A Man After God's Own Heart

Covenants

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Faith in God

Father of Many Nations

Judges of Israel

Kings of Israel and Judah

Obedience

They Clamored for a King

Twelve Tribes & Sons of Israel

Book of Joshua

Book of 1 Samuel

Book of 2 Samuel

Book of 1 Kings

Book of 2 Kings

Book of 1 Chronicles

Book of 2 Chronicles

WHO ARE THE TWELVE SONS OF ISRAEL?

The Twelve Sons of Israel are the male children of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham (1). The Israelites are descendants of these Twelve Sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel after wrestling all night with God (2). In Hebrew, the name “Israel” can be defined as “a man who wrestles with God” (Genesis 32:22-31).

By birth order, the Twelve Sons of Jacob/Israel and their respective mothers are listed in the chart below:
 

The Twelve Sons are also summarized in Genesis 35:22-26, Genesis 49:3-27, Exodus 1:1-5 and 1 Chronicles 2:1-2.

In Genesis 35:11-12, God told Israel, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings (3) will be among your descendants. The land (4) I gave to Abraham (Genesis 15:17-21) and Isaac (Genesis 26:1-6), I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

WHO ARE THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL?

The Twelve Tribes of Israel are derived from the Twelve Sons of Israel, but (in one alignment) differ in this manner:

• The Tribe of Levi was not enrolled in the Canaan land distribution, as God placed them in charge of the priestly duties (Joshua 14:4).

• The Tribe of Joseph was divided into the two tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim (Joshua 14:4).

CHART ONE: According to the land apportionment in Canaan, the Twelve Tribes of Israel are:
 

CHART TWO: Others prefer the "traditional" alignment of the Tribes. This version includes the Levites and combines Ephraim with Manasseh under the Tribe of Joseph.

Using this method, the Twelve Tribes of Israel are:

HOW BIG WERE THE TWELVE TRIBES?

In Numbers 1, it is recorded that the Lord commanded a Census of the Twelve Tribes of Israel to take place. This was to include "all the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army" (not including women, children, elderly, infirmed, etc). Below are the Census results:

ARRANGEMENT OF THE TRIBES

The Lord said to Moses (5) and Aaron: “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family” (Numbers 2:1-2).

LET'S COUNT THEM AGAIN

In Numbers 26, the Lord commanded a second Census of the Twelve Tribes of Israel to take place. Like the first Census in Numbers 1, this was to include "all the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army" (not including women, children, elderly, infirmed, etc). Below are the results of the second Census:

In Numbers 26:57-62, all Levites one month or older were counted. They numbered 23,000, but were not included with the other Israelites in the above chart because they received no inheritance among them.

To continue following the Twelve Tribes of Israel as they prepare to take Canaan, check out our webpage on The Promised Land. To explore how the United Kingdom of Israel was later divided into two, conquered, and sent back into captivity, explore our Exile webpage as well as other related links offered in the lower sidebar!

Modifications to this page are welcome at goodnews@downriverdisciples.com.

FOOTNOTES

(1) https://www.downriverdisciples.com/father-of-many-nations

(2) https://www.downriverdisciples.com/image-of-god

(3) https://www.downriverdisciples.com/kings-of-israel-and-judah

(4) https://www.downriverdisciples.com/promised-land

(5) https://www.downriverdisciples.com/moses