The biblical account of the life of Jacob is found in the Book of Genesis, chapters 2550. To Reuben, Jacob said that he would not receive his inheritance as firstborn, because he defiled his father's bed by laying with his father's concubine, Bilhah (Genesis 35:22). Reuben: the name means see a son - Whose mother was Leah. In the Bible, Israel and Judah may refer to either the literal biological descendants of Abraham or the spiritual descendants of Abraham (the New Testament Gentile Church). God renamed Jacob "Israel" and favored him with 12 sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Scholars have taken a mixed view as to Jacob's historicity, with archaeology so far producing no evidence for his existence. (38:46) Jacob is described as a good-doer (21:72) and the Quran further makes it clear that God inspired Jacob to contribute towards purification and hold the contact prayer. Rachel, however, remained barren. When their father came out to meet them, his sons told him that Joseph was still alive, that he was the governor over all of Egypt and that he wanted the house of Israel to move to Egypt. That is, the order of birth of Leah's six sons was Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon. Judah is a lions cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. Jacob fell in love with Laban's younger daughter, Rachel, Laban had him work for seven years, but then tricked him into marrying him to his older daughter, Leah. Before they left, Rachel stole the teraphim, considered to be household idols, from Laban's house. 847 followers. [33] Literal Christian interpreters like Henry M. Morris say that the stranger was "God Himself and, therefore, Christ in His preincarnate state", citing Jacob's own evaluation and the name he assumed thereafter, "one who fights victoriously with God", and adding that God had appeared in the human form of the Angel of the Lord to eat a meal with Abraham in Genesis 18. I will go and see him before I die. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler . With such a preponderance, does the number 12 have any significance beyond its numerical value? But Israel refused saying, "but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he." A declaration he made, just as Israel himself was to his firstborn brother Esau. Rachel finally received the blessing of conception (God has taken away my reproachGenesis 30:23) and gave birth to (11) Joseph and (12) Benjamin, whom she bore as she died. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26 ) Dateline: 1890. These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. `9N>92_]:s7Fp)JP{2JJf lq~_x}sj+vcv*sy?/kWx9%YX~EuS*+X_=fFT8ni}NA8!hiY W;Wa9r&m^&0g##fpuKj\`f hB;@v A(v;f15O.S0mbtU't*$ k1:iqEj2Ep?O`=y>_THoqx]kPmH @k+ls'm\Hx!Q[ b MbZO&K8?6xQn'$N[OTe,([L-*KHc8/Cg *{B When Laban planned to deceive Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel, the Midrash recounts that both Jacob and Rachel suspected that Laban would pull such a trick; Laban was known as the "Aramean" (deceiver), and changed Jacob's wages ten times during his employ (Genesis 31:7). 9ff. "[28] He also asked for his stolen teraphim back. The Quran narrates the story of Joseph in detail, and Jacob, being Joseph's father, is mentioned thrice and is referenced another 25 times. Gad 5. Jacob spoke prophecy in blessing Judah). They spoke of being accused of as spies and that their brother Simeon, had been taken prisoner. 5 0 obj Jacob offered to give Esau a bowl of stew in exchange for his birthright, to which Esau agreed. 7. 8. Even though he was heavily hated and persecuted by his brothers, he never gave in, his obedience remained unaffected and he continued to trust God even during the darkest days of his life, when his brothers plotted to murder him and then sold him into slavery. Jacob wanted to know how things were doing, so he asked Joseph to go down there and return with a report. To Dan, Jacob said that he would "judge" Israel, and his tribe indeed was righteous for a time and "judged" in the Promised Land. The 12 Sons/Tribes Jacob had twelve sons through four women, his wives, Leah and Rachel, and his concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah, who were, in order of their birth, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin, all of whom became the heads of their own family groups, later known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The children born through Jacob, in their birth order, are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Isaachar, Zebulun, Dinah, Joseph and Benjamin. Er married a wife named Tamar, but God killed Er because he was wicked. Shechem, as well as all of the men of their city could marry the daughters of the Israelites if they all underwent circumcision. of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body." Genesis 35:11. To Zebulun (Zebulun sounds like the Hebrew word honor): Zebulun shall dwell at the shore ofthesea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon (In Joshua 19:11, a brook from Zebuluns territory extends to the sea, fulfilling this blessing). Not too long afterward, Israel had fallen ill, losing much of his vision. To Issachar (Issachar sounds like the Hebrew word, wagesor hire): Issacharisastrongdonkey,crouchingbetweenthese sheepfolds. Title: The 12 Sons of Jacob.pmd Author: Dr. Donnie S. Barnes Created Date: Then Rachel gives Bilhah, her servant girl to Jacob, so that she may give birth on my behalf (Genesis 30:3). 11.Joseph - Add to my family. 4 0 obj The above list is only a portion of the 161 times the number 12 is mentioned in 144 verses in the ESV Bible. Jacob then made a further move while Rachel was pregnant; near Bethlehem, Rachel went into labor and died as she gave birth to her second son, Benjamin (Jacob's twelfth son). Jacob married the two daughters of Laban and also had children by two of their maids yielding 12 sons and a daughter. The twelve sons of Jacob, in order of their birth, are: Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Dan Naphtali Gad Asher Issachar Zebulun Joseph (Manasseh, Ephraim) Benjamin Birth order was important in the practice of primogeniture, or the eldest son inheriting most of his father's resources, and then distribution following the rank of the others. Israel declared that they would be heirs to the inheritance of the house of Israel, as if they were his own children, just as Reuben and Simeon were. A wild beast has devoured him. 11. To Zebulun, Jacob said that he would dwell by the shore of the sea and that he would become a haven for ships, but Zebulun never actually did. The Scriptures record that the gospel message was preached not only to the first century believers, but to ancient Israel (Heb 4:2), and to the Patriarchs (Gal 3:8) as well. Jacob suggested that all the spotted, speckled, and brown goats and sheep of Laban's flock, at any given moment, would be his wages. Sons Of Jacob. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Because Rachel could not have children she gave Bilhah to Jacob. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bibleencyclopedia.com/picturesjpeg/Leah_w_Rachel_67-63.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bibleencyclopedia.com/pictures/Genesis_29_Leah_with_Rachel.htm&h=614&w=400&sz=110&tbnid=Vci4cXEClxoKoM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=64&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpictures%2Bof%2BLeah%2Band%2BRachel%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=pictures+of+Leah+and+Rachel&usg=__KbmFiyhA-FIhWlDZFpBEJ8kzp40=&docid=d0RrbP5CPUreIM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qUJyUNnONJKDqgGvwoG4Bw&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQ9QEwBQ&dur=673, 11 Dinah the onlydaughter,see Genesis 34, 12 Joseph* (a)Manassah*, (b)Ephraim but Jacob reversed the blessing and put Ephraim first. Ashers (Asher sounds like the Hebrew raidersand raid)blessing was: Ashersfoodshallberich, andheshall yield royal delicacies. (Ashers family prospered in Egypt). [16] Rebecca blessed Jacob and she quickly ordered Jacob to bring her two kid goats from their flock so that he could take Esau's place in serving Isaac and receiving his blessing. (Leah)joined [99][100] In The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives (1974), Thompson suggested that the narratives arose in a response to some emergent situation, expressed as an imaginative picture of the past to embody hope. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your fathers bed; then you defiled ithe went up to my couch!(The account of Reuben laying with his fathers concubine, Bilhah, is in Genesis 35:2.2. The twelve stones in the breastplate of the ancient Hebrew high priest can now be identified, with the corresponding tribes of Israel. He couldn't understand how they were put in a position to tell the Egyptians all about their family. Its an association that harkens back to Gods covenant with His chosen people. The twelve tribes individually bore the names of Jacob's sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Muslims believe that he preached the same monotheistic faith as his forefathers Ibrhm, Isq and Ism'l. (LogOut/ Arriving in Haran, Jacob saw a well where shepherds were gathering their flocks to water them and met Laban's younger daughter, Rachel, Jacob's first cousin; she was working as a shepherdess. With great apprehension, Jacob prepared for the worst. Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, who was renamed Israel. 10. Jacob was finally reunited with his father Isaac in Mamre (outside Hebron). The important thing is its easy to remember, when we read the number 12 in the notable passages, that its of Godand not of man. She convinced Isaac to send Jacob away by telling him that she despaired of his marrying a local girl from the idol-worshipping families of Canaan (as Esau had done). Judah had two sons: Er and Onan. Judah then told his son Onan to marry Tamar so that there would be an heir. "[61], Israel and his entire house of 70,[62] gathered up with all their livestock and began their journey to Egypt. Rueben lost his birthright because of an act of lust. [91], According to the teachings of the Nation of Islam (NOI), the original inhabitants of the world were black (referred to as the "Asiatic Blackman"), while the white race are "devils" who were created 6,000 years ago on what is today the Greek island of Patmos by the biblical and quranic Jacob, whom the group refers to as the "bigheaded scientist" Yakub. God told Abraham to sacrifice him (Genesis 22), and Isaac submitted to God faithfully, but later a ram was chosen in his place for the sacrifice and he was spared.