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The twelve tribes of Israel are named after the sons of Jacob. The patriarch Jacob had his name changed to Israel after
wrestling with and prevailing over an angel (see Genesis 32). Levi, though one of the sons of Israel, is usually omitted from Biblical passages listing the
tribes of Israel. The descendants of Levi were consecrated as priests to God and were responsible for the service of the tabernacle
in the wilderness and later with the temple in Jerusalem. Instead of receiving land as an inheritance in Palestine, the Levites
received tithes and offerings from the children of Israel (Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 18, etc.). Although Joseph was also one of Jacob's sons, he too is usually
omitted from lists of the tribes of Israel. This is because the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, were adopted by
Jacob in Joseph's stead (Genesis 48). Asher
Benjamin
Dan | Ephraim
Gad
Issachar | Judah
Manasseh
Naphtali | Reuben
Simeon
Zebulon |
 
It
took four women to produce the 13 children sired by Jacob. It was Leah who
was the most fruitful; producing six sons and Dinah. Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah,
produced Dan and Naphtali. Leah's handmaid, Zilpah, produced Gad and Asher.
Jacob's first intended, Rachel, was barren all the while those first ten siblings
were being born, but following Zebulun's birth she gave birth to her firstborn, Joseph, and afterwards died near Bethlehem
giving birth to Benjamin.
Asher was the eighth son of Jacob and
the father of the tribe of Asher, one of the twelve tribes
of Israel. His mother was Zilpah, Leah's maidservant.Asher and his four sons and daughter later settled in Egypt.
- Gad was the seventh son of Jacob and
father of the tribe of Gad, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. His mother was Zilpah, Jacob's concubine and Leah's slave. Gad's name
comes from the Hebrew word troop.
- Ninth son of Leah and father of Issachar, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Issachar settled in Egypt after the famine in Canaan and had four sons: Tolah, Puvvah, Yov and Shimron.
- The biblical Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He was born to Jacob’s favorite
wife, Rachel,
in Paddan-Aram after she had been barren for seven years. Joseph fathered two of the twelve tribes of Israel: Ephraim and Manasseh.
Simeon was the second son of Jacob and Leah
and father of the tribe of Simeon, one
of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe
of Simeon lived in the southernmost part of the Land of Israel. Tenth son of Jacob and sixth of Leah and father of the tribe of Zebulun, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Zebulun inhabited the
northern land of Canaan. Both the tribes
of Naphtali and Zebulun are mentioned
as brave soldiers in the Song of Deborah during the battle against Sisera (Judges 5:18).
- Fourth son of Jacob and father of the tribe of Judah. Leah gave birth to Judah and said "Now I will praise God" (Genesis 30:35)
He marries Shua, a Canaanite woman, and has three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah is also involved with Tamar and has twin
sons with her named Perez and Zerach.
- Third
son of Jacob
and Leah and
father of the tribe of Levi, from whom the Levites are descended. The tribe of Levi is one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Levi's own three
sons, Gerhson, Kahath and Merari, become Temple servants. After Levi's sister Dinah was raped by Shechem, he and his brother
Simeon destroyed the entire town.
Naptali was the son of Jacob and Rachel's maidservant Bilhah and the father of the tribe of Naphtali, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Naphtali settled in northern Canaan and were described as brave soldiers in the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:18).
- Firstborn
son of Jacob
and Leah and
father of the tribe of Reuven, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Reuven settled west of the Jordan River and agreed
to join the other tribes in the war against the Philistines.
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 When leaders lead: Leadership is important in any endeavor and especially in the work of God. God expects leaders among His people to
actually lead, showing there is a genuine need for leaders and their leadership. When
the people willingly offer themselves: Leaders are nothing without followers, and it is the job of the people
to willingly offer themselves to their leaders. We can think of the relation between leader and people as
that of the conductor and the orchestra. The conductor must lead, and the orchestra must be ready and willing
to follow the conductor's leadership. When the conductor does his job and the orchestra does their job, beautiful music is
made. My heart
is with the rulers of Israel: Deborah
didn't only care for her job of leadership. She also had a heart for other leaders and their work.
Her vision was bigger than just getting "her job" done. She wanted to see the Kingdom of God advanced. Who offered themselves willingly with the people: In Judges 5:2 Deborah spoke of
the people offering themselves willingly. Here she notes that the sacrifices should also be borne by the leaders. They also
must offer themselves willingly. The Lord came down for me against
the mighty: As she remembered God's
help, Deborah knew that His help came from the tribes of Israel, stirred to join in the battle. Deborah praised the tribes
that helped, notably Ephraim, West Manasseh, Benjamin, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali. Why did
you sit among the sheepfolds? Not every tribe was helpful. Reuben, East Manasseh, Dan, and Asher did not join in
the battle.
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