Subject: Doesn't your answer make it 13 tribes? |
Bible Note: Greetings! Here is what Harper's Bible Dictionary says about the numbering of the tribes! ************************************** The Lists of Tribes: The lists of tribes in the ot, of which there are more than twenty, differ from one another in several respects, notably in the position of the names of tribes and their number. The Song of Deborah (Judg. 5), which is probably the oldest listing (twelfth century b.c.), lists but ten tribes, omitting Judah, Simeon, and Levi. It separates Ephraim and Machir (Manasseh) into two tribes. The Blessing of Moses (Deut. 33) lists eleven tribes, omitting Simeon, but arrives at the number twelve by separating Joseph into Ephraim and Manasseh. The Blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49) lists twelve tribes and does not separate Joseph into two. Even though it lists Reuben as the firstborn of Jacob (by Leah), Reuben is removed from the place of preeminence among the tribes because of his indiscretion with his father’s concubine (Gen. 35:22), and that place is assigned to Judah. This list also links Simeon and Levi together in disgrace because of the incident in connection with their sister Dinah (Gen. 34). The two census lists in Numbers (1:20-43; 26:5-50) include twelve tribes, arriving at that number by omitting Levi and listing Ephraim and Manasseh separately. The listing in Genesis 49 is the one maintained in most of the other lists in the ot (Gen. 35:22-26; Deut. 27:12-13; 1 Chron. 2:1-2; Ezek. 48:1-7). ************************************* Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |