What are the 12 tribes of Israel?

Jacob’s sons

Jacob had twelve sons from four mothers: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun from Leah; Joseph and Benjamin from Rachel; Dan and Naphtali from Bilhah; Gad and Asher from Zilpah (Genesis 35:23–26). Each son’s descendants became a tribe – in Hebrew a shevet or matteh, both words for a staff or branch.

Blessings and character

Before his death Jacob blessed each son (Genesis 49), and Moses later blessed the tribes (Deuteronomy 33). The blessings sketch a character for each: Judah the lion, the tribe of kingship and of David; Issachar, devoted to Torah study, and Zebulun, the seafaring merchant who supported him; Levi, set apart for the service of God; Joseph, “a fruitful vine”; Benjamin, in whose portion the Temple would stand.

Why always twelve?

Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons, saying that Ephraim and Manasseh would be his like Reuben and Simeon (Genesis 48:5), so Joseph became two tribes. The tribe of Levi received no territory in the land but cities to live in, and served in the Sanctuary as kohanim (priests) and Levites, supported by tithes. Counting Ephraim and Manasseh and leaving out Levi, the land was shared among twelve tribes.

What happened to them

After Solomon, the kingdom split into Israel in the north (ten tribes) and Judah in the south. In 722 BCE Assyria exiled the northern tribes – the “ten lost tribes”. Most Jews today descend from Judah, Benjamin and Levi; kohanim and Levites still know their lineage by family tradition. The prophets foretold that all the tribes would one day be gathered again (Ezekiel 37).