THE BLESSINGS ON THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL

Genesis 49 - Jacob blesses the 12 tribes: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin.

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. Genesis 49.28

Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. Exodus 1.1-5

Simeon and Levi are separated because of their sin of deception and violence. Read in Genesis 34:

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Genesis 49.5-7

Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh. He tells Joseph that these two will now become as Jacob’s own first born sons unto him.

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Genesis 48.5

Jacob blesses Ephraim, the younger, with the blessing of the first born Manasseh.

And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. Genesis 48.13-14

Joseph told his father he had the blessing backwards:

And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, “Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.” And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. Genesis 48.17-20

Joseph’s sons were born by Asenath the daughter of Pharaoh’s high priest Potiphera.

 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. Genesis 41.45

Joseph = Zaphnathpaaneah = Revealer of secrets         Asenath = Dedicated to Neith (Egyptian sun god), obedient

Potipherah =gift to the sun god, dedicated to the sun god, belonging to the sun

On = an important religious center later known as Heliopolis; named after the Greek sun god Helios.

And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. Genesis 41.50-52 This explains Ephraim’s propensity to worship idols and later break away and become the chief tribe of the Kingdom of Israel. The city of Bethel located in Ephraim would become the capital and idol worship center for the northern kingdom. Note: 1 Chronicles 5.1 explains that Joseph’s sons inherit the first born blessing in place of Reuben (Reuben slept with his father’s concubine). Judah becomes the ruling tribe…but not the tribe of blessing. Judah represents the Jewish nation in modern times. Ephraim and Manasseh represent the grafted in gentiles.

MOSES BLESSES THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL

Moses leaves out Simeon in the tribal blessings in Deuteronomy 33 because Simeon has been separated from Levi for the events in Genesis 34. Later in Joshua 19 we find that Simeon does not receive his own allotment of land in Canaan, but is situated within Judah’s inheritance:

And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.

And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, and Sheba, and Moladah, And Hazarshual, and Balah, and Azem, And Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, And Ziklag, and Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusah, And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages: Ain, Remmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four cities and their villages: And all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalathbeer, Ramath of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. Joshua 19.1-8

Later when the 10 northern tribes rebelled and separated from Judah, Simeon, Benjamin, and a portion of the Levites would remain with Judah. There were still ten tribes in the north because some of the Levitical priests remained in the northern kingdom when they separated.

Joshua 13 through 22 discuss the division of the land among the tribes. The tribes never fully drove out the former inhabitants of the land and never fully expanded into the areas that were given to them. These boundaries will not be completed in full until the Millennial Kingdom is established.

SEALING OF THE 144,000 IN REVELATION 7.1-8

Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin are listed. Ephraim and Dan are missing from this list. Both these tribes were leaders in following idolatry in the northern kingdom. Ephraim was the ruling tribe and idolatry was strong in Bethel. Dan set up idols in the far north. We could say that Ephraim is represented by Joseph in this list. But what about Dan?

Some early church fathers including Irenaeus and Hippolytus believed that Dan would represent the Antichrist at the end of this age based upon these verses: Dan 11.37; Jeremiah 4.15, 23-27, 8.15-17; Isaiah 14.29-31; Genesis 49.16-19; and Amos 8.4-11.

GATES OF THE NEW JERUSALEM - REVELATION 21.12-13

The twelve tribes mentioned as the gates of New Jerusalem are the same as in Genesis 49 the family of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. We see that Dan is restored to this list and that Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, are assumed included with their father.

FOUNDATIONS OF THE NEW JERUSALEM – REVELATION 21.14

The foundations of the New Jerusalem are the names of the twelve apostles and the lamb. Do the apostles represent each of the twelve tribes? Is it possible the list of the sealed 144,000 represent the order of the twelve apostles and their tribes? Understanding the tribal divisions help us recognize the incredible consistency and truth of the ancient scriptures. The fact is the Bible is the true Word of God. It also can help us understand future prophetic events and our grafting into Israe