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Jack Kelley
How Many Tribes Are There, Really?
I have always been a little confused concerning the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob had 12 sons, which became the 12 tribes. When land was given to the tribes, Levi received no land, and the 2 sons of Joseph were each given land making them 2 independent tribes. That makes 13 tribes, unless you don’t count Levi, since that tribe received no land.
Q. I have always been a little confused concerning the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob had 12 sons, which became the 12 tribes. When land was given to the tribes, Levi received no land, and the 2 sons of Joseph were each given land making them 2 independent tribes. That makes 13 tribes, unless you don’t count Levi, since that tribe received no land.
After King Solomon’s death, God separated the nation. In 1 Kings, it says that God separated the nation into the northern 10 tribes (counting Joseph’s sons as separate tribes) and the tribe of Judah (10+1=11 tribes). Assuming the Levi was not included in this count because they received no land, that makes 12 tribes accounted for, but, since in the 10 northern tribes Joseph’s sons are counted as separate tribes, there should be a total of 13. The missing tribe appears to be Simeon, which was completely surrounded by the tribe of Judah. Why wasn’t Simeon counted as a tribe therefore making 2 southern tribes? Can you explain why the tribes were counted like this?
A. After Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh, there were fourteen names to choose from. But the Bible never lists more than 12 at a time, so sometimes the mix is different. The Levites received no land and never went to war, so they’re often omitted. Joseph was also left out when Ephraim and Manasseh were included. In Revelation 7 Levi and Joseph are included but Dan and Ephraim are not.
There were originally three tribes in the Southern Kingdom; Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. After the nation was divided, the Levites all moved into the Southern Kingdom as did members of all the other tribes who remained faithful to God, so all the tribes were always represented in the south.(2 Chron. 11)
Part of the confusion lies in the fact that the Northern Kingdom retained the name of Israel while Southern Kingdom was called Judah, which became Judea in the New Testament. Judah is the only name mentioned in your reference, because it refers to the entire Southern Kingdom.
How Many Tribes Are There, Really?
I have always been a little confused concerning the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob had 12 sons, which became the 12 tribes. When land was given to the tribes, Levi received no land, and the 2 sons of Joseph were each given land making them 2 independent tribes. That makes 13 tribes, unless you don’t count Levi, since that tribe received no land.
Q. I have always been a little confused concerning the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob had 12 sons, which became the 12 tribes. When land was given to the tribes, Levi received no land, and the 2 sons of Joseph were each given land making them 2 independent tribes. That makes 13 tribes, unless you don’t count Levi, since that tribe received no land.
After King Solomon’s death, God separated the nation. In 1 Kings, it says that God separated the nation into the northern 10 tribes (counting Joseph’s sons as separate tribes) and the tribe of Judah (10+1=11 tribes). Assuming the Levi was not included in this count because they received no land, that makes 12 tribes accounted for, but, since in the 10 northern tribes Joseph’s sons are counted as separate tribes, there should be a total of 13. The missing tribe appears to be Simeon, which was completely surrounded by the tribe of Judah. Why wasn’t Simeon counted as a tribe therefore making 2 southern tribes? Can you explain why the tribes were counted like this?
A. After Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh, there were fourteen names to choose from. But the Bible never lists more than 12 at a time, so sometimes the mix is different. The Levites received no land and never went to war, so they’re often omitted. Joseph was also left out when Ephraim and Manasseh were included. In Revelation 7 Levi and Joseph are included but Dan and Ephraim are not.
There were originally three tribes in the Southern Kingdom; Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. After the nation was divided, the Levites all moved into the Southern Kingdom as did members of all the other tribes who remained faithful to God, so all the tribes were always represented in the south.(2 Chron. 11)
Part of the confusion lies in the fact that the Northern Kingdom retained the name of Israel while Southern Kingdom was called Judah, which became Judea in the New Testament. Judah is the only name mentioned in your reference, because it refers to the entire Southern Kingdom.
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