The Twelve Tribes of Israel

The twelve tribes of Israel originated from the twelve sons of Jacob, the third patriarch of Israel. Jacob’s eleventh son, Joseph, later became the prime minister of Egypt and was a significant figure. He received the birthright, giving him a double portion of the inheritance, which was passed on to his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Subsequently, Jacob’s third son, Levi, was chosen by the Lord as a priest and did not receive a land allotment, instead living among the other tribes. Therefore, the total number of land-owning tribes remained twelve.

The twelve tribes are listed below:

*Reuben: Jacob’s firstborn, born to Leah.
*Simeon: Jacob’s second son, born to Leah.
*Levi: Jacob’s third son, born to Leah. This tribe is unique because its members were chosen by the Lord as priests and were supported by the other tribes, thus not participating in the land distribution. Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt, his brother Aaron the High Priest, and their sister Miriam the prophetess were all from this tribe.
*Judah: Jacob’s fourth son, born to Leah, and the family leader. According to the genealogy, Jesus descended from this tribe.
*Dan: Jacob’s fifth son, born to Bilhah.
*Naphtali: Jacob’s sixth son, born to Bilhah.
*Gad: Jacob’s seventh son, born to Zilpah.
*Asher: Jacob’s eighth son, born to Zilpah.
*Issachar: Jacob’s ninth son, born to Leah.
*Zebulun: Jacob’s tenth son, born to Leah.
*Joseph: Jacob’s eleventh son, born to Rachel. Although Joseph himself is counted as a tribe, Jacob laid his hands on Joseph’s two sons and blessed them, which was a custom at the time that signified Jacob adopting them. Consequently, whenever the tribe of Joseph is mentioned in the Old Testament, it is differentiated as the two half-tribes of his sons. These two half-tribes participated equally in the land distribution alongside Jacob’s other ten sons (excluding Levi).
*The half-tribe of Ephraim: Joseph’s second son. Although he was the younger son, Jacob placed his right hand on his head, making him greater than his older brother Manasseh. Therefore, he is usually listed first.
*The half-tribe of Manasseh: Joseph’s firstborn son.
*Benjamin: Jacob’s twelfth son, born to Rachel. The Apostle Paul came from this tribe.

(Compiled and edited based on the Chinese Union Version and a comprehensive biblical interpretation.)