Tribes, The Twelve
Tribes, The Twelve
Twelve was God’s chosen number for Israel, under this number they were ever before Him, as manifested in the twelve stones on the breastplate and the twelve names on the two onyx stones in the shoulder pieces of the high priest, and in the twelve loaves on the table of showbread. All these continued the same after the division of the ten tribes, and notwithstanding the separation. Though the ten tribes were dispersed, and as men think ‘lost,’ Paul spoke of the twelve tribes constantly serving God in his day; and James addressed the twelve tribes in his epistle. In the New Jerusalem the names of the twelve tribes will be written on the twelve gates. Act 26:7; Jam 1:1; Rev 21:12. They remain ever twelve in God’s sight, as the church is ever one before Him.
In seven passages a list of the twelve tribes is given, but the order of the names varies in each, for which there is doubtless a divine reason. After Levi was separated for the priesthood, the number twelve was maintained by Ephraim and Manasseh being mentioned instead of Joseph. When Moses blessed the twelve tribes Simeon was omitted. The blessing there is not so much a prophecy of their historical future, as when Jacob blessed them, but according to their relationship with God in government and blessing. In Rev 7, where the tribes are sealed for blessing, Dan is omitted, as being a type of Antichrist: Ephraim is also omitted, the number being made up by inserting Levi and by Joseph being mentioned as well as Manasseh. In the future division of the land Dan will have a portion, but will be the farthest from the temple. Eze 48:1-35. In the following table the names are numbered throughout according to birth. In Num 1 there are two lists of the tribes: one, the heads of the tribes, as given in the following table; the other, when the tribes were numbered, the only difference in the order of the names being that in the latter Gad comes before Judah.
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According toBlessed byHeads ofBlessed byDividing of theFuture divisionSealed for
Birth.Jacob.Tribes ChosenMosesLand.North to South.Blessing.
Gen 29, etc.Gen 49.Num 1.Deu 33.Joshua 13 19.Ezek. 48.Rev 7.
1 Reuben1 Reuben1 Reuben1 Reuben1 Reuben5 Dan.4 Judah
2 Simeon2 Simeon2 Simeon4 Judah7 Gad8 Asher1 Reuben
3 Levi3 Levi4 Judah3 Levi11a Manasseh6 Naphtali7 Gad
4 Judah4 Judah9 Issachar12 Benjamin4 Judah11a Manasseh8 Asher
5 Dan10 Zebulun10 Zebulun11b Ephraim11b Ephraim11b Ephraim6 Naphtali
6 Naphtali9 Issachar11b Ephraim11a Manasseh12 Benjamin1 Reuben11a Manasseh
7 Gad5 Dan11a Manasseh10 Zebulun2 Simeon4 Judah2 Simeon
8 Asher7 Gad12 Benjamin9 Issachar10 Zebulun12 Benjamin3 Levi
9 Issachar8 Asher5 Dan7 Gad9 Issachar2 Simeon9 Issachar
10 Zebulun6 Naphtali8 Asher5 Dan8 Asher9 Issachar10 Zebulun
11 Joseph11 Joseph7 Gad6 Naphtali6 Naphtali10 Zebulun11 Joseph
12 Benjamin12 Benjamin6 Naphtali8 Asher5 Dan7 Gad12 Benjamin