, 1250–1050 BCE|first=Norman|last=Gottwald|date=October 1, 1999|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781841270265|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/38447266|title="All These Are the Twelve Tribes of Israel": The Origins of Israel's Kinship Identity|first=Kristin |last=Weingart|date=March 1, 2019|journal=Near Eastern Archaeology|volume=82|issue=1|pages=24–31|doi=10.1086/703323|s2cid=167013727}}</ref>

Additionally, the [[Mesha Stele]] (carved c. 840 BCE) mentions [[Omri]] as [[King of Israel]] and also mentions "the men of [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-tribe-of-gad-and-the-mesha-stele|title=The Tribe of Gad and The Mesha Stele – TheTorah.com|website=thetorah.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/newly-deciphered-moabite-inscription-may-be-first-use-of-written-word-hebrews/|title=Newly deciphered Moabite inscription may be first use of written word 'Hebrews'|website=Times of Israel}}</ref>

=== Levite Y-chromosome studies ===
{{see also|Genetic history of the Middle East}}
Recent studies of genetic markers within Jewish populations strongly suggest that modern [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] [[Levite]]s ([[Jewish]] males who claim [[Patrilineality|patrilineal]] descent from the [[Tribe of Levi]]) are descendants of a single Levite ancestor who came to Europe from the Middle East roughly 1,750 years ago.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Behar |first1=Doron M. |last2=Saag |first2=Lauri |last3=Karmin |first3=Monika |last4=Gover |first4=Meir G. |last5=Wexler |first5=Jeffrey D. |last6=Sanchez |first6=Luisa Fernanda |last7=Greenspan |first7=Elliott |last8=Kushniarevich |first8=Alena |last9=Davydenko |first9=Oleg |last10=Sahakyan |first10=Hovhannes |last11=Yepiskoposyan |first11=Levon |last12=Boattini |first12=Alessio |last13=Sarno |first13=Stefania |last14=Pagani |first14=Luca |last15=Carmi |first15=Shai |date=2017-11-02 |title=The genetic variation in the R1a clade among the Ashkenazi Levites' Y chromosome |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=14969 |doi=10.1038/s41598-017-14761-7 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=5668307 |pmid=29097670|bibcode=2017NatSR...714969B }}</ref> The growth of this specific lineage aligns with the expansion patterns seen in other founding groups of Ashkenazi Jews. This means that a relatively small number of original ancestors have had a large impact on the genetic makeup of today's Ashkenazi population.<ref name=":0" />

==Attributed coats of arms==
{{see also|Attributed arms}}

Attributed arms are Western European coats of arms given retrospectively to persons real or fictitious who died before the start of the age of heraldry in the latter half of the 12th century.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Attributed arms of the Twelve Tribes from the Portuguese ''[[Thesouro de Nobreza]]'', 1675
<gallery perrow="4" class="center">
Thesouro de Nobreza. Asher.png| Asher
Thesouro de Nobreza. Benjamin.png|Benjamin
Thesouro de Nobreza. Dan.png|Dan
Thesouro de Nobreza. Ephraim.png|Ephraim
Thesouro de Nobreza. Gad.png|Gad
Thesouro de Nobreza. Issachar.png|Issachar
Thesouro de Nobreza. Judah.png|Judah
Thesouro de Nobreza. Manasseh.png|Manasseh
Thesouro de Nobreza. Naphtali.png|Naphtali
Thesouro de Nobreza. Reuben.png|Reuben
Thesouro de Nobreza. Simeon.png|Simeon
Thesouro de Nobreza. Zebulun.png|Zebulun
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Judaism}}
* [[Black Judaism]]
* [[Israel]] (the modern state, founded in 1948 CE)
* [[Israelite highland settlement]]
* [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] (the northern kingdom, according to scriptural accounts, it existed from 930 to 722 BCE)
* [[Kingdom of Judah]] (the southern kingdom, according to scriptural accounts, it existed from 930 to 586 BCE)
* [[List of Jewish states and dynasties]]
* [[Ten Lost Tribes]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14507-tribes-the-twelve The Twelve Tribes] at ''[[The Jewish Encyclopedia]]''
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/tribes.html The Twelve Tribes of Israel] at the [[Jewish Virtual Library]]

{{Israelites}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Twelve Tribes of Israel| ]]

[[Category:Cultural lists]]
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