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The tribes of Israel stem again to Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. This is the story …
Jacob
The first use of the title Israel within the Bible is in Genesis 32:28 when it’s given as one other title for Jacob. Jacob was the youthful of dual sons born to Isaac and Rebecca, and Isaac was the second son of Abraham.
Israel a reputation for Jacob
In Genesis 32, the story is informed of Jacob wrestling with a person, who Hosea later recognized as an angel (Hosea 12:4). The determine mentioned: ‘Your title will not be Jacob, however Israel, as a result of you could have struggled with God and with people and have overcome.’ Then once more in Genesis 35:10, God mentioned to him, ‘Your title is Jacob, however you’ll not be referred to as Jacob; your title will probably be Israel.’ After this, Jacob is called each Jacob and Israel and each names continued for use interchangeably.
Sons and Daughters of Israel
Jacob, alias Israel, had many youngsters. His title Israel got here for use just like the household title or surname. He had twelve sons who’re named. The youngsters who have been named have been, so as of start, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, Joseph, and Benjamin. Other daughters are additionally talked about (Genesis 34:9; 37:34-35; 46:5-7; 46:15), however we do not know what number of he had. Dinah is the one daughter who is known as (Genesis 30:21).
Israel in Egypt
Jacob and his household settled in Goshen, in Egypt, on the invitation of Joseph, because of a famine (Genesis 47:27). The first reference to the ‘tribes of Israel’ comes within the final chapter of Genesis, chapter 49, after the demise of Jacob (Israel). According to the Bible, Jacob lived in Egypt for 17 years earlier than dying there. Joseph and the Israelites then lived peacefully in Goshen for a lot of generations. They weren’t enslaved till someday after Joseph died, some 80 years later (Exodus 1:6-10). The textual content is a bit imprecise about when slavery started, and appears to indicate it was throughout a brand new dynasty which knew nothing about them (Exodus 1:8), so that they will need to have lived there a century or extra earlier than they have been enslaved, by which period the twelve tribes of Israel had grown in quantity.
Tribes of Israel leaving Egypt
Moses, and his brother Aaron and sister Miriam, have been born into the tribe of Levi. Moses led the tribes of Israel out of Egypt, as informed within the e book of Exodus. When they have been about to cross into their new land over the Jordan, land was allotted based on tribe, as described within the e book of Joshua.
Two varieties of tribes
When we discuss of the tribes of Israel it will get a little bit bit sophisticated. The tribe of Levite have been thought of a priestly tribe and had no tribal land, however the two sons of Joseph referred to as Ephraim and Manasseh have been thought of half-tribes with separate territories. Thus there have been twelve patriarchs forming ancestral tribes (together with Joseph and Levi), and twelve landed tribes (excluding the Levites however together with Ephraim and Manasseh), making successfully 13 tribes.
Territory of Israel
Later the tribes of Israel settled and fashioned their very own nation. For a couple of centuries, the territory of Israel was dominated by the Judges. After the Judges, the territory of Israel grew to become a kingdom dominated by kings and queens. The first kings have been Saul, David and Solomon. Under the kings David and Solomon, territories have been conquered past the tribal lands of Israel.
The Northern Tribes
After the demise of King Solomon, Rehoboam grew to become king. During his reign, the Kingdom of Israel break up into two. Rehoboam remained king of the southern tribes referred to as the Kingdom of Judah. The northern tribes established a brand new kingdom underneath King Jeroboam which saved the title of Israel.
Sometimes these northern tribes are misleadingly referred to as the ‘ten tribes’ despite the fact that it was truly primarily the seven full-tribes of Asher, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Naphtali, Reuben, and Zebulun, and the 2 half-tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. The northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria about 722 BC. At this time, many Israelites from the northern kingdom moved south to the Kingdom of Judah.
The Southern Tribes
Although the southern kingdom was referred to as the Kingdom of Judah, it included not simply the tribe of Judah but additionally the tribes of Benjamin, and the tribe of Simeon, which was surrounded by the tribe of Judah, and the southern a part of the tribe of Dan. The Kingdom of Judah additionally included many of the tribe of Levi, as a result of the Levites carried out spiritual duties on the Temple in Jerusalem. Over time these tribes have been joined by Israelites from northern tribes who sought refuge amongst them (2 Chronicles 15:9). They all remained there till many have been taken to Babylonia, throughout three deportations beginning in about 597 BC.
The tribes in Exile
The time period Jew, was used to check with the exiled Judean individuals taken to Babylonia from the dominion of Judah, no matter whether or not or not they have been of the tribe of Judah. The Jews remained in exile till they have been freed by a decree from Cyrus the Great in about 538 BC. Ezra and Nehemiah inform the story of the Jews who returned from exile.
Tribes within the New Testament
In the New Testament, there’s nonetheless the concept of the individuals of Israel being twelve tribes, and a few individuals nonetheless recognized as being of a specific tribe. Zechariah and Elizabeth have been from the tribe of Levi (Luke 1:3). Jesus is described as of the tribe of Judah. The prophet Anna is described as of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36). Paul calls himself of the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5). In John’s imaginative and prescient in Revelation 7:4-8 he identifies 144,000 Israelites made up of 12,000 from every ancestral tribe. This is in symbolic language.
