Page 1
Su
pp
lemen
tal No
tes:
The T
welve
Tribes
of Israel
Chuck Missler
© 1996 K
oinonia House Inc.
Page 3Page 2
Au
dio
Listin
g
Intro
du
ction
Introduction. Cam
p of Israel. The M
azzeroth.
Jud
ah
Background. T
he Sceptre departs.
Levi an
d S
imeo
n
Shechem
. The P
riesthood. Cities of R
efuge.
Joesp
h: E
ph
raim an
d M
anasseh
Story of Joseph. Jacob’s blessing. Joseph as a type.
Reu
ben
, Gad
, Ben
jamin
, and
Dan
The T
ribes. The M
oabite Stone. Jacob’s P
rophecy.
Zeb
ulo
n, Issach
ar, Ash
er, & N
aph
tali
The T
ribes. Sum
mary of the N
ames of the tribes.
Th
e “Ten
Lo
st Trib
es”
The m
yth. British Israelism
. The N
orthern Kingdom
.
Th
e Tw
elve Trib
es To
day
The S
ervitude of the Nation. T
he Holocaust of E
urope.
Th
e Twelve Trib
es
Tap
e 1: Intro
du
ction
Why study the T
welve T
ribes? It reveals the role of Israel in God’s P
lan;w
hich is the missing elem
ent in System
atic Theology.
Israel in th
e Past—
Elected
From
Gen 12 onw
ards, the Biblical m
essage focuses on four uncondi-tional covenants G
od made w
ith Abraham
and his descendants throughIsaac and Jacob. T
he destiny of the entire world is secured through these
convenants! (The only conditional covenant is the M
osaic.)
(The blasphem
y that God has discarded Israel—
and the completion of
these covenants—is prevalent throughout the C
hurch today and is them
ajor misconception underlying the m
isguided policies presently lead-ing the M
iddle East—
and the whole w
orld—to A
rmageddon.)
Ab
raham
ic Co
venan
t - Gen
esis 12:1-3
Seven “I W
ills”:A
nd I will m
ake of thee a great nation,and I w
ill bless thee, (personally)and m
ake thy name great;
and thou shalt be a blessing:A
nd I will bless them
that bless thee, (against anti-Sem
itism)
and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Warning to A
nti-Sem
ites. This curse is still valid at the S
econd Com
ing:Sheep and G
oat Judgment in M
atthew 25:31f. T
he “third party” is Jesus’brothers. (N
ote: The C
hurch cannot be present during the Tribulation,
since in the Church there is no distinction betw
een Jew and G
entile...)S
alvation is of the Jews: John 4:22.
Th
e Palestin
ian C
oven
ant
Promised, G
en 12:7; 13:14-17.T
itle Deed sealed: G
en 15:9-19.N
ote who are the perform
ing parties: only one.
Page 5Page 4
Daniel’s 70 W
eeks. Role in R
evelation (The “70th W
eek” of Daniel). T
heT
wo W
itnesses (Rev 11). T
he 144,000 (Rev 7, 14).
Th
e Kin
gd
om
Pro
mises
[See our audio briefing, The P
rodigal Heirs...]
The R
ole of the 12 Apostles (M
t 19:28; Lk 22:30).
Birth
of th
e Twelve Trib
es
Leah:
Gen 29:32
Reuben
“Behold a son”
Gen 29:33
Simeon
“Heard”
Gen 29:34
Levi
“Joined to”G
en 29:35Judah
“Praise”
Bilhah (R
achel):
Gen 30:6
Dan
“Judge”G
en 30:8N
aphtali“W
restling”
Zilpah (L
eah):
Gen 30:11
Gad
“Troop”
Gen 30:13
Asher
“Happy”
Leah:
Gen 30:18
Issachar“T
here is recompense”
Gen 30:20
Zebulun
“Exalted”
Rachel:
Gen 30:24
Joseph“Y
HW
H has added”
Gen 35:18
Benjam
in“S
on of the right hand”
Th
e So
jou
rn to
Eg
ypt
Nation “born” in E
gypt. Israel is “God’s firstborn” (E
x 4:22); “Firstborn”
[Note: T
en nations in opposition. Only seven in Joshua’s conquests.]
Moses and E
zekiel confirm the covenant. (C
urses just as binding asblessings: D
eut 30:1-8; Ezek 16:59-63.)
[Not conditional: “w
hen” not “if” delineates the consequences andprophetic destiny.]
Am
plified and confirmed: E
zek 36:17-28.
Th
e David
ic Co
venan
t
[Prophesied in the tim
e of the Judges: Book of R
uth, Chapter 4; 2 S
am7:11-16.]
Confirm
ed to Mary: L
uke 1:30-33.
[Throne to be vacant for a period of tim
e: Hos 3:4,5. Y
et future: Ezek 37:21-
28; Acts 1:3-6; A
cts 15:16-18 (q. Am
os 9:8-9).]
Th
e Co
venan
t with
Death
Dan 9:27 [N
ote “bow” or a token of the covenant in R
ev 6:2, Gen 9:6.]
Isa 28:14-22 Note “scoffers,” m
ockers, rather than serious leaders;seeking a m
easure of security rather than the “overflowing scourge”;
“making likes their refuge...”
Th
e New
Co
venan
t
Jer 31:31-34. The unilateral “I W
ill” again.
Partially in force: H
eb 10:14-18. Available to the C
hristian through hisunion w
ith Christ, a son of A
braham and D
avid.Is G
od a liar? Num
23:19; Ezek 36:22.
Paul’s G
reat Discourse: R
omans 9 - 11.
Who is Israel, w
hy are they presently “blinded” and set aside for a time;
and their subsequent destiny prophetically...
Present rejection is not total (R
om 11:1-10), nor final (R
om 11:11-32).
Page 7Page 6
Deuteronom
y:
27B
lessings and cursings33
Blessing of M
oses (Sim
eon omitted. O
rder is geographi-cal: B
enjamin is before Joseph.)
Joshua:
13-22A
llocation of territories. (In four groups to furnish citiesfor four classes of priests.)
Judges:
5S
ong of Deborah. (Judah and S
imeon om
itted.)
1 Chronicles:
2:1,3-8G
enealogies. (Zebulon om
itted; Dan in v.7?)
12,27O
fficers under David (G
ad and Asher om
itted in 1 Chr
27.)
Ezekiel:
48K
ingdom D
ivisions, Millennium
Revelation:
7S
ealing of 12,000 from each tribe. (D
an omitted; see
Revelation C
omm
entary notes.)
Tw
elve Sto
nes
Joshua’s monum
ent(s)B
reastplate of high priestR
evelation 21.
Th
e Mazzero
th
The plan of G
od can be found in the original Hebrew
names of the tw
elveconstellations of the H
ebrew M
azzeroth, or Zodiac. S
ome believe S
ethand E
noch taught their children by means of them
.
= double portion; therefore, receives a double portion of judgm
ent also(D
eut 21:17; cf. Isa 40:1-2; Jer 16:16-18). [For further study, see our audiobriefing, T
he Next H
olocaust.]
43:1-2B
uy a little food (?)43:13,14
Com
mitted issue to G
od!46:1
Offers sacrifices on w
ay to Egypt
46:2-4G
od meets Jacob there for 7th tim
e(28:13; 31; 32:1; 32:24;
35:1; 35:9)47:7
Dignity before P
haraoh (vs Esau).
49:7Pilgrim
age
Heb 11:21; G
en 47:31 never possessed the land; looks forward to
Kingdom
Age.
Listin
gs o
f the T
welve T
ribes
The T
welve T
ribes are listed 20 times in the B
ible, in different orders,according to birth, m
others, numeration, encam
pment, blessing, geog-
raphy, etc.:
Genesis:
29-35O
rigin; natural order of Jacob’s 12 sons46
Entering E
gypt49
Jacob’s Prophetic B
lessing49:1
Multiple fulfillm
entsL
ast Days; Jer 23:19,29; Isa 2:2; N
T F
ulfillments
Exodus:
1E
ntering Egypt (Joseph om
itted, being in Egypt.)
Num
bers:
1:1-15L
eaders (Levi om
itted)1:20-43
1st Census (L
evi omitted)
2O
rder of the camp (O
nly order given three times: 2, 7, 10)
7O
fferings10
Order of M
arch13
Spies (L
evi omitted)
262nd C
ensus (Levi om
itted)34
Dividing the L
and (Eastern tribes om
itted)
Page 9Page 8
There also appears to be a link betw
een the twelve constellations of the
Hebrew
Mazzeroth (“Z
odiac”) and the Tw
elve Tribes. T
he names as w
eknow
them are from
the corruption that occurred in Bab-E
l in Genesis 11.
For a discussion of this fascinating possibility, see our briefing package,
Signs in the Heavens.
Th
e Cam
p o
f Israel
The tabernacle w
as always at the center. T
he tribe of Levi encam
pedaround it. M
oses, Aaron, and the priests to the east; three fam
ilies(M
erari, Kohath, and G
ershon) on the north, south and west side. T
herem
aining twelve tribes w
ere grouped into four camps around the
Levites. (N
ote: the Baker’s D
ozen: 13, not 12.)
[Jacob had twelve sons, each becom
ing the founder of one of the twelve
tribes. How
ever, Joseph was sold into slavery and subsequently
emerged as the prim
e minister of E
gypt. (Gen 41:37-41). In E
gypt, Josephm
arried Asenath and had tw
o sons, Manasseh and E
phraim. W
henJacob and the rest of the fam
ily ultimately cam
e to Egypt, Jacob adopted
his two grandsons as his ow
n (Gen 48).]
Th
e Fo
ur “C
amp
s”
The tw
elve, excluding Levi, w
ere clustered into four “camps” ( N
umbers
2). Judah’s tribal standard was, of course, the lion. R
euben’s ensign was
a man; E
phraim’s the ox; D
an’s, ultimately, the eagle. (T
hese are detailedin the diagram
on the next page)
The four tribal standards m
atch the four faces of the cherubim w
hichsurround the throne of G
od.
Th
e Nu
mb
ering
(Allow
ing for wom
en, children, elderly, some factor, such as 3, w
ouldbring the total to about 2 m
illion.)
Card
inal C
om
pass P
oin
ts
Each of the cam
ps, of three tribes each, were to encam
p on one of thecardinal com
pass directions (N, S
, E, or W
) with respect to the cam
p ofthe L
evites enclosing the tabernacle (Num
2:3, 10, 18, 25). See chart on
the following page.
Page 11Page 10
Gen
eral Backg
rou
nd
Descended from
Jacob’s fourth son (Gen 29:35). T
he name is there
explained as meaning “praised,” as derived from
the root ydh, “topraise.” G
en 49:8 contains a play on this meaning. [In the N
ewT
estament the nam
e is represented by its Hellenized form
Judas(shortened to Jude in Jude 1).]
Goes dow
n into Egypt for grain (G
en 43:1-10; 44:14-34; 46:28).
Persons selected:a.
To num
ber the people (Num
1:7); Strength of, on leaving E
gypt (Num
1:26,27; 2:4);b.
To spy out the land (N
um 13:6);
c.T
o divide the land (Num
34:19).
Place of, in camp and m
arch (Num
2:3,9; 10:14). Encam
ped with its
standard east of the tabernacle (Num
2:3). Enrollm
ent of the military
forces of, at Sinai (Num
1:26,27; 2:4); at Bezek (1 Sam
11:8; 2 Sam 24:9);
in the plain of Moab (N
um 26:22).
Reuben’s forfeited birthright given to Joseph; Judah prevails as
leader (1 Chr 5:1,2; 28:4; Ps 60:7; C
f. Gen 35:22; 49:4).
•L
oyal to the house of David at the tim
e of the revolt of the ten tribes,1 K
gs 12:20.•
Led the first division of Israel in their journeys (N
um 10:14).
•C
omm
issioned of God to lead in the conquest of the prom
ised land(Judg 1:1-3, w
ith verses 4-21).•
Offering of, at dedication (N
um 7:12-17).
•Fam
ilies of (Num
26:19-21).•
Strength of on entering C
anaan (Num
26:22).•
Moses’ benediction upon (D
eut 33:7).•
Made D
avid king (2 Sam 2:1-11; 5:4,5).
The genealogies of Judah’s descendants are found in 1 C
h. 2-4.
Positives
Judah early took a leading role among his brothers, as is show
n by thestory of Joseph w
here he intercedes for Joseph’s life when his brethren
were about to slay him
, and proposes that they sell him to the Ishm
aelites,
Using the w
idth of the camp of L
evi as a basic unit, each “camp” of four
would take w
hatever length it would need so as to not exceed the w
idthof the L
evites. Notice that if the breadth of their cam
p was larger than
that of the Levites, the excess w
ould not be on a cardinal direction (N,
S, E
, or W) from
the Levites. T
hese leads to the aerial view of the C
amp
of Israel, below.T
he Trib
e Of Ju
dah
Intro
du
ction
Royal L
ine: Our L
ord sprang from Judah (M
t 1:3-16; Lk 3:23-33; H
eb7:14).
Revelation 5:6, T
itle of the Redeem
er: “Lion of the T
ribe of Judah.”
Unusual validation of the S
cripture: candorU
nusual prophecy: The S
ceptre Departing.
Page 13Page 12
Th
e Bo
ok o
f Ru
th
Links D
avid with B
ethlehem; predicts D
avid as King in the tim
e of theJudges(!)
Elim
elech and Naom
i from Judah:
Boaz is a type of the goel, kinsm
an-redeemer;
Ruth is a “type” of the G
entile Bride;
10th generation from P
harez results in David (R
uth 4:21ff). (See T
heR
omance of R
edemption audio briefing for a detailed study of this
important book.)
(The reason S
amuel could anoint S
aul from the tribe of B
enjamin is that
ten generations were required before the descendants of an illegitim
ateline could inherit: D
eut 23:2.)
Fu
rther B
ackgro
un
d
Aided Saul in his w
ars (1Sam 11:8; 15:4). A
fter Saul’s rebellion appointedto furnish kings to Israel (1 Sam
13:14; 15:28; 16:6,13; 2 Sam 2:4; 7:16,17).
After S
aul’s death a growing split w
as perpetuated by David’s being
crowned as king in H
ebron over Judah (2 Sam
2:4). Reigned over alone
by David seven and a half years (2 S
am 2:11; 5:5).
The crow
ning of David as king over “all Israel” (2 S
am 5:1-5) m
ade himking of a dual kingdom
in which Judah kept its separate identity.
Certainly during A
bsalom’s rebellion Judah seem
s to have maintained
its neutrality, while the N
followed the rebel.
Officer placed over by D
avid (1Chr 27:18).
Rebuked by D
avid for lukewarm
ness toward him
after Absalom
’s defeat(2 S
am 19:11-15). A
ccused by the other tribes of stealing the heart ofD
avid (2 Sam
19:41-43 20:1,2). Loyal to D
avid at the time of the
insurrection led by Sheba (2 S
am 20:1,2).
With B
enjamin alone, adhered to the house of D
avid (1 Kgs 12:21).
The last tribe carried into captivity (2 K
gs 17:18,20; 25:21).
Gen. 37:26,27.(A
lso, leader in Gen 43:3-10; 44:16-34; 46:28). O
n Gerizim
said “Am
en” to the blessings. Deut 27:12.
Inheritance of, Josh. 15; 18:5; 19:1,9.3. It was bounded on the N
by theportions of D
an and Benjam
in, and ran approximately E
and W from
theN
end of the Dead S
ea, S of Jerusalem
and the Gibeonite tetrapolis to the
Mediterranean. Its W
and E frontiers w
ere the Mediterranean and the
Dead S
ea, and it extended S as far as cultivation perm
itted (cf. Josh 15).
Judah first overran most of the coastal plain, soon to be occupied by the
Philistines (Judg 1:18) but evidently quickly withdrew
from the struggle
(Judg 1:19; 3:3; Josh 11:22; 13:2-3). Since it w
as the best of the landapportioned to him
that Judah voluntarily abandoned to Sim
eon (Josh19:1, 9), it is reasonable to suppose that he hoped to have S
imeon as a
buffer between him
and the unconquered coastal plain.
First and m
ost vigorous in driving out the Canaanites (Judg 1:3-20).
How
ever, the failure to maintain a hold on Jerusalem
(Judg 1:8, 21),com
bined with the existence of the sem
i-independent Gibeonite tetrapolis
(Josh 9; 2 Sam
21:1-2), created a psychological frontier between Judah
and the central tribes.
While Judah provided the first of the judges, O
thniel (Judg 3:9-11), andshared in the early action against B
enjamin (Judg 20:18), he does not
seem even to have been expected to join against Jabin and S
isera (Judg5). A
s a result, when Judah becam
e tributary to the Philistines (Judg
15:11), he appears not to have appealed to the other tribes, nor do theyseem
to have been concerned. The fact of this division seem
s to havebeen generally recognized, for by Saul’s tim
e we find the contingent from
Judah separately enumerated (1 Sam
11:8; 15:4; 17:52; 18:16).
Neg
atives
[Validates the accuracy of the record...]
Achan, a m
ember of the tribe, w
as the cause of the defeat of Israel beforeA
i (Josh 7). This m
ay be the reason for the special task laid on Judah tolead an independent attack on the C
anaanites (Judg 1:1-2).
Incest with T
amar, his daughter-in-law
, Gen. 38:12-26. G
en. 38, thoughthrow
ing light on the beginnings of the tribe of Judah, clearly stands inits present position to contrast Judah’s character w
ith that of Joseph.O
ffspring in the Messianic genealogy...
Page 15Page 14
Lion (R
ev 5:5!)
whelp:
Josh> S
aullion:
David
old lion:S
olomon onw
ards...
10]T
he sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law
giver from betw
een his feet,until S
hiloh come; and unto him
shall the gathering of the people be.
Tribal rod or staff of office; tribal identity.
Northern K
ingdom destroyed; Judah in land in C
hrist’s day...
Law
giver, John 18:31 “unlawful to put m
an to death...”
11]B
inding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed
his garments in w
ine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Vine, etc. Judah’s portion in vine grow
ing district in south.
S of S
ongs 1:14; vineyards of En G
edi; city of Judah.
Christ is the vine: Isa 63:1-3; R
ev 19.
Scep
tre Dep
arts from
Jud
ah
The term
“Shiloh” was understood by the early rabbis and T
almudic
authorities as referring to the Messiah:
Targum
Onkelos: “T
he transmission of dom
inion shall not cease fromthe house of Judah, nor the scribe from
his children’s children, forever,until M
essiah comes.”
1
Targum
Pseudo-Jonathan: “K
ings and rulers hall not cease from the
house of Judah..until King M
essiah comes.”
2
Targum
Yerusahlm
i: “Kings shall not cease from
the house ofJudah...until the tim
e of the coming of the K
ing Messiah...to w
hom all the
dominions of the earth shall becom
e subservient.”3
Sceptre = Tribal rod or staff of office; tribal identity. E
ven in their 70-year B
abylonian captivity (606-537 B.C.) the tribes retained their tribal
[Also: N
ame of tw
o exiled priests (Ezra 10:23; N
eh 12:8.4). A B
enjamite
(Neh 11:9.5). A
prince or priest who assisted in the dedication of the w
allsof Jerusalem
(Neh 12:34,36).]
No
tewo
rthy P
eop
le from
Jud
ah
Achan (Josh 7:18)
Elim
elech (Ruth 1:1,2)
Boaz (R
uth 2:1)O
bed (Ruth 4:21)
Jesse (Ruth 4:22; 1S
am 16:1)
David (1Sam
16:1,13)Solom
on (1Kgs 1:32-39)
Elihu (1C
hr 27:18)P
ethahiah (Neh 11:24)
Bezaleel (E
x 31:2; 35:30)N
ahshon (Num
7:12)C
aleb (Num
14:24)A
bsalom (2 Sam
15:1)E
lhanan (2 Sam 21:19; 23:24)
Adonijah (1K
gs 1:5,6)Jonathan (2Sam
21:21)K
ings of Judah (See 1st and 2nd B
ooks of Kings)
Prophecies C
oncerning Judah
Deuteronom
y 33:7
Genesis 49:8-12
8]Judah, thou art he w
hom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck
of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow
down before thee.
1 Chr 5:2: C
hief Ruler, Prince =
nagid (Cf. M
eshiach Nagid, D
an 9:25)
“Praise”: play on his name.
Neck of enem
ies; dominion: D
avid
9]Judah is a lion’s w
help: from the prey, m
y son, thou art gone up: he stoopeddow
n, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him
up?
Page 17Page 16
had departed to Alexandria, to bring this breach of the law
under hisobservation, and to inform
him that A
ranius had acted illegally inassem
bling the Sanhedrin without the R
oman authority.”
8
(This rem
arkable passage not only mentions Jesus and H
is brotherJam
es as historical figures, it also underscores that the authority ofthe Sanhedrin had passed to the R
omans.)
John 18:31 “unlawful to put m
an to death.”
Reactio
n
When the m
embers of the S
anhedrin found themselves deprived of their
right over life and death, they covered their heads with ashes and their
bodies with sackcloth, and bem
oaned, “Woe unto us for the sceptre has
departed from Judah and the M
essiah has not come!”
9
They actually thought that the T
orah, the Word of G
od, had failed!T
hey should have known better. T
he sceptre had, indeed, beenrem
oved from Judah, but Shiloh had com
e. While the Jew
s wept in
the streets of Jerusalem, a young son of a carpenter w
as growing up
in Nazareth. H
e would present H
imself as the M
essiah the King on
the very day that had been predicted by the Angel G
abriel to Daniel
five centuries earlier (Daniel 9:24-27). (See also our briefing package,
Daniel’s 70 W
eeks.)
Endnotes:
1.S
amson H
. Levy, T
he Messiah: A
n Aram
aic Interpretation; The M
essianicE
xegesis of the Targum
, Hebrew
Union C
ollege Jewish Institute of R
eligion,C
incinnati, 1974, p. 2.2.
Ibid, p. 7.3.
Ibid, p. 8.4.
Josh McD
owell, E
vidence that Dem
ands a Verdict, p. 108-168.
5.Josephus, A
ntiquities, 17:13.6.
Jerusalem T
almud, Sanhedrin, folio 24.
7.Josephus, W
ars of the Jews, B
k 2 Ch. 8.
8.Josephus, A
ntiquities of the Jews, 20:9.
9.B
abylonian Talm
ud, Chapter 4, folio 37; also A
ugustin Lem
ann, Jesus beforethe Sanhedrin, 1886, translated by Julius M
agath, NL
#0239683, Lib. of
Congress #15-24973. S
ee also Pugio F
idei, Raym
undus Martini, published by
De V
osin in 1651; re: The F
ifty Third C
hapter of Isaiah According to Jew
ishInterpreters, S.R
. Driver, A
.D. N
eubauer, KT
AV
Publishing House, N
ew Y
ork,1969, P
reface p. iv.
identity. 4 They retained their ow
n logistics, judges, etc. (Ezra 1:5,8).
Even during the next five centuries under the Persian and G
reek Em
pires,they retained their identity.
Backg
rou
nd
In 6-7 A.D., King H
erod’s son and successor, Herod A
rchelaus was
dethroned and banished to Vienna, a city in G
aul. Archelaus w
as thesecond son of H
erod the Great. 5 T
he older son, Herod A
ntipater, was
murdered by H
erod the Great, along w
ith other family m
embers. A
rchelaus’m
other was a S
amaritan (¼
or less of Jewish blood) and w
as neveraccepted.
After the death of H
erod (4 B.C.?), Archelaus w
as placed over Judea as“E
ntharch” by Caesar A
ugustus. Broadly rejected, he w
as removed in
6-7 A.D. He w
as replaced by a Rom
an Procurator nam
ed Caponius.
The legal pow
er of the Sanhedrin w
as imm
ediately restricted andadjudication of capital cases (jus gladii) w
as lost. This w
as normal
Rom
an policy. This transfer of pow
er was recorded in T
he JerusalemT
almud,
“A little m
ore than forty years before the destruction of the Tem
ple,the pow
er of pronouncing capital sentences was taken aw
ay from the
Jews.”
6
by Josephus, Wars of the Jew
s:
“And now
Archelaus’ part of Judea w
as reduced into a province, andC
aponius, one of the equestrian order of the Rom
ans, was sent as a
procurator, having the power of life and death put into his hands by
Caesar”. 7
Also, Josephus, A
ntiquities of the Jews
“After the death of the procurator Festus, w
hen Albinus w
as about tosucceed him
, the high priest Ananius considered it a favorable
opportunity to assemble the Sanhedrin. H
e therefore caused James,
the brother of Jesus, who w
as called Christ, and several others, to
appear before this hastily assembled council, and pronounced upon
them the sentence of death by stoning. A
ll the wise m
en and strictobservers of the law
who w
ere at Jerusalem expressed their
disapprobation of this act... Some even w
ent to Albinus him
self, who
Page 19Page 18
the tribal figures in Num
1 of males from
20 years upwards. N
o indicationis given how
this happened. Levi seem
s to have had only three sons,G
ershon, Kohath and M
erari, all born before he went dow
n with Jacob
to Egypt.
Families, as num
bered:
a.O
f Gershon. N
um 3:18,21,22. G
ershonites and their duties, Num
3:18-26; 4:23-26; 10:17. Ruling chief over the G
ershonites was the
second son of the ruling high priest (Num
4:28).
b.O
f Kohath. N
um 3:19,27,28. K
ohathites, consisting of the families
of the Am
ramites, Izeharites, H
ebronites, Uzzielites (N
um 3:27; 4:18-
20). Of the A
mram
ites, Aaron and his fam
ily were set apart as priests,
Ex 28:1; 29:9; N
um 3:38; 8:1-14; 17; 18:1; the rem
aining families
appointed to take charge of the ark, table, lampstand, altars, and
vessels of the sanctuary, the hangings, and all the service, Num
3:27-32; 4:2-15. The chief over the K
ohathites was the oldest son of
the ruling high priest (Num
3:32; 1 Chr 9:20).
c. O
f Merari. N
u 3:20,33,34. Merarites, N
um 3:20,33-37; 4:31-33; 7:8;
10:17; 1 Chr 6:19,29,30; 23:21-23. T
he chief over the Merarites w
asthe second son of the ruling high priest (N
um 4:33).
Exem
pt from enrollm
ent for military duty, N
um 1:47-54, w
ith 1 Chr 12:26.
Subordinate to the sons of A
aron (Num
3:9; 8:19; 18:6).
Th
e Priesth
oo
d
Set apart as m
inisters of religion (Num
1:47-54; 3:6-16; 16:9; 26:57-62;D
eut 10:8; 1 Chr 15:2). S
ubstituted in the place of the firstborn (Num
3:12,41-45; 8:14,16-18; 18:6). Zeal against idolatry a cause of their
appointment (E
x 32:26-28; Deut 33:9,10; M
al 2:4,5). Consecration of, N
um8:6-21 (C
f. Exodus 29 and L
eviticus 8).
Initially restricted to the descendants of Aaron (N
um 3:9; 8:19). L
ater,the sons of Z
adok (1 Chr 6:8, 53; 24:3; 27:17), a descendant of A
aronthrough E
leazar (Ezek 43:19). H
owever, H
igh priest bore all 12 tribes onhis breastplate.
Entered on their service at tw
enty-five years of age (Num
8:24). Age
when inducted into office (N
um 4:3,30,47; 8:23-26; 1 C
hr 23:3,24,27; Ezra
3:8); when retired from
office (Num
4:3,47; 8:25,26). Num
bered as
Th
e Levites
Backg
rou
nd
Descended from
Jacob’s third son (Gen 29:34; H
eb 7:9,10). Son of Jacob,G
en 29:34; 35:23; 1 Chr 2:1. [T
he name (in H
ebrew ywIle ) is linked w
ith theroot “to join,” and a play upon this m
eaning is found in Num
18:2, 4.]
Sh
echem
Avenges the seduction of D
inah (Gen. 34; 49:5-7).
The only detail of his life know
n to us, apart from those events com
mon
to all Jacob’s sons, is his treacherous attack on Shechem
in company
with Sim
eon (Gen 34:25-26). T
he two w
ere specially concerned becauseD
inah was their full sister. T
he two lads could carry out the m
assacre with
the help of their father’s slaves.
It has almost universally been taken for granted that G
en 49:5-7 refersto this incident, but this is m
ost doubtful. There is no validity in the
versional variation in the last clause of v. 6 represented by AV, “they
digged down a w
all”; the Heb. “they houghed an ox” (R
V) is seemingly
contradicted by Gen 34:28. It is better to take the tenses in v. 6 as “perfects
of experience” and render, “For in their anger they slay m
en, and in theirw
antonness they hamstring oxen” ( R
SV). T
hey are cursed for a life ofviolence and cruelty in w
hich Shechem
was m
erely an early and out-standing exam
ple. Later history w
as to show that the loyalty of L
evi’sdescendants to Y
ahweh could turn the curse to a blessing, and their
division and scattering in Israel was as his representatives.
Some: Sim
eon and Levi, it is probable, w
ere most active in the w
rongdone to Joseph, to w
hich some think Jacob has here som
e reference;for in their anger they w
ould have slain that man.
Th
e Trib
e of L
evi
Originally consisted for three fam
ilies or divisions (Num
3:17; 1Chr 6:16-
48). Not num
bered with Israel (N
um 1:47-49). N
umbered separately after
the people from a m
onth old (Num
3:14-16,39). The total census figure
in Num
3:22, 28, 34 of males from
a month upw
ard is strikingly below all
Page 21Page 20
ing captives (Num
31:30,42-47). Tithes w
ithheld from (N
eh 13:10-13; Mal
3:10). Pensioned (2 C
hr 31:16-18). Ow
ned lands (Deut 18:8, w
ith 1 Kgs
2:26). Land allotted to, by E
zekiel (Ezek 48:13,14). E
nrollment of, at Sinai
(Num
1:47-49; 2:33; 3:14-39; 4:2,3; 26:57-62; 1 Chr 23:3-5).
Sed
ition
of K
orah
Sedition am
ong, led by Korah, D
athan, Abiram
, and On, on account of
jealousy toward M
oses and Aaron (N
um 16, w
ith 4:19,20).
Punished w
ith death for encroaching on the priestly office (Num
18:3).P
unishment of K
orah and others of, for offering incense (Num
16:1-35).
Korah w
as the ringleader: he formed and headed the faction; therefore
it is called the gainsaying of Korah (Jude 11). H
e was a cousin to M
oses;they w
ere brothers’ children, yet the nearness of the relation could notrestrain him
from being insolent and rude to M
oses. Think it not strange
if a man’s foes be those of his ow
n house. With him
joined Dathan and
Abiram
, chief men of the tribe of R
euben, the eldest son of Jacob.P
robably Korah w
as disgusted both at the preferment of A
aron to thepriesthood and the constituting of E
lizaphan to the head of the Kohathites
(Ch. 3:30); and perhaps the R
eubenites were angry that the tribe of Judah
had the first post of honor in the camp. O
n is mentioned (v. 1) as one of
the heads of the faction, but never after in the whole story, either
because, as some think, he repented and left them
, or because he did notm
ake himself so rem
arkable as Dathan and A
biram did. T
he Kohathites
encamped on the sam
e side of the tabernacle that the Reubenites did,
which perhaps gave K
orah an opportunity of drawing them
in, whence
the Jews say, “W
oe to the wicked m
an, and woe to his neighbor, w
hois in danger of being infected by him
.”
Levitical C
ities
48 cities were allotted to the L
evites by Moses and Joshua (N
um 35:1-
8; Josh 21). Not receiving any part of the land of C
anaan for theirinheritance (N
um 18:20-24; 26:62; D
eut 18:1,2; Josh 18:7; “the Lord w
astheir inheritance,” D
eut 10:9).
To com
pensate, they received tithes of Israelites for support (Num
18:21)and 48 cities, four from
each of the 12 tribes. This w
as apparently todisperse the L
evites throughout the land to enable them, as official
representatives of the faith, to instruct the people in the law and in the
worship of Y
HW
H (N
um 35:1-5; L
ev 23:32-34).
ministers at thirty (N
um 4:3, 23-49). T
hey had charge of the tabernaclein cam
p and on the march (N
um 1:50-53; 3:6-9,21-37; 4:1-15,17-49; 8:19,22;
18:3-6) and of the temple (1 C
hr 9:27-29; 23:2-32; Ezra 8:24-34). B
ore theark of the covenant (D
eut. 10:8; 1 Chr 15:2,26,27). M
inistered before theark (1 C
hr. 16:4).
Custodians and adm
inistrators of the tithes and other offerings (1 Chr
9:26-29; 26:28; 29:8; 2 Chr 24:5,11; 31:11-19; 34:9; E
zra 8:29,30,33; Neh
12:44). Prepared the consecrated bread (1 C
hr 23:28,29). Assisted the
priests in preparing the sacrifice (2 Chr 29:12-36; 2 C
hr 35:1-18). Killed the
passover for the children of the captivity (Ezra 6:20,21).
Lodged in the cham
bers of the temple (1 C
hr 9:27,33; Ezek 40:44). W
hilein attendance lodged around the tem
ple (1 Chr 9:27). R
esided also invillages outside of Jerusalem
(Neh 12:29).
Teachers of the law
(Deut 33:10; 2 C
hr 17:8,9; 30:22; 35:3; Neh 8:7-13; M
al2:6,7). W
ere judges (Deut 17:9; 1 C
hr 23:4; 26:29; 2 Chr 19:8-11; N
eh 11:16).W
ere scribes of the sacred books. Pronounced the blessings of the law
in the responsive service at Mount G
erizim (D
eut 27:12; Josh 8:33).
Were overseers in building and the repairs of the tem
ple (1 Chr 23:2-4;
Ezra 3:8,9).
Guarded king’s person and house in tim
es of danger (2 Kgs 11:5-9; 2 C
hr23:5-7).
Were m
usicians of the temple service. S
upervised weights and m
ea-sures (1 C
hr 23:29).
[How
ever, some non-L
evites performed priestly functions on occasion:
the son of Micah an E
phraimite (Judg 17:5); D
avid’s sons (2 Sam
8:18);G
ideon (Judg 6:26); and Manoah of D
an (Judg 13:19).]
In lieu of landed inheritance, forty-eight cities with suburbs w
ereassigned to them
(Num
35:2-8, with N
um 18:24; 26:62; D
eut 10:9;12:12,18,19; 14:27-29; 18:1-8; Josh 13:14; 14:3; 18:7; 1 C
hr 6:54-81; 13:2;2 C
hr 23:2; Ezek 34:1-5). A
ssigned to, by families (Josh 21:4-40). Suburbs
of their cities were inalienable for debt (L
ev 25:32-34).
Tithes and other offerings (N
um 18:24,26-32; D
eut 18:1-8; 26:11-13; Josh13:14; N
eh 10:38,39; 12:44,47). Bound to give a tenth of their tithes to the
priests (Num
18:26-32). Firstfruits ( Neh 12:44,47). Spoils of w
ar, includ-
Page 23Page 22
Ram
oth: heights;W
e dwell in the heights, even though
Golan: exile...
...we are exiles, pilgrim
s, strangers to this world.
Lesson: H
ave you fled to Him
? Unless you have, you aren’t saved.
Pro
ph
ecies
Prophecies respecting G
enesis 49:5,7; Deuteronom
y 33:8-11.
Gen
esis 49
5]S
imeon and L
evi are brethren: instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Simeon and L
evi. [Note: M
oses might have preferred to have left this out:
he was of L
evi!]
Instruments of cruelty (34:25); Sim
eon ringleader in sale of Joseph; hadhim
bound. (42:24) Judah solicits his aid in Canaan (Judg 1:3; 1 C
hr4:42,43).
Levi: w
orshipping calf, 3000 slain by Levi (E
x 32:27,28). Phineas, grand-son of A
aron, stays plague, Num
25:6-13; cancelled curse, securesblessing.
7]C
ursed be their anger, for it was fierce: and their w
rath, for it was cruel: I w
illdivide them
in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
“Divided and scattered”: S
imeon not given separate territory under
Joshua (19:1-8) but with Judah.
Levites: 48 cities throughout other tribes (N
um 35:8; Josh 14:4, 21).
Jacob’s prophecy regarding, Gen. 49:5-7: “C
ursed be their anger.” He
does not curse their persons, but their lusts.
Note:
1.A
nger is the cause and original of a great deal of sin, and exposesus to the curse of G
od, and his judgment (M
t 5:22).
Of the 48, the priests received 13 (Josh 21:4), and six w
ere cities of refuge.[T
wo lists (Josh 21 and 1 C
hr 6:54-81) do not always agree. N
ames m
ayhave changed over the years; possibly new
ones replaced old.]
Cities o
f Refu
ge
Num
35:11-30. (No state police force.)
No help for a m
urderer (Gen 9:6; E
x 20:1-17; 21:12-13). First m
urderer:S
atan (John 8:44). Avenger of B
lood (Goel); (C
f. Bedoin’s today...)
Cities of R
efuge: available to all (sojourners also); sanctified (set aside).A
lways open; w
ays, bridges, repaired each spring (Deut 19:3).
Typ
e of C
hrist
(Heb 6:16-20) [A
cts 3:12-18; Luke 23:34; 1 C
or 2:7-8]W
ages of sin is death, Rom
6:23;G
od’s appointed refuge, Acts 4:12;
Easy reach; “w
ay,” Deut 19:3;
Open to all, R
ev 22:17;D
oors never locked;S
tocked with provisions;
No other help available (H
eb 10:28-29)U
ntil the death of the High P
riest (Heb 7:23-27)
Differences:
Only innocent saved; w
e know w
e’re guilty!C
hrist more available (John 6:37; R
ev 3:20).
Nam
es of th
e Cities o
f Refu
ge: (Jo
sh 20:7-8)
Kedesh: righteousness;
Never can be accused again.
Shechem: shoulder
Like a shepherd, H
e carries us.
Hebron: fellow
shipW
e enter into fellowship w
ith Him
Bezer: fortress; strong
He is our fortress; w
e are safe.
Page 25Page 24
Melch
izedek
Gen 14:18-20: K
ing of Salem and priest of E
l Elyon (Y
HW
H). A
brahambrings tithes after defeat of C
hedorlaomer et al. R
eceives, in turn, breadand w
ine.
Salem
is identified with Jerusalem
in Ps 76:2 and early T
ell el-Ararna
letters (14th century B.C.). A
lso, Targum
im, and the G
enesis Apocryphon.
Scripture equates El E
lyon with Y
HW
H. A
braham equates M
elchizedek’sG
od as the same as his ow
n. Publicly declares M
elchizedek as hisspiritual superior.
Psalm
110:4: Davidic king proclaim
ed by divine oath. David’s conquest
of Jerusalem (c.1000 B.C.) m
ade David’s house heirs to M
elchizedek’sdynasty of priest-kings. O
ne greater than David, w
hom he called L
ord,w
as in view. [N
ote: Ps 110:1 used to confuse P
harisees in Mt 22:44.]
Hebrew
s 5:6-11; 6:20-7:28: Dem
onstrates, pointing to Melchizedek as
a “type” of Christ, that C
hrist thus supersedes the Aaronic priesthood
(7:1-3):
1)M
elchizedek is greater than Abraham
, the father of Levi,
receiving tithes from him
(v.4-10);2)
David predicted that the order of M
elchizedek would
replace the Levitical priesthood (v.11-19);
3)the divine oath behind it (v.20-22);
4)because of perm
anence (v.23-25).
Caveat: A
ttempts to identify M
elchizedek with the patriarch S
hem, an
angel, the Holy G
host, or the Messiah, are irreconcilable w
ith theargum
ent of Hebrew
s. It is an essential part of this argument that
Melchizedek is given no pedigree and that he w
as a man m
ade like untothe S
on of God.
Th
e Trib
e Of S
imeo
n
Jacob’s second son by Leah (G
en 29:33; 35:23; Ex 1:1,2; 1 C
hr 2:1). With
Levi, he avenges upon the S
hechemites the seduction of D
inah (Gen 34;
49:5-7). Jacob’s denunciation of (Gen 34:30; 49:5-7).
Goes dow
n into Egypt to buy grain; is bound by Joseph, and detained
(Gen 42:24,36; 43:23). S
imeon held hostage until B
enjamin could be
2.W
e ought always, in the expressions of our zeal, carefully to
distinguish between the sinner and the sin, so as not to love nor
bless the sin for the sake of the person, nor to hate nor curse theperson for the sake of the sin.
A token of displeasure w
hich he foretells their posterity should lie underfor this: I w
ill divide them. T
he Levites w
ere scattered throughout all thetribes, and S
imeon’s lot lay not together, and w
as so strait that many of
the tribe were forced to disperse them
selves in quest of settlements and
subsistence. This curse w
as afterwards turned into a blessing to the
Levites; but the S
imeonites, for Z
imri’s sin (N
um. 25:14), had it bound
on. Note, S
hameful dispersions are the just punishm
ent of sinful unionsand confederacies.
The curse of Jacob on L
evi (Gen 34:25ff; and G
en 49:5ff) was turned into
a blessing by Moses (E
x 32:29; Deut 33:8,9). O
ther prophecies concern-ing (Jer 33:18; E
zek 44:10-14; Mal 3:3); of their repentance of the
crucifixion of the Messiah (Z
ech 12:10-13). John’s vision concerning(R
ev. 7:7).
Org
anizatio
n: “C
ou
rses”
David:
•N
umbered them
first from thirty years old (1 C
hr 23:2-3).•
Divided them
into four classes (1 Chr 23:4-6).
•B
y his last words had them
numbered from
twenty years old (1 C
hr23:24,27).
•M
ade them serve from
twenty on account of the lightness of their
duties (1 Chr 23:26,28-32).
•Subdivided into 24 courses (1 C
hr 23:6; 25:8-31). Made them
attendin courses (2 C
hr 8:14; 31:17). Served in courses after captivity (Ezra
6:18). [Thus, associated w
ith the 24 elders in Revelation...]
•H
ad chiefs or officers over them (N
um 3:24,30,35; 1 C
hr 15:4-10; 2 Chr
35:9; Ezra 8:29).
•W
ere all under control of the high priest’s deputy (Num
3:32; 1 Chr
9:20). •
Degraded from
the Levitical office by Jeroboam
(2 Chr 11:13-17; 13:9-
11). Loyal to the ruler (2 K
gs 11:7-11; 2 Chr 23:7). Interm
arry with
Canaanites (E
zra 9:1,2; 10:23,24).•
List of those w
ho returned from captivity (E
zra 2:40-63; 7:7; 8:16-20;N
eh 7:43-73; 12). Sealed the covenant with N
ehemiah (N
eh 10:9-28).
Page 27Page 26
Josep
h
Th
e Sto
ry of Jo
seph
Birth (G
en 30:24). Joseph is a jussive form of the verb #sy;, “to add”; the
name #sE/y m
eans “may he (G
od) add (sons)”; Cf. G
en 30:24.
He w
as handsome (G
en 39:6). Joseph is presented as an obedient 17-year-old son w
ho brought back a bad report about his half brothers (hedid not bring a bad report about his full brother B
enjamin!) T
houghdoing this has never been popular, it show
s that Joseph was faithful as
a servant. Naturally, his brothers hated him
for this.
The lad w
as also honored by Jacob who gave him
a richly ornamented
robe, probably a multicolored tunic, but possibly a long sleeved robe.
This seem
s to signify that Jacob favored him above the rest (w
ith theintent of granting him
all or a larger portion of the inheritance; Gen 33:2;
37:3,4,35; 48:22; 1 Chr 5:2; John 4:5). F
or Joseph was the firstborn of
Rachel, Jacob’s loved w
ife (Gen 30:22-24). H
e thus excites the jealousyof his brethren (G
en 37:4,11,18-28; Ps 105:17; A
cts 7:9).
[Yet Jacob should have rem
embered w
hat parental favoritism does to a
family. It had separated him
from his loving m
other (Gen 27:1-28:5), and
it would separate Joseph from
Jacob.]
Josep
h’s D
reams (G
en 37:5-11)
Dream
s: God confirm
ed Jacob’s choice of his faithful son by two
dreams. G
od’s revelation was given in different form
s in the Old
Testam
ent. God seem
s to use dreams w
hen His people w
ere leaving oroutside the land, that is, in the lands of pagans. In a dream
God had
announced to Abraham
the Egyptian bondage in the first place (G
en15:13); in a dream
God prom
ised protection and prosperity for Jacob inhis sojourn w
ith Laban (G
en 28:12, 15); and by two dream
s God predicted
that Joseph would rule over his fam
ily.
The brothers hated Joseph all the m
ore (Gen 37:5, 8) and w
ere jealous ofhim
, but Jacob pondered the matter (v. 11). H
e knew how
God w
orks; hew
as well aw
are that God could select the younger to rule over the elder,
and that God could declare H
is choice in advance by an oracle or a dream.
brought. He chose him
for the hostage probably because he remem
beredhim
to have been his most bitter enem
y, or because he observed him now
to be least humbled and concerned; he bound him
before their eyes toaffect them
all; or perhaps it is intimated that, though he bound him
with
some severity before them
, yet afterwards, w
hen they were gone, he took
off his bonds; or simply because he w
as the oldest after Reuben.
[Reuben w
as not held because of his kindness to Joseph (Gen 37:21) or
because he was the eldest and Joseph didn’t w
ant a struggle among the
others for leadership.]
His sons (G
en 46:10; Ex 6:15; 1 C
hr 4:24-37). Descendants of (N
um 26:12-
14).
Th
e Trib
e
Lost its independence early. C
omparison of the census in N
um 1 and 26
shows that although the nation lost only 2,000 in the w
ildernessw
anderings (603,000 to 601,000), the tribe of Sim
eon lost over 27,000,over 50%
. (59,300 to 22,100). There w
ere no smaller tribes. [T
he man
Phineas killed at B
aal-Peor (25:14) w
as the head of a Sim
eonite clan. Ifthe S
imeonites w
ere leaders of this apostasy, the resulting plague may
have rested especially on that tribe.]
Perhaps of this w
eakness, the Sim
eonite tribe was not accorded a
separate inheritance in the land (Josh 19:1-9) but simply given certain
southern villages within Judah (Josh 19:2-9; 15:20-63). M
ilitary enroll-m
ent of, at Sinai (Num
1:22,23; 2:13); in the plains of Moab (N
um 26:14).
Place of, in cam
p and march (encam
ped under the standard of Reuben
south of the tabernacle, Num
2:12; 10:18,19). Inheritance allotted to (Josh19:1-9; Judg 1:3-17; 1 C
hr 4:24-43). United w
ith Judah in expelling theC
anaanites from their inheritance (Judg 1:3,17). Stood on M
ount Gerizim
to bless at the time of the rehearsal of the law
(Deut 27:12). Joined w
iththe people of Judah and B
enjamin in the renew
al of the passover (2 Chr
15:9 vs. 1-15). Idolatry of (2 Chr 34:6). Fam
ilies of (Num
26:12-13).
Pro
ph
ecies
Gen 49:5-7 (w
ith Levi).
Page 29Page 28
Gen 37:25-28: Judah then prom
pted his brothers to sell Joseph topassing Ishm
aelites on their way from
Gilead to E
gypt. Ishmaelites w
eredescendants of A
braham by H
agar (16:15) and the Midianites (37:28)
descended from A
braham by his concubine K
eturah (25:2). (The term
Ishmaelites becam
e a general designation for desert tribes, so thatM
idianite traders were also know
n as Ishmaelites.) Joseph w
as treatedharshly by his brothers; but being sold for 20 shekels (8 ounces of silver)and taken to E
gypt, he was preserved alive.
Gen 37:29-35: R
etribution for Jacob’s deception of Isaac appearsagain. (T
he first time w
as with the substitution of L
eah for Rachel). T
histim
e it is by his own sons! T
he sons dipped Joseph’s tunic in goat’sblood to deceive the patriarch into thinking that Joseph w
as dead,devoured by a ferocious anim
al. Jacob mourned greatly over the loss
of his beloved son (tearing one’s clothes and wearing sackcloth w
eresigns of grief and m
ourning; cf. 44:13; Job 1:20; 16:15) and refused to becom
forted.
Gen 37:36: T
his is a story of hatred and deception. The brothers tried
to improve their lot w
ith their father by wicked m
eans. Jacob himself had
attempted som
ething similar w
ith his father. The brothers w
ould have tolearn, how
ever, as did Jacob, that God does not continue to give H
isblessings to those w
ho do such things. Their use of goat’s blood is
ironic, for the skins of a goat were used by Jacob to deceive his father
(27:16). Jacob’s sin of years before had come back to haunt him
. The
brothers’ attitude would also have to be changed by G
od, or there would
be no nation.
Here then is the beginning of the suffering of Joseph, the obedient
servant. God w
ould test his character through the things he suffered, sothat he could then be exalted. (Included is a list of over 100 w
ays thatJoseph w
as a “type” of Christ. S
ee page 45.)
Th
e Co
rrup
tion
of Ju
dah
’s Fam
ily (Gen
38)
Gen 38:1-5: Judah, w
ho had suggested that the brothers sell Josephto the Ishm
aelites (Gen 37:26-27), then left and stayed in A
dullum (about
15 miles northw
est of Hebron) and m
arried a Canaanite w
oman. T
hey hadthree sons, E
r, Onan, and S
helah. This m
arriage to a Canaanite alm
ostruined Judah’s fam
ily.
[This account of assim
ilation with the people of the land helps one
understand why G
od settled His young nation in the safety of E
gypt for
The scene of the first dream
was agricultural (v. 7). T
here may be som
ehint hereof the m
anner in which Joseph’s authority over his brothers
would be achieved (cf. 42:1-3). H
is sheaf of grain was upright w
hile theirsheaves bow
ed down to his. T
he scene of the second dream w
as celestial(v. 9). T
he sun, the moon, and 11 stars bow
ed down to him
. (Joseph’sfather, the sun; his m
other, the moon; his 11 brothers, the stars, v. 10).
(These sym
bols identify Israel as the wom
an in Revelation 12.)
These dream
s, then, symbolically anticipated the elevation of Joseph
over the whole house of Jacob. S
ensing that Joseph was to be elevated
to prominence over them
, the envy and hatred of his brothers ispredictable. R
ather than recognize God’s choice, his brothers set on a
course to destroy him.
[Their actions, though prom
pted by the belief that they should lead,show
s why they should not have led.]
Th
e Sellin
g o
f Josep
h
Gen 37:12-17: T
he occasion for selling Joseph came w
hen he obedi-ently w
ent to his brothers near Dothan (v. 17) to inquire about their
welfare. In spite of the hatred Joseph knew
they held for him, he com
pliedw
ith his father’s wishes. F
rom Jacob’s hom
e in the Valley of H
ebron (v.14) north to Shechem
(v. 12) was about 50 m
iles, and Dothan w
as another15 m
iles north.
[One m
ay wonder if they had taken their flocks to D
othan with the hidden
agenda of checking out the land of Shechem
, whose ruler had raped their
sister Dinah (C
hapter 34).]
Gen 37:18-24: T
he brothers devised a plot to kill their dreamer in order
to prevent his dreams from
being fulfilled. Before, they plotted to kill
many S
hechemites in revenge for their sister (G
en 34:24-29); now, by
contrast, they plotted to kill their own brother!
Reuben, trying to gain an opportunity to restore Joseph to Jacob,
persuaded his brothers not to comm
it such a crime. R
euben suggestedthey throw
Joseph alive into a cistern. Then R
euben thought he couldgo rescue him
later. So the brothers stripped the lad of his tunic and threwhim
into a dry cistern to die.
Page 31Page 30
Gen 39:11-20a: P
otiphar’s wife, hum
iliated by Joseph’s refusal of her,fabricated a lie to accuse Joseph of assaulting her. B
eware a w
oman
scorned! She show
ed to her household servants and then to Potiphar
the garment that Joseph left w
hen he fled from her persistent advances.
This w
as the second time Joseph’s clothing w
as used to bring a falsereport about him
(cf. Gen 37:31-33). In both cases he had been serving
faithfully. But in both cases Joseph ended up in bondage. [P
otipharprobably suspected she w
as lying, or he would have had Joseph put to
death.]
Gen 39:20b-23: Joseph had prospered under G
od in Potiphar’s house
and was put in charge, and here again he prospered under G
od and was
put in charge. Four tim
es, this chapter affirms, the L
OR
D was w
ith Joseph(vv. 2-3, 21, 23).
This story is sim
ilar to the advice given frequently in Proverbs by K
ingS
olomon. It is folly to yield to the tem
ptations of a flattering wom
an orm
an and ruin all prospects of a life of service to God. T
he way of w
isdomis to consider the cost of sin. Joseph w
ould not throw aw
ay God’s
blessings for the pleasures of sin. God w
ould ultimately honor him
asH
e had promised.
Th
e Priso
ners’ D
reams In
terpreted
(Gen
40)
“Whose feet they hurt w
ith fetters: he was laid in iron”: P
s 105:18. Yet
Joseph did not lose faith in God’s prom
ise as is evidenced by hisw
illingness to interpret dreams. H
e apparently was still convinced that
God’s revelation in his tw
o previous dreams (G
en 37:5-7, 9) would be
fulfilled.
Gen 40:1-8: In prison tw
o servants of Pharaoh—his chief cupbearer and
his chief baker—each had a troubling dream
the same night. Joseph
noticed their sadness and agreed to interpret their dreams.
Gen 40:9-15: Joseph interpreted the dream
s of the two servants of
Pharaoh. The chief cupbearer’s dream
had a favorable interpretation. His
dream reflected his profession, but w
ith accelerated activity. The dream
of the three vine branches of ripening grapes signified that Pharaoh
would lift up the head of this m
an, that is, restore him to service w
ithinthree days. T
o this, Joseph added the request that the man rem
ember him
and seek his release from prison.
its growth.] A
gain Jacob’s family experienced deception —
this time by
his Canaanite daughter-in-law
!
Gen 38:24-26: T
amar had w
on the right to be the mother of Judah’s
children, though in a deceitful way. H
er action was desperate and risky.
Gen 38:27-30: T
his final part of the story provides the significance ofthe w
hole account. God gave T
amar tw
ins, and the line of Judahcontinued because of her. B
ut in the birth of the boys an unusualsituation occurred, paralleling the births of Jacob and E
sau.
After one tw
in’s hand came out the other m
ade a breach and was born
first, so he was rightly nam
ed Perez (“breach”). T
hen the second twin
was nam
ed Zerah (“scarlet”) because of the scarlet thread the m
idwife
tied on his wrist. It is as if the oracle concerning Jacob’s ruling over his
older brother (Gen 27:29) w
as being relived in the line of Judah.
What w
as so significant was the connection w
ith Judah’s dealing with
Joseph (Gen 37:26-28). H
e and his brothers sold their younger brotherinto E
gypt, thinking they could thwart G
od’s design that the elderbrothers w
ould serve the younger Joseph. Yet in Judah’s ow
n family,
despite his attempts to hinder T
amar’s m
arriage, God’s w
ill worked out
in a poignant confirmation of the principle that the elder w
ould serve theyounger.
The line of prom
ise would carry on through P
erez (cf. Mt 1:3), for G
od’sprogram
cannot so easily be set aside.
Josep
h’s T
emp
tation
by P
otip
har’s W
ife
Gen 39:1-6a: Joseph had prospered under G
od and had become the
attendant or steward over P
otiphar’s household. Potiphar w
as captainof the guard for Pharaoh. [T
his Pharaoh was probably Sesostris II (1897-
1879 B.C.).] Joseph’s presence was also the m
eans of God’s blessing on
Potiphar.
Gen 39:6b-10: Y
et God tested Joseph w
ith Potiphar’s w
ife to see if hew
as obedient. When she tem
pted handsome Joseph, he refused to go
to bed with her for that w
ould be a sin against both God and his m
aster.H
e then deliberately and wisely sought to avoid her daily advances by
refusing even to be around her. If one is to fulfill God’s plan, he cannot
sin against the God w
ho will bring it about.
Page 33Page 32
Babylon also w
ould be unable to interpret a king’s dream, and G
od would
use another Hebrew
slave, Daniel, to show
that no matter how
powerful
a nation might be, it is still not beyond G
od’s sovereign control (Dan 2).
Gen 41:9-27: Joseph w
as summ
oned from prison w
hen the cupbearerrem
embered that Joseph w
as gifted in interpreting dreams. Y
et when
Joseph stood before Pharaoh (shaved, as w
as the Egyptian custom
, andin a fresh change of clothes) he declared that the interpretation w
as with
God alone (cf. 40:8). A
fter Pharaoh recounted both dream
s (Gen 41:17-
24; cf. vv. 1-8), Joseph reiterated this conviction as he explained that God
was m
aking known to P
haraoh what H
e was about to do (vv. 25-27).
Gen 41:28-32: B
oth dreams predicted that seven year’s of plenty w
ouldbe follow
ed by seven years of severe famine. F
urthermore, Joseph
explained that because the dream cam
e in two versions it signified that
it was of G
od, and would be carried out soon. D
uring God’s dealings w
ithhim
several things must have been on Joseph’s m
ind:
his own tw
o dreams (G
en 37:5-7, 9),his tw
o imprisonm
ents (Gen 37:36; 39:20),
the two dream
ers in prison (Gen 40:5-23),
and nowP
haraoh’s two dream
s.
Gen 41:33-36: G
od’s revelation demanded a response. S
o Josephadvised P
haraoh to choose a wise m
an who w
ould oversee storing 20percent of the grain during each of the years of plenty for the com
ingyears of fam
ine. [The book of P
roverbs teaches that wisely planning
ahead is a basic principle of practical living.]
Gen 41:37-40: T
he man w
hom P
haraoh recognized as capable for sucha task w
as Joseph in whom
was the S
pirit of God.
Centuries later D
aniel was chosen to be the third highest ruler in B
abylonfor the sam
e reason (Dan. 5:7, 16). Joseph had been faithful over all the
little things God sent him
; now he w
ould become ruler over all the land
of Egypt under P
haraoh.
Th
e Ph
aroah
’s Sig
net
Gen 41:41-46: T
he signet ring Pharaoh gave Joseph w
as a ring with a
seal used for signing documents. P
haraoh also dressed Joseph in linenclothes and a gold neck chain, m
ade him second in com
mand to Pharaoh,
Gen 40:16-19: T
he dream of the baker w
as not favorable. His dream
alsoreflected his profession, but in it birds w
ere eating the bread he was
carrying in three baskets on his head. To the disappointm
ent of thebaker, Joseph explained that P
haraoh would also lift up his head w
ithinthree days, but it w
ould be execution by hanging after which birds w
ouldeat his flesh. [It is interesting that these dream
s included the elements
of bread and wine. T
his thread seems to begin w
ith Melchizedek in G
en14 and continues to the L
ord’s Supper.]
Gen 40:20-23: T
he interpretations proved to be true, for in three daysP
haraoh on his birthday restored the cupbearer but executed the baker.Joseph, how
ever, was forgotten in prison for tw
o years.
The cupbearer forgot him
, but God did not. In this hope Joseph had a
persistent faith. His faith w
as not destroyed by his circumstances.
Josep
h’s In
terpretatio
n o
f Ph
araoh
’s Dream
s(G
en 41:1-40)
God then used tw
o dreams to elevate Joseph from
the misery of prison
to the splendor of the court. Joseph had proven himself faithful to G
odand therefore fit for service.
Gen 41:1-8: Pharaoh’s tw
o dreams caused him
great distress, especiallysince none of the w
ise men of E
gypt could explain them (v. 8). G
od usedan Israelite slave to confound the w
isdom of E
gypt. Later in the days of
Moses another P
haraoh would be at the m
ercy of God’s pow
er. Later
yet, Daniel w
ould enjoy a parallel career with N
ebuchadnezzar.
Egyptian coloring is evident in these dream
s. Cow
s like to stand half-subm
erged in the Nile am
ong its reeds in refuge from the heat and the
flies. They then com
e up out of the water for pasture. T
he troubling partof the first dream
was that seven ugly and gaunt cow
s came up and
devoured the seven fat cows.
Th
e Seco
nd
Dream
The second dream
carried a similar m
essage: seven plump ears of grain
on a single stalk were sw
allowed up by seven thin and scorched ears of
grain that sprouted after them. T
he magicians belonged to a guild expert
in handling the ritual books of magic and priestcraft. H
owever, they
could not interpret Pharaoh’s dream
s. A later guild of w
ise men in
Page 35Page 34
to light, but the brothers’ characteristics were know
n to the old man.
Perhaps they w
ould harm B
enjamin as w
ell.
Gen 42:6-17: R
ecognizing his brothers, Joseph tested them by accusing
them four tim
es of being spies (vv. 9, 12, 14, 16). He w
as handling themroughly (vv. 7, 30), but underneath his severity w
as affection, as the laterreunion m
akes clear. Ironically the brothers were speaking to a person
they thought was dead (one is no m
ore; v. 13).
Their presence in E
gypt confirmed the truth of his dream
s, but not theirfulfillm
ent. Joseph knew that all the fam
ily must com
e to Egypt under his
rulership. He dem
anded that one of them bring their little brother as proof
that they were not spies. R
etaining them in prison w
as an interesting turnof events, since the brothers had previously put Joseph in a “cistern-prison.”
Gen 42:18-24: A
fter a three-day custody of the brothers, Joseph alteredhis plan and suggested keeping only one in prison w
hile the other ninereturned. H
e retained Sim
eon (v. 24) while the others returned hom
e toC
anaan with grain. If they w
ould not return with their youngest brother,
Simeon w
ould be killed.
A taste of retribution began to aw
aken feelings in the brothers, feelingsthat Joseph’s cries for m
ercy (v. 21) and Jacob’s tears (37:34-35) hadfailed to aw
aken. They sensed that having to bring B
enjamin back to
Egypt against the w
ishes of their father would be punishm
ent for theirhaving sold Joseph. S
ince Jacob was still distressed, now
they were in
distress. As they spoke, they w
ere unaware that Joseph understood
them for he w
as using an interpreter. Seeing their sense of rem
orsetouched Joseph and he turned aw
ay and wept (cf. 43:30; 45:2, 14; 50:1,
17).
Gen 42:25-28: A
s a further means of striking the fear of G
od (cf. vv. 18,28, 35) into his brothers, Joseph had their silver (w
ith which they had
purchased grain) put into their sacks. Whether he m
eant the money to
be discovered on the way hom
e or at home, its initial shock w
as effective.T
he question, What is this that G
od has done to us? was, as far as it w
ent,a fruitful reaction to trouble. T
hey apparently felt that Joseph would
accuse them of theft, w
hich would support his contention that they w
erespies.
Gen 42:29-38: W
hen they arrived home in C
anaan, the nine brotherstold Jacob w
hat had happened. Jacob, grieved because he thought
and had him ride in the second chariot so all the people could do hom
ageto him
. As a token of Joseph’s new
status, Pharaoh gave him
a wife,
Asenath, from
the priestly family of O
n (a city which w
as a center of sunw
orship seven miles north of C
airo and also known as H
eliopolis). He
also gave Joseph an Egyptian nam
e, Zaphenath-P
aneah (“Revealer of
Secrets”). Joseph w
as 30 at the time of his installm
ent, 13 years after hew
as sold by his brothers (cf. 37:2). Joseph’s position gave him oppor-
tunity to travel extensively across Egypt.
(Ps 105:16-22 speaks of Joseph’s im
prisonment, release, and rise to
power.)
Gen 41:47-52: Pharaoh’s dream
s were then fulfilled. T
he land producedabundant, even im
measurable crops for seven years, and Joseph gath-
ered them into storage in the E
gyptian cities, exercising absoluteauthority throughout the land. ( H
e sells the stores of food to the peopleof E
gypt, exacting of them all their m
oney, flocks and herds, lands andlives, G
en 47:13-26.)
In spite of his success, he did not abandon his Israelite heritage. He gave
his two sons characteristically H
ebrew nam
es. Manasseh (forget)
signified that God had m
ade him forget the m
isery of his separation fromhis fam
ily. Ephraim
(fruitful) signified that God had m
ade him fruitful in
the land of Egypt (G
en 49:22ff).
Gen 41:53-57: Joseph’s w
isdom bore fruit, for the seven good years
were indeed follow
ed by seven years of severe famine, and the E
gyp-tians and people in other countries as w
ell went to buy grain from
thestorehouses throughout E
gypt. At last Joseph w
as in power in E
gypt.G
od’s revelation to him by dream
s was being fulfilled.
Th
e Mo
ve to E
gyp
t (Gen
42:1- 47:27)
The follow
ing narratives show that G
od used the famine to bring Israel
into Egypt under the rulership of Joseph. T
he nation would rem
ain theresom
e 400 years, as God had prophesied to A
bram (15:13).
Th
e First V
isit of th
e Bro
thers to
Eg
ypt (G
en 42)
Gen 42:1-5: T
he famine w
as widespread; it w
as in Canaan too. S
o Jacobsent his sons dow
n to Egypt to buy food—
all his sons except Benjam
in,for he did not w
ant to lose Rachel’s other son. H
is refusal to send thislad reveals w
hat Jacob had come to suspect. Joseph’s fate had not com
e
Page 37Page 36
Gen 43:15-30: T
he brothers hurried to Egypt. W
hen they arrived, theyw
ere taken to Joseph’s house. They w
ere frightened, thinking they were
going to be captured. When they told Joseph’s stew
ard about the silverthey found in their sacks w
hen returning from their first trip, the stew
ardtold them
not to be afraid because their God had given them
that money.
Perhaps Joseph had talked w
ith the steward about the true G
od.
Sim
eon was returned to them
(v. 23), and a noon meal w
as prepared forJoseph’s 11 guests. W
hen they presented their gifts to Joseph theybow
ed down before him
in fulfillment of Joseph’s dream
(Gen 37:7).
Joseph, seeing his brother Benjam
in, could not hold back his tears of joy.B
enjamin, of course, w
as his full brother; the others were half brothers.
As before w
hen he talked with the 10 (G
en 42:24), he went aside and w
ept.
Gen 43:31-34: A
t the dinner, Joseph demonstrated som
ething ominous
to them. T
he mysterious accuracy of the seating (from
the firstborn tothe youngest) w
ould increase their uneasy sense of exposure to divineintervention.
Yet in all the events of this visit the brothers w
ere confronted with
gracious dealings from G
od through this “Egyptian” (vv. 16, 27, 29, 34).
The chapter is a foretaste of future things for, as Joseph said later (G
en45:5), G
od sent him dow
n before them to provide for them
in the midst
of famine.
Th
e Testin
g o
f Josep
h (G
en 44)
Gen 44:1-13: Joseph, already brilliantly successful in creating tensions
during their two visits, now
produced his master stroke. H
e tested theirconcern for B
enjamin in order to get them
to recognize their evil. If theyfailed this test, if they had no com
passion for this second son of Rachel,
then they would have no part in the fulfillm
ent of the promises. G
od couldstart over again and m
ake Joseph into a great nation if the others provedunw
orthy (cf. Ex 32:10).
The test involved the m
en’s silver in their sacks (as had been done onthe first return trip) and placing Joseph’s ow
n silver cup in Benjam
in’ssack and then pursuing them
to arrest Benjam
in. When the stew
ardcaught up w
ith them and accused them
of theft, he deliberately createdtension am
ong them by opening the sack of the oldest first and ending
with the youngest. H
e knew, of course, that the silver cup w
as inB
enjamin’s sack. T
he sudden threat to Benjam
in was like a sw
ord thrustthrough their hearts (cf. S
olomon’s plan, 1 K
ings 3:16-28). All the
another son was dead (Sim
eon is no more), refused to let B
enjamin return.
Reuben, the eldest, sought to assure his father that he w
ould bringB
enjamin back. T
his is ironic since Reuben had failed to prevent the loss
of Joseph (Gen 37:21-22). B
ut Jacob refused to let Benjam
in go. He said
if something happened to his youngest, he w
ould sorrow the rest of his
days, just as he had said when he heard of Joseph’s “death” (G
en 37:35).
Joseph’s tests were im
portant in God’s plan to bless the seed of
Abraham
. God planned to bring the fam
ily to Egypt so that it w
ould growthere into a great nation. B
ut it was necessary that the people w
hoentered E
gypt be faithful to the Lord. It w
as necessary that the brothersbe tested before they could participate in G
od’s blessing. Joseph’sprodding had to be subtle; the brothers m
ust perceive the hand of God
moving against them
so that they would acknow
ledge their crime against
Joseph and their previous unbelief in his dreams. B
ut one test was not
enough; there must be tw
o.
Th
e Seco
nd
Visit o
f the B
roth
ers to E
gyp
t (Gen
43)
Gen 43:1-7: T
he famine continued and Jacob’s fam
ily needed more
grain. This tim
e, however, B
enjamin had to go w
ith them to E
gypt. Judahrem
inded his father that without B
enjamin their long trip to E
gypt would
be in vain. Jacob was, of course, reluctant; his scolding (w
hy did youtell the m
an you had another brother?) was an effort to escape the
decision he dreaded to make. Y
et he must release B
enjamin so they could
return to Egypt. O
therwise they w
ould all die from starvation.
Gen 43:8-14: Judah broke the deadlock w
ith a warm
ly personal initia-tive, offering to take the blam
e if Benjam
in were not returned. Judah
(Jacob’s fourth son; Gen 29:31-35) succeeded w
here Reuben had failed
(Gen 42:37), and B
enjamin w
ent down to E
gypt with his brothers.
Interestingly Judah was the one w
ho had come up w
ith the plan to sellJoseph to E
gypt (Gen 37:26-27). N
ow he had to negotiate w
ith his fatherin order to get B
enjamin to see Joseph.
Jacob suggested that they take some of their best products to the m
anas a gift, including balm
, honey, spices, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and
almonds. A
pparently these delicacies were not available in E
gypt (cf.G
en 37:25). They also took double the am
ount of silver, returning what
they had found in their money pouches before. Jacob resigned him
selfto the high risk involved in possibly losing a third son—
first, Joseph;then S
imeon; and now
perhaps Benjam
in too.
Page 39Page 38
through as the basis for reconciliation. No doubt Joseph had consoled
himself m
any times w
ith this principle of faith. He w
ho is spiritual canperceive the hand of G
od in every event, and therefore is able to forgivethose w
ho wrong him
.
Gen 45:9-13: Joseph then instructed his brothers to hurry back w
ithoutdelay (cf. quickly in v. 13 and cf. G
en 43:15) to Jacob and inform him
ofJoseph’s pow
er (as “ruler of all Egypt,” G
en 45:8, and lord of all Egypt,
v. 9) and honor in all the land of Egypt (vv. 9, 13).
The w
hole family m
ust move to E
gypt and live in the region of Goshen,
a fertile area in the Nile D
elta (cf. comm
ents on 47:1-12), to dwell under
Joseph’s rule, because God had prepared the w
ay through all thecircum
stances.
Gen 45:14-15: F
inally the brothers were reunited, first Joseph and
Benjam
in, then all of them. T
hose were em
otion-filled mom
ents, filledw
ith weeping (cf. G
en 42:24; 43:30; 45:2) and then conversation. Their
previous hatred and jealousy of Joseph (Gen 37:4, 8, 11) w
as now gone.
Th
e Mo
ving
of th
e Fam
ily (Gen
45:16 - 17:12)
Gen 45:16-24: Instructions w
ere given to the brothers to bring Jacob’sentire fam
ily to Egypt. P
haraoh himself instructed them
to return,offering them
the best of the land of Egypt, providing carts for transport-
ing the family m
embers back (cf. G
en 46:5), and promising them
the bestof all E
gypt.
Joseph gave his brothers elaborate provisions for their journey, includ-ing clothing, food and, for Jacob, the best things of E
gypt. As they left,
Joseph told his brothers not to quarrel on the way. T
his was not a tim
efor accusations and recrim
inations. It was a tim
e for joyful reunion. Yet
he knew that they could fall out on the w
ay home.
Th
e Ro
yal Invitatio
n
Gen 45:25-28: A
t first Jacob was stunned w
ith unbelief at his sons’report that Joseph w
as alive. But then, hearing their story and seeing
what all Joseph had sent him
, Jacob was convinced and im
mediately
decided to make the m
ove and see his son.
This royal invitation to Jacob, the old patriarch near the end of hope, and
to the 10 brothers burdened with guilt, w
as a turning point in their lives
conditions were present for another betrayal w
hen Benjam
in was
accused. Yet this tim
e their response shows how
well the chastening had
done its work. T
hey tore their clothes in grief (cf. Job 1:20), a responsew
hich they had earlier caused their father to make over Joseph’s loss
(Gen. 37:34).
Gen 44:14-17: T
he brothers returned and bowed again before Joseph
(v. 14; cf. 37:7; 43:26, 28). Joseph probably did not actually use divinationin discovering their treachery (G
en 44:5, 15). He m
ay have simply referred
to it to enhance his brothers’ awe of him
. Judah, again the spokesman,
confessed that God had found out their iniquity and declared that they
were all Joseph’s slaves. B
ut Joseph announced that as the steward had
said (v. 10), only the “guilty” one would be his slave. T
he others couldreturn hom
e.
Gen 44:18-34: Judah interceded for the boy; his lengthy plea to be
imprisoned in place of B
enjamin is am
ong the finest and most m
oving ofall petitions. It dem
onstrated his concern for his father who w
ould surelydie if B
enjamin did not return w
ith them (vv. 31, 34; cf. G
en 42:38).
Thus the brothers dem
onstrated that they had repented of their sinagainst their brother Joseph (“G
od has uncovered your servants’ guilt,”G
en 44:16). Also they dem
onstrated concern for their father and theiryoungest brother B
enjamin. So Joseph then (G
en 45:1-15) made him
selfknow
n to them and brought them
and their families to live in E
gypt where
there was food (G
en 45:16-47:12).
Th
e Reco
nciliatio
n o
f the B
roth
ers (Gen
45:1-15)
Gen 45:1-8: W
ith a burst of emotion, Joseph revealed him
self to hisbrothers. T
his (v. 2) was the third of five tim
es he wept over his brothers
(Gen 42:24; 43:30; 45:14; 50:17; cf. 50:1). T
hey were stunned by the new
s,unable to speak for fear that Joseph m
ight kill them. In this passage
strong feelings and sound spiritual judgment and argum
ent complete the
work of reconciliation w
hich till now had called for severe testing. It had
been the task for a wise m
an, and over an extended period of time Joseph
accomplished the task m
arvelously.
Joseph explained that God had sovereignly brought him
to Egypt to
prepare for their deliverance from fam
ine. His w
ords form a classic
statement on providential control. G
od sent me ahead of you (G
en 45:5).It w
as not you who sent m
e here, but God (v. 8; cf. v. 9). T
he certaintythat G
od’s will, not m
an’s, is the controlling reality in every event shined
Page 41Page 40
Joseph and his two sons, already in E
gypt (v. 20) -
5——
Those w
ho went to E
gypt with Jacob (v. 26)
66Joseph, M
anasseh, Ephraim
, Jacob (v. 27) + 4—
—Jacob and his progeny in E
gypt (v. 27)70
It is from these 70 (w
hich included Joseph’s two sons born in E
gypt, vv.20, 27; cf. 41:50-52) that the nation of Israel w
ould grow.
[Cf. 70 nations from
Noah in G
en 10.]
[Another ostensible discrepancy occurs in S
tephen’s discourse in Acts
7:14. Stephen stated that 75 persons w
ere in Jacob’s family, but the
Hebrew
text has “70” in both Genesis 46:27 and E
xodus 1:5. In both placesthe S
eptuagint has 75. It is comm
only said that Stephen, a G
reek-speaking Jew
, would have used the Septuagint and therefore w
as making
only an “honest” mistake.]
This difficulty, how
ever, can be resolved in other ways. O
ne of the most
widely accepted solutions is to recognize that the H
ebrew text includes
Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph’s two sons, E
phraim and M
anasseh (a totalof 70), but that the S
eptuagint omits Jacob and Joseph but includes
Joseph’s seven grandchildren (mentioned in 1 C
hr 7:14-15, 20-25). This
is supported by the Hebrew
in Genesis 46:8-26 enum
erating 66 names,
omitting Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph’s tw
o sons. Another solution is that
the Septuagint’s 75 includes the 66 plus the 9 w
ives of Jacob’s 12 sons(Judah’s and S
imeon’s w
ives had died and Joseph’s wife w
as in Egypt).
Gen 46:28-34: F
inally, after 22 years Joseph and Jacob were reunited.
Once again Joseph w
ept (cf. 42:24; 43:30; 45:2, 14-15) and understand-ably so. T
he last time Joseph saw
his father was w
hen Joseph was 17 (G
en37:2). Jacob w
as satisfied to see his son alive, for he was the one
designated as the heir, the one whom
God had chosen to rule over the
family. So this w
as more than a fam
ily reunion; it was a confirm
ation thatG
od’s promised blessing w
as intact.
Joseph encouraged them to stress before P
haraoh that they were cattle
raisers, not sheepherders, because the Egyptians detested the latter.
Joseph, as usual, was eager not to upset E
gyptian custom and prefer-
ence (cf. 41:14; 43:32). How
ever, five of the brothers did not respond with
the same diplom
acy (Gen 47:3).
and a fulfillment of G
od’s prediction (Gen 15:13-16) that they w
ould gointo isolation in a foreign country and m
ultiply without losing their
identity.
Th
e Retu
rn to
Eg
ypt
Gen 46:1-7: Y
ears before, Abram
had gone to Egypt during a fam
ine inC
anaan (Gen 12:10). N
ow A
bram’s grandson Jacob and 11 great-
grandchildren (not counting Joseph who w
as already there) were
moving there. G
od comforted Jacob in his m
ove to Egypt.
Leaving H
ebron (cf. Gen 37:14) his first stop w
as Beersheba, w
here hesacrificed to the G
od of Isaac. Beersheba w
as where Isaac had lived and
where Jacob left to escape E
sau’s anger (Gen 28:10).
Then Jacob received a vision from
the Lord in the night. T
he Lord
reiterated the promise that H
e would m
ake his family a great nation there
in Egypt, and H
e also stated that He w
ould bring that nation back again.G
od had told Isaac not to go to Egypt (G
en 26:2), but now H
e told Jacobto go. T
his vision, which com
forted the patriarch, would also encourage
the nation of Israel when M
oses would exhort them
to leave the land ofE
gypt and return to Canaan to receive G
od’s promises.
Th
e Differen
ce in N
um
bers A
ccou
nted
Gen 46:8-27: Included in the account of the m
ove to Egypt is a listing
of Jacob’s descendants. In verse 26 the number of descendants is said
to be 66, whereas the num
ber in verse 27 is 70. The first num
ber representsthose w
ho traveled with Jacob to E
gypt, and the second number includes
the children and grandchildren already in Egypt. T
he following tabula-
tion shows how
these two figures are determ
ined:
Leah’s children and grandchildren (v. 15)
33Z
ilpah’s children and grandchildren (v. 18)16
Rachel’s children and grandchildren (v. 22)
14B
ilhah’s children and grandchildren (v. 25) 770
Dinah (v. 15)
+ 1—
—71
Er and O
nan (who died in C
anaan; v. 12); plus
Page 43Page 42
(Heb 11:21). It w
as his reaching out for the continuation of God’s prom
isein the face of death. Ironically this is the very thing he had onceaccom
plished by deception (Gen 27). O
nce more the blessing w
ould begiven to the younger, but this tim
e there was not schem
ing or bitterness.It w
as an act of faith.
Gen 47:28-31: Jacob lived in E
gypt 17 years (cf. v. 9) to the age of 147.(A
braham died at the age of 175 [G
en 25:7-8] and Isaac at 180 [Gen 35:28].)
At the end of his life Jacob exhorted Joseph to sw
ear that he would bury
him w
here his fathers had been buried (cf. Gen 49:29-33). H
e referred, ofcourse, to the C
ave of Machpelah w
hich had been purchased byA
braham (G
en 23). Wanting Joseph to affirm
that he would carry through
on his promise, Jacob asked his son to put his hand under Jacob’s thigh
(cf. comm
ents on this custom at G
en 24:1-9). Even as he neared death
Jacob (here called Israel) worshiped.
Gen 48:1-4: Jacob, ill but sitting up in bed, rehearsed how
God A
lmighty
had appeared to him at L
uz, which Jacob renam
ed Bethel, and had
promised him
the blessing of an innumerable people in the land as an
everlasting possession (cf. 28:10-22). The w
ords of this promise had
provided the patriarch with hope through all his pilgrim
age, just as theyw
ould quicken hope in the nation that sprang from him
.
Gen 48:5-7: Jacob gave the birthright to Joseph by elevating E
phraimand M
anasseh, Joseph’s sons (Gen 41:51-52), to the rank of firstborn
sons, thus giving a double portion to Joseph. They thus replaced
Reuben and S
imeon, Jacob’s first tw
o sons, born to Leah (cf. 1 C
hr 5:1-2). T
he recognition of Joseph’s sons would have an effect on the
apportioning of the land of promise years later in the days of Joshua
(Josh 16-17). Jacob’s elevation of the sons of Joseph was prom
pted byhis recollection of R
achel, his favorite wife, w
ho died in the land ofC
anaan (cf. Gen 35:16-20).
Gen 48:8-14: W
hen Joseph presented his two sons to the aged
patriarch, the blessing was pronounced. L
ike Isaac, Jacob gave thisblessing w
hen his eyesight was failing. B
ut in the blessing Israel crossedhis hands so that his right hand w
as on Ephraim
’s head and his left onM
anasseh’s, even though Manasseh, the firstborn, w
ould normally
have been blessed with the right hand. Jacob’s decision w
as in spite ofJoseph’s direction.
For four consecutive generations this pattern w
as followed:
Gen 47:1-12: P
haroah gave Jacob’s family the best part of the land,
namely, G
oshen (cf. Gen 45:10), even giving som
e of the brothersoversight of his ow
n livestock (Gen 47:6). [G
oshen is not referred to inancient E
gyptian writings, but the nam
e it bore in later times w
as thedistrict of R
ameses (v. 11; cf. E
x 1:11). This, plus the fact that it w
as fertileand near to Joseph at court, suggests that it w
as near the eastern partof the N
ile Delta.]
When Jacob w
as presented before Pharaoh, the patriarch acknow
ledgedhis troubled life of 130 years. T
o him it had been a pilgrim
age. When Jacob
both entered and left, he blessed Pharaoh. It is interesting to think of the
Israelites in a foreign land, a country with a different culture, in w
hichthe patriarch w
ished God’s blessing on the P
haraoh!
Th
e Wisd
om
of Jo
seph
’s Ru
le (Gen
47:13-27)
Gen 47:13-27: Joseph proved to be a w
ise administrator in the land of E
gypt,so that under his authority the people w
ere saved from starvation and
Pharaoh prospered. [The ruler by now
was Sesostris III (1878-1843 B.C.).]
In selling food to the people during the famine that w
as severe, Josephaccepted m
oney and livestock (horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and don-keys) as paym
ent, and finally the entire land of Egypt itself except the
land of the priests. Once the land belonged to P
haraoh Joseph instructedthe people to plant seed, w
hich he gave them. H
is only stipulation was
that Pharaoh m
ust receive a fifth of all the produce. In a word, the people
survived but they (except the priests) were in bondage to P
haraoh.H
owever, in the land of G
oshen the Israelites prospered and multiplied
greatly.
So G
od blessed His people according to the prom
ises He m
ade toA
braham. T
hey were fast becom
ing a great nation. Moreover, G
odblessed P
haraoh because he had blessed the seed of Abraham
with the
best of Egypt. L
ater in the time of M
oses, when another P
haraohoppressed Israel, G
od dealt harshly with the E
gyptians. In this finalsection of the book the narratives look to the future of A
braham’s seed.
Th
e Blessin
g o
f Ep
hraim
and
Man
asseh(G
en 47:28 - 48:22)
Out of Jacob’s long career, the w
riter of the Book of H
ebrews selected
this blessing of Joseph’s sons by the patriarch as his great act of faith
Page 45Page 44
Jacob
’s Blessin
g
Gen 49:22-26: T
his oracle treats Joseph more lavishly than any of the
others, for here the main blessing lay (cf. 1 C
hr 5:1-2). Jacob took up theprom
ise of fruitfulness from the nam
e of Joseph’s son Ephraim
(which
means fruitful) and lavished the prom
ise of victory (Gen 49:23-24a) and
prosperity (v. 25b) on Joseph’s two tribes.
Victory in battle w
as experienced by Joshua, Deborah, and S
amuel, all
of the tribe of Ephraim
, and by Gideon and Jephthah, both of M
anasseh’stribe. In these verses are several m
arvelous titles for God—
the Mighty
One of Jacob the S
hepherd (cf. Gen 48:15), the R
ock of Israel yourfather’s the A
lmighty O
ne who ensures blessings from
the heavensabove (i.e., rain for crops) from
the below (i.e., stream
s and wells for
water), and from
the breast and wom
b (i.e., abundant offspring). Jacobbestow
ed on Joseph the greater blessings because he was the prince
among his brothers (cf. G
en 41:41).
Joseph mourns the death of his father (G
en 50:1-14). Exacts a pledge from
his brethren to convey his remains to C
anaan (Gen 50:24,25; H
eb 11:22,w
ith Ex 13:19; Josh 24:32; A
cts 7:16). Death of (G
en 50:22-26).
His C
haracter: Kindness of heart (G
en 40:7,8). His integrity (G
en 39:7-12); hum
ility (Gen 41:16; 45:7-9); w
isdom (G
en 41:33-57); piety (Gen
41:51,52); faith (Gen 45:5-8). W
as a prophet (Gen 41:38,39; 50:25; E
x13:19). G
od’s providence with (G
en 39:2-5; Ps 105:17-22). His sons both
blessed Joseph (Deut 33:13-17). D
escendants of (Gen 46:20; N
um 26:28-
37). See below
a list of over 100 ways in w
hich Joseph is a “type” orforeshadow
ing of Jesus Christ.
JOS
EP
H A
S A
TY
PE
OF
CH
RIS
T(A
fter A.W
. Pink; see bibliography)
Genesis
Ty
pe
Fulfillment
1)30:24
Meaning of his nam
e: Joseph (“adding”)Jn 12:24; 14:3
41:45Z
aphnathpaaneah (“Revealer of S
ecrets”)L
k 2:34, 35(H
eart of God, Jn 1:18; H
eart of brethren)
2)37:2
Occupation: S
hepherdP
s 23(A
bel, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, D
avid...)
3)37:2
Opposition to evil
Jn 7:7
Isaac over Ishmael,
Jacob over Esau,
Joseph over Reuben, and now
Ephraim
over Manasseh.
Gen 48:15-20: In his blessing on Joseph, Jacob used a threefold
invocation of God (v. 15):
a) T
he God w
ho was in covenant w
ith his fathers Abraham
and Isaac(a fact that steadied Jacob’s faith m
any times, G
en 28:13; 31:5, 42;32:9; 46:3);
b)T
he One w
ho had been his Shepherd (cf. Gen 49:24; E
x 6:6; Ps 23:1;Isa 59:20) all the w
ay, and;
c)T
he Angel (cf. com
ments on G
en 16:7) who delivered him
from all
harm.
The H
ebrew w
ord, translated “delivered,” expressed the protection andreclam
ation Jacob experienced from trouble. W
ith these remarkable
descriptions of God, Jacob prayed for G
od’s gracious blessing on theboys. H
ere one catches a glimpse of Jacob’s faith.
When Joseph saw
that his father was blessing E
phraim over M
anasseh,he protested. B
ut Jacob’s words, I know
, my son, I know
, expressed theconfidence of his faith: he w
as blessing according to the divine plan, notaccording to norm
al custom. H
e had learned that in spite of what m
anattem
pted to do God had blessed him
, the younger. This he now
carriedforw
ard to Joseph’s sons. Years later E
phraim becam
e a leading tribe inthe N
orthern Kingdom
, much superior to the tribe of M
anasseh, as Jacobhad predicted.
Gen 48:21-22: C
onvinced that God w
ould take them back to the land of
promise, Jacob said that a double portion belonged to Joseph.
The N
AS
B rendering of verse 22a is preferred: “A
nd I give you oneportion m
ore than your brothers” (cf. NIV
marg.). T
he Hebrew
word for
“portion” is !k<v] , a wordplay on the nam
e of the town S
hechem. L
aterJoseph w
as buried in Shechem
(Josh 24:32) as a sign that he possessedthis bequeathed land. Jacob apparently had conquered this portion ofland from
the Am
orites (hill-country Canaanites), though this is the only
mention of such a conquest in the B
ible, and had dug a well there (cf.
Sychar, John 4:4-5).
Page 47Page 46
16)37:15-16
Becam
e a wanderer in the field
Mt 13:38
(No place to lay his head)
Jn 7:53; 8:1
17)37:17
Seeks until he finds his brethren
Mk 9:8
(in Dothan =
law, custom
)
18)37:18
Conspired against
Mt 12:14
19)37:19-20
Words disbelieved
Mt 27:39-43
Jn 3:18, 36
20)37:23
Insulted; strippedM
t 27:27, 28Jn 19:23
21)37:24
Cast into a pit (no w
ater)Z
ech 9:11M
t 12:40
22)37:28
Bodily lifted up out of the pit
I Cor 15
23)37:25-27
Hypocrisy m
ingled with hatred
Mt 27:35, 36
(Brothers heard cries: 42:21)
Jn 18:28
24)37:28
Sold (Judah negotiates bargain)
Zech 11:12, 13(Judas =
Anglicized G
reek equivalent)M
t 26:14-16
25)37:31-32
Blood presented to father
Heb 9:12, 23
Sin offering. C
f. Deception of Isaac
Chapter 38: In C
anaan.C
hapter 39: In Egypt.
Cf. H
os 11:1M
t 2:15
26)39:1
Becom
es a servantP
hil 2:6, 7B
ondservant (Ex 21:5,6)
Ps 40
(ears digged)
27)39:2, 3
Prospers as a servant
Ps 1:3
Isa 53:10;52:13
28)39:4
Master w
as well pleased w
ith himJn 8:29
29)39:5
Made a blessing for others
30)39:6
A goodly person, w
ell favoredM
t 27:54
4)37:3
His father’s love
Mt 3:17
(Solom
on: Prov 8:22,30)
Mt 17:5
Son:Jn 10:17
Nam
e:P
hil 2:9R
ev 3:21
5)37:3
Relation to his father’s age
Jn 17:5Jesus: S
on of Father’s E
ternityC
ol 2:91 T
im 3:16
Micah 5:2
6)37:3
Coat of m
any colors (distinction)Judg 5:30
Long robe w
ith sleeves2 S
am 13:18
7)37:4
Hatred of his brethren
Jn 1:11B
ecause of Who H
e Was
Jn 5:18; 6:41;10:30,31;1C
or 16:22;P
s 2:128)
37:4,5,8H
ated because of his words
Jn 7:7; 8:40
9)37:11
Prophetic future
Isa 9:6, 7L
k 1:31-33
10) 37:7, 9F
uture sovereignty foretoldM
t 26:64E
arthly & H
eavenlyR
ev 12:l, 52 P
et 3:4
11)37:4, 11
Envied by his brethren
Mt 27:17, 18
Mk 12:6, 7
Jn 12:18, 19A
cts 7:9
12)37:13
Sent forth by his father
1 Jn 4:10H
eb 10:7
13)37:14
Seeks w
elfare of his brethrenJn 1:11
Definite object of m
issionM
t 15:24Jn 3:17R
om 15:8
14)37:14
Sent forth from
the vale of Hebron
Phil 2:6, 7
Servant; fellow
ship, comm
union
15)37:14
Cam
e to Shechem
Gal 4:4
Shoulder, saddleback
(divide waters: Jordan and M
editerranean)P
lace of sin (34:25-30)
Page 49Page 48
46)41:25-36
Warnings of D
anger: urged provisionsM
t 24 & 25
:32D
oubling: Verily, V
erily; Am
en, Am
enG
al 1:8,9
47)41:33-36
Wonderful C
ounselorC
ol 2:3“D
iscrete”: only here in OT
[Diligently, direct, discern, eloquent, feel,
inform, instruct, have intelligence, know
,look w
ell to, mark, perceive, be prudent,
regard, skill, teach, think; to get, give orhave understanding; view
, deal wisely...]
48)41:37-39
Counsel com
mended to officers
Mt 7:28, 29
Mt 13:54
Jn 7:46
49)41:39, 40
Exalted and set over all E
gypt1 P
et 3:22R
ev 5, 20
50)41:40-43
Seated on the throne of another
Rev 3:21
[Distinction betw
een Father &
Son’s thrones]
51)41:38
Exalted because of personal w
orthinessand service
Phil 2:6-9
52)41:42
Invested in positional insigniaA
cts 5:31H
eb 2:9R
ev 1:13
53)41:43
Authority and glory publicly ow
nedA
cts 2:36P
hil 2:10
54)41:45
Received a new
name
Phil 2:9, 10
Mt 1:21
Rev 3:12
55)41:45
Has a w
ife (Gentile) given to him
Rev 19:7, 8
Tam
ar - Canaanite
Rahab - A
morite
Ruth - M
oabiteB
athsheba- Hittite
56)41.45
Marriage arranged by P
haraohM
t 22:2(C
f Jer 3:14,20; Ezek 16:3, 31,32; Jer 2:3)
Jer 31:31-34T
wo sons:
“forgetting” N. K
ingdom, past
Ezek 16:62, 63 “fruitful” S
. Kingdom
, futureH
os 2:19-23Isa 54:5-8
31)39:7-12
Sorely tem
pted, yet sinned notL
uke 4In E
gypt (world). 2 T
im 2:22
Ps 105:19
32)39:16-19
Falsely accused
Mt 16:59, 60
33)39:19
No defense presented
Isa 53:7
34)39:20
Cast into prison, w
ithout verdictJn 18:38
35)S
uffers though innocentA
cts 7:9,10Ps 105:17, 18Isa 53:7-9
36)39:20
Suffers at the hands of G
entilesA
cts 4:26, 27
37)39:21
Won respect of his jailor
Lk 23:47
Potiphar =
Captain of the guard
38) 40:1-3N
umbered w
ith the transgressors(T
wo)
Isa 53:12
39)40:13, 19
Means of blessing to one;
Gen 49:10-12
judgment to the other
Gal 3:13
3 days; hung on tree as cursed
40)40:8
Know
ledge of future from G
odJn 12:49
Every believer obligated to set forth
1 Jn 1:3the truth he has
1 Pet 4:11
41)40:20-22
Predictions cam
e trueM
t 5:18
42)40:14
Desired to be rem
embered
Lk 22:19
This do in rem
embrance of m
e..
43)41:14
Delivered from
prison, in due time
Jn 20:6, 7 :20
Pharaoh’s birthday; 3rd day
Acts 2:24
2 Cor 1:9
44)45:7-9
Delivered by the hand of G
odA
cts 2:24, 322 years later: patience
Acts 10:40
45)45:16, 25
Seen as a R
evealer of Secrets
Jn 12:4945:28
[Whole counsel of G
od, Acts 20:27]
Jn 8:28Isa 46:10; A
mos 3:7
Jn 17:8R
ev 1:1
Page 51Page 50
70)42:17-19
Made know
n to them a w
ay of deliveranceA
cts 2:21-4142:24
through substitution
71)42:25
Made provision for his brethren
while they w
ere in a strange landJer 30:11E
zek 11:16
72)45:1
Made know
n to his brethren at the second time
Acts 7:13
Isa 65:1[A
lways at 2nd tim
e:]M
osesE
x 2:11,12; Ex 2:14
Lk 19:14
JoshuaN
um 13; D
eut 34:9D
avid1 S
am 17:17-18; 1 S
am 17:28
73)44:16
Brethren confess their guilt in the sight of G
odEzek 20:42, 43H
os 5:15[Israel to repent before H
e returns]A
cts 3:19, 20
74)45:3
Brethren w
ere initially troubled in his presenceZ
ech 12:10
75)45:4, 5
Dem
onstrated marvelous grace
Zech 13:1
45:15Isa 54:7, 8
76)45:1-2
Revealed as a m
an of compassion
Jn 11:35W
ept seven times:
When brethren confessed
42:24W
hen he beheld Benjam
in43:30
When he m
ade himself know
n45:1, 2
When brethren reconciled
45:15O
ver his father, Jacob46:29
At the death of his father
50:1W
hen his love was questioned
50:15-17
77)45:1
Revealed to Judah &
brethren before restof Jacob’s household
Zech 12:7
78)45:18
Jacob then sent forIsa 66:20
79)45:9, 13
Brethren go forth to proclaim
his gloryIsa 66:19M
icah 5:7
80)46:29
Goes forth in his chariot to m
eet JacobIsa 66:15
81)47:27
Settles brethren in land of their ow
n47:6
(The best land)
Ezek 48
57)41:46
Thirty years old w
hen began work
Lk 3:23
58)41:46
Went forth on his m
ission fromP
haraoh’s presenceL
k 3:22
59)41:46
Service w
as active and itinerantM
t 4:23M
t 9:35
60)41:47-49
Exaltation follow
ed by season of plenty2 C
or 6:2Jn 12:24
61)41:53
Exaltation follow
ed by season of famine
Rom
11:25[7 years Jacob’s T
rouble: Jer 30:7; Dan 12:1;
Mk 13:19, 20; Isa 55:6; Jer 8:20; A
mos 8:11,
12; Isa 55:6; Jer 8:20; Rev 3:10]
62)41:55
Dispensing to a perishing w
orldJn 14:6R
om 11:11
63)41:55
Alone dispenses the B
read of Life
Acts 4:12
Jn 6:26-59Jn 14:6
64)41:57
A S
aviour to all peoplesJn 3:16
[Every tribe...]
Rev 5:9
65)41:49
Unlim
ited resources to meet the need
Eph 1:7; 2:7;
3:8C
ol. 2:9R
om 10:12
Disp
ensatio
nally C
on
sidered
66)42:1-3, 5
Brethren driven out of ow
n landG
en 15:13D
eut 28:63-68
67)42:6, 8
Unknow
n & unrecognized by brethren
Jn 1:11[20 years later]
Rom
11:25
68)42:7
Brethren seen &
recognizedJer 16:17H
os 5:3P
s 103:14
69)42:7, 17
Brethren punished
Hos 9:17
[v13: thought dead, but still in family]
Mt 23:38,39
[Sim
eon ringleader? Gen 49:15]
Mt 23:35,36
Page 53Page 52
98)45:15
Gives proof that he is fully reconciled to them
Rom
8:31-39
99)45:16
Joy shared by othersR
ev 5:9-13
100) 45:9-13B
rethren now go forth seeking others
(“Haste” tw
ice)A
cts 1:8
101) 45:24A
dmonition as they go forth
II Tim
. 2:24
Ep
hraim
Second son of Joseph (Gen 41:52). A
dopted by Jacob (Gen 48:5). B
lessedbefore M
anasseh.
Prophecies concerning (Gen 49:25,26; Isa 7; 9:18-21; 11:13; 28:1; Jer 31;
Hos 5:14; Z
ech 9:10; 10:7. Blessed by M
oses (Deut. 33:13-17).
Descendants of (N
um 26:35-37; 1 C
hr 7:20-27). Mourns for his sons (1
Chr 7:21,22.2).
The leading tribe of the kingdom
of Israel (Isa 7:2-17; Jer 31:9,20). Later,
sometim
es used as a synecdoche for the Northern K
ingdom (2 C
hr 17:2;25:6,7; Isa 7:8,9; 11:12,13; 17:3; Jer 31:18,20; H
os 4:17; 5:3,5; 6:4,10; 8:11;12:14).
In the order of the tribes in the wilderness encam
pment, the standard of
Ephraim
’s camp w
as on the W side (N
um 2:18,24; 10:22). From
the tribeof E
phraim, E
lishama w
as to stand with M
oses (Num
1:10) and Joshuathe son of N
un, one of the spies, was descended from
Ephraim
(Num
13:8). He w
as chosen with E
leazar the priest to divide the land (Num
34:17). Ephraim
is also included in the blessing of Moses.
Under the leadership of Joshua, E
phraim w
ith the other tribes receivedits inheritance, w
hich is described in Joshua 16:5-9; 17:9,10,15-18; 1 Chr
7:28,29.
The territory m
ay be roughly identified as follows. P
roceeding W from
Gilgal w
e come to B
ethel, then to lower B
eth-horon, W to G
ezer, then Nto L
od and W tow
ards the sea, N to the Q
anah river and then E to
Tappuah, Janobah, T
aanath-shiloh to Ataroth, then S
to Nasrath and
Gilgal. F
ail to expel the Canaanites (Josh 16:10).
82)50:18-19
Brethren prostrate them
selves before himIsa 9:6,7;25:9
As a representative of G
odP
hil 2:10,11
Evan
gelically C
on
sidered
83)42:5
Brethren dw
elt in a land of famine...
Jn 6:33, 3542:2
That w
e may live and not die...
84)42:3
Brethren w
ished to pay for what they rec’d.
Gal 2:16
85)42:7-11
Brethren assum
e a self-righteous attitudebefore the lord of E
gyptG
al 2:20, 21
86)42:17
Cast into prison 3 days
Isa 42:6, 7Isa 61:1P
s 142:7
87)42:21
Sm
itten of conscienceJn 8:9
(Cf. E
x 9:27, Ezra 9:6; P
s 40:12, Dan 5:6)
88)42:25
Makes know
n that deliverance is by graceE
ph 2:8, 9
89)42:26
Enjoys a brief respite
90)42:27-28
Superficial peace disturbed
Heb 12:6-11
(Replenished: 43:1, 2)
91)43:11,15
Brethren continue to m
anifest legal spiritG
al 3:3(D
oubled the money)
Lk 14:17
92)43:16
Brethren dine w
ith him and m
ake merry
43:33, 34M
t 13:20, 21
93)44:1, 2
Joseph determined to bring his brethren
into the lightJn 1:4, 7-9II P
et 3:9
94)44:4, 16
Brethren take their true place before G
odI Jn 1:7-9
95)45:1
Makes him
self known (alone)
I Cor. 13:12
96)45:4, 7
Invites brethren to come near to him
Mt 11:28-30
97)45:10, 11
Brethren told of full provision for them
Phil 4:19
Page 55Page 54
2:9). Revolt from
house of David (1 K
gs 12:25; 2 Chr 10:16). Som
e of tribejoin Judah under A
sa (2 Chr 15:9). [S
ee also our notes concerning the“T
en Lost T
ribes.”]
Chastise A
haz and Judah (2 Chr 28:7). Join H
ezekiah in reinstituting thepassover (2 C
hr 30:18). Join in the destruction of idolatrous forms in
Jerusalem (2 C
hr 31:1). Subm
it to the scepter of Josiah (2 Chr 34:1-6).
Envied by other tribes (Isa 11:13; Jer 7:15; E
zek 37:16,19; Hos 13:1).
Reallotm
ent of territory to, by Ezekiel, E
zek 48:5.
Ma
na
ss
eh
(“Making to forget”): Son of Joseph and A
senath (Gen 41:50,51; 46:20);
adopted by Jacob on his deathbed (Gen 48:1,5-20).
Prophecy concerning (Gen 49:25,26).
Enum
eration of (Num
1:34,35; 26:29-34). Place of, in cam
p and march
(Num
2:18,20; 10:22,23). Blessing of M
oses on (Deut 33:13-17).
After the crossing of Jordan and the settlem
ent in the land, Joshuaperm
itted the half-tribe of Manasseh, together w
ith Reuben and G
ad, toreturn to the conquered territory of Sihon, king of H
eshbon, and Og, king
of Bashan (N
um 32:33).
Inheritance of one-half of tribe east of Jordan: Num
32:33,39-42. One-half
of tribe west of Jordan (Josh 16:9; 17:5-11). T
he E lot of the half-tribe of
Manasseh covered part of G
ilead and all of Bashan (D
eut 3:13).
The W
half of the tribe was granted good land N
of Ephraim
, and S of
Zebulun and Issachar (Josh 17:1-12). T
his W part w
as divided into tenportions: five to those fam
ilies having male descendants, and five to
Manasseh’s sixth fam
ily; i.e. the posterity of Hepher, all fem
ales anddaughters of Z
elophehad (Josh 17:3). W M
anasseh included a chain ofC
anaanite fortresses and strong cities, among w
hich were M
egiddo,T
aanach, Ibleam and B
ethshan. These they failed to conquer but
compelled their inhabitants eventually to pay tribute.
The eastern half assist in the conquest of the country w
est of the Jordan(D
eut 3:18-20; Josh 1:12-15; 4:12,13). Joined the other eastern tribes inerecting a m
onument to testify to the unity of all Israel; m
isunderstood;m
ake satisfactory explanation (Josh 22).
From
the beginning, the tribe of Ephraim
occupied a position of prestigeand significance. It com
plained to Gideon that he had not called it to fight
against the Midianites. H
is reply reveals the superior position ofE
phraim. “Is not the gleaning of the grapes of E
phraim better than the
vintage of Abiezer?” (Judg 8:2). T
he men of E
phraim com
plained againin sim
ilar terms to Jephthah, and this led to w
ar between the E
phraimites
and the Gileadites.
The prestige of E
phraim kept it from
looking with favour upon Judah.
After the death of S
aul, Abner, S
aul’s captain, made E
shbaal king overthe N
tribes, including Ephraim
. Because of the P
hilistine domination,
however, E
shbaal’s authority was effectively lim
ited to Transjordan. H
ereigned for tw
o years, but Judah followed D
avid (2 Sam
2:8ff.). After
Eshbaal’s death the N
tribes invited David to becom
e their king.
Later D
avid learned that Israel followed after A
bsalom. T
he N tribes
never did desire to yield to David’s reign, but D
avid grew continually
greater and stronger. Under S
olomon the S
kingdom reached the
pinnacle of splendour and prosperity. Nevertheless, even at this tim
e,there w
as discontent in the N (1 K
gs 11:26ff.).
Rehoboam
’s folly provided the necessary pretext, and the N revolted,
renouncing all claim to the prom
ises made to D
avid (1 Kgs 12:16).
Nevertheless, G
od continued to send his prophets to the N kingdom
, andone of the characteristics of the M
essianic kingdom is to be the healing
of the tragic schism introduced by Jeroboam
the son of Nebat (cf. H
os1:11; Isa 11:13). E
ven when exile has overtaken the S
as well as the N
kingdom, E
phraim retains a special place: “I am
a father to Israel, andE
phraim is m
y firstborn” (Jer 31:9).
En
try of Id
ol W
orsh
ip
Jeroboam set up a golden calf in B
eth-el (1 Kgs 12:29). W
orshiped Baal
(Hos 13:1). S
in of, remem
bered by God (H
os 13:12). Thus, R
evelation7:8.3: E
lliptical reference by mentioning “Joseph” having already in-
cluded Manasseh. C
f. Notes on D
an...
Miscellan
eou
s No
tes
Take B
eth-el in battle (Judg 1:22-25). Criticizing G
ideon for not summ
on-ing them
to join the war against the M
idianites (Judg 8:1). Join Gideon
against the Midianites (Judg 7:24,25). T
heir jealousy of Jephthah (Judg12:1). D
efeated by Him
( Judg 12:4-6). Receive Ish-bosheth as king (2 Sam
Page 57Page 56
Jacob
’s Pro
ph
ecy
In the blessing of the sons of Jacob (Gen 49:2-4). R
euben is recognizedlegally as the firstborn, although in actual fact the double-portion w
hichw
ent with the birthright (D
eut 21:17) was sym
bolically bequeathed toJoseph, through his tw
o sons, Ephraim
and Manasseh. T
his legalrecognition as firstborn is upheld in 1 C
hr 5:1, where w
e are told that thebirthright belonged to Joseph de facto but not de jure, for “he [Joseph]is not to be enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright” (cf.G
esenius, Heb. G
ram. 28 p. 349, § 114k). So it is that in G
en 46:8; Ex 6:14;
Num
26:5; Reuben retains his status as firstborn
“Thou w
entest up to thy father’s bed.” It was forty years ago that he
had been guilty of this sin, yet now it is rem
embered against him
.
“Unstable as w
ater, you shall not excel, have preeminence” (dry up like
a stream in sum
mer). Instability is the ruin of m
en’s excellency. No judge,
prophet, nor prince, is found of that tribe, nor any person of renown
except Dathan and A
biram, w
ho were noted for their im
pious rebellionagainst M
oses. That tribe, as not aim
ing to excel, unfortunately chosea settlem
ent on the other side Jordan. Only cattle-loving (N
um 32:1-5;
Judg 5:15,16).
Mt. E
bal to curse (vs. Mt. G
erasim to bless) D
eut 27:12,13.
Prophecy of M
oses “Let his m
en be few” (33:6):
1st numbering (N
um 1:21)
46,5002nd num
bering (Num
26:7)43,730
most others increased
The tribe of R
euben was involved in the rebellion in the w
ilderness (Num
16:1). The tribe w
as linked with G
ad and occupied territory E of Jordan.
In the N it w
as contiguous with G
ad, in the S it w
as bounded by theA
rnon.
The tribe’s pursuits w
ould be mainly pastoral, but those to the W
ofJordan w
ere mainly agricultural. T
his may have led to a separation of
interests, for Reuben took no part in repelling the attack of S
isera (Judg5:15f.). In the tim
e of Saul they united with G
ad and Manasseh in an attack
on the Hagarites, apparently a nom
ad people (1 Chr 5:10, 19f).
Though the lot of M
anasseh and Ephraim
, the tribe of Joseph, was large,
they lodged a complaint w
ith Joshua for more land. In reply he advised
them to show
their worth by clearing the unclaim
ed forest areas (Josh17:14-18). G
olan, a city of Bashan, in E
Manasseh, w
as one of the six“cities of refuge” (Josh 20:8; 21:27; 1 C
hr 6:71).
The tribe w
as renowned for its valour; am
ong its heroes was G
ideon inthe W
(Judg 6:15), and Jephthah in the E (Judg 11:1). S
ome of the tribe
of Manasseh deserted to D
avid at Ziklag (1 C
hr 12:19-20), and also ralliedto his support at H
ebron (v. 31). Manassites w
ere among those deported
to Assyria by T
iglath-pileser (1 Chr 5:18-26).
Affiliate w
ith the Jews in the reign of H
ezekiah ( 2 Chr 30). Incorporated
into kingdom of Judah (2 C
hr 15:9; 34:6,7). Reallotm
ent of territory to, byE
zekiel (Ezek 48:4).
Rem
arkable persons of the tribe of Manasseh: D
aughters of Zelophehad
(Num
27:1-7); Gideon (Judg 6:15); A
bimelech (Judg 9:1); Jotham
(Judg9:5,7,21). Jair (Judg 10:3). Jephthah (Judg 11:1). B
arzillai (2 Sam 17:27).
Also, E
lijah (1 Kgs 17:1). (T
ishbite = ? T
ishbe was identified w
ith the siteof L
istib in the mountains of north G
ilead.)
Reu
ben
, Gad
, Ben
jamin
, and
Dan
Reu
ben
The firstborn of Jacob by L
eah (Gen 29:32). T
he name is connected w
iththe phrase, “the L
ord has looked upon my affliction.”
Reuben had som
e admirable qualities in his character; unfortunately,
they were offset by his incestuous act w
ith Bilhah, his father’s concu-
bine (Gen 35:22; 1 C
hr 5:1,2).
It was R
euben who advised his brothers not to kill Joseph, and returned
to the pit to release him (G
en 37:21, 29). Later he accused them
of bringingcalam
ity upon themselves, w
hen they were held in the E
gypt. court assuspected spies (G
en 42:22). Again, it w
as Reuben w
ho offered his own
two sons as sufficient guarantee for the safety of B
enjamin (G
en 42:37).R
euben had four sons before the descent into Egypt (G
en 46:9; Ex 6:14;
1 Chr 5:3-6; N
um 16:1.)
Page 59Page 58
(including Ataroth) and sheepfolds to safeguard their fam
ilies andlivestock (N
um 32:34-38, cf. 26-27) w
hile preparing to help their brethren,a prom
ise of help duly kept (Josh 22:1-8). Petition for their portion of landE
. of the Jordan, Boundaries of territory (Josh 13:24-28; 1 C
hr 5:11).
As tribal territory, R
euben and Gad received the A
morite kingdom
ofS
ihon: Reuben had the land from
Aroer on the A
rnon river, N to a line
running from the Jordan’s m
outh E to the region of H
eshbon (Josh 13:15-23). N
of this line, Gad had all S
Gilead, from
the Jordan valley E as far as
the S-to-N
course of the upper Jabbok (the border with A
mm
on), and Ngenerally as far as the E
-to-W course of the low
er Jabbok, but with tw
oextensions beyond this: first, all the Jordan valley on the E
side of Jordanriver (form
erly Sihon’s) betw
een the Dead S
ea and the Sea of G
alilee (orC
hinneroth), and second, across the NE
angle of the river Jabbok toinclude the district of M
ahanaim and a fertile tract flanking the E
side ofN
Gilead N
over Jebel Kafkafa to strategic R
amothgilead at m
odern Tell
Ram
ith, 32 km N
E of Jerash (cf. Josh 13:24-28). H
eshbon was assigned
as a Levitical city out of the territory of G
ad (Josh 21:38-39).
Then cam
e the incident of the altar of witness (Josh 22:9-34).
The G
adites shared the troubles of Transjordanian Israel generally in the
judges’ period (e.g. Judg 10-12). In Saul’s day the wooded G
ileadite hillsof G
ad offered a place-of refuge (1 Sam 13:7), and G
adites among others
joined the fugitive David and supported his becom
ing king (1 Chr 12:1,
8-15, 37-38). Gadites likew
ise shared in, and were subject to, D
avid’sadm
inistration (2 Sam 23:36; 24:5; 1 C
hr 26:32).
Mo
abite S
ton
e
On his M
oabite Stone, roughly 840/830 B
C, King M
esha mentions that
the Gadites had long dw
elt in the land of Ataroth. Just after this, w
ithinJehu of Israel’s reign, H
azael of Dam
ascus smote all G
ilead, Gad included
(2 Kgs 10:32-33). In the 8th century B
C Gadite settlem
ent apparentlyextended N
E into B
ashan (1 Chr 5:11-17), until T
iglath-pileser III carriedthe T
ransjordanians into exile (2 Kgs 15:29; 1 C
hr 5:25-26). Then the
Am
monites again invaded G
ad (Jer 49:1-6).
Gad is assigned the southernm
ost zone in Ezekiel’s vision of the tribal
portions (48:27-28).
Th
e Mo
abite S
ton
e
Though there is m
ention of Gad on the M
oabite Stone, there is none of
Reuben, and thus it appears that at that tim
e, c. 830 BC, they had lost their
importance as w
arriors. How
ever, they were never forgotten by their
brethren as a place is reserved for the tribe of Reuben in E
zekiel’sallocations of Israel (E
zek 48:7, 31), and they are numbered am
ong the144,000, sealed out of (alm
ost) every tribe of the children of Israel, in theR
ev. 7:5.
GadT
he seventh son of Jacob, his first by Leah’s m
aid Zilpah (G
en 30:10-11;35:26; E
x 1:4).
His nam
e means “good fortune.” A
lso, marauding or plundering:
“troop”; wandering, w
ild, unsettled existence (Cf. to “G
ad about”)[cognate: “com
panies” of 2 Kgs 5:2; “bands” of 2 K
gs 24:2]
Jacob promised G
ad’s descendants a troubled life, but foretold that theyw
ould hit back (Gen 49:19). T
hey recur later in Moses’ blessing (D
eut33:20-21).
Th
e Trib
e of G
ad
Gad him
self already had seven sons when Jacob and his fam
ily enteredE
gypt (Gen 46:16); the tribe in M
oses’ time had seven clans (N
um 26:15-
18), was com
manded and represented by one E
liasaph (Num
1:14; 2:14;7:42; 10:20), and supplied a spy for exploration of C
anaan (Num
13:15).E
numeration of, at S
inai (Num
1:14,24,25); in the plains of Moab (N
um26:15-18); in the reign of Jotham
(1 Chr 5:11-17). P
lace of, in camp and
march (N
um 2:10,14,16).
When Israel reached the plains of M
oab, Reuben, G
ad and half-M
anasseh sought permission to settle in T
ransjordan, which they
desired as their share in the promised land, because G
ilead was so
suitable for their considerable livestock. (Wealth of, in cattle, and spoils,
Josh 22:8; Num
32:1).
To this M
oses agreed, on condition that they first help their fellow-
Israelites to establish themselves in W
Palestine (N
um 32:1-5; D
eut3:12,16,17; 29:8). T
he Gadites and R
eubenites then hastily repaired cities
Page 61Page 60
a major factor in bringing about the eventual surrender of Joseph’s
brothers (Gen 42:4, 38; 44:1-34).
Th
e Trib
e of B
enjam
in
[Much detail is given of B
enjaminite genealogies, though they appear
incomplete. T
en families are enum
erated in Gen 46:21, but the C
hroniclernam
es only three clans (1 Chr 7:6ff.), of w
hich Jediael does not appearas such in the P
entateuch. The pre-invasion reckoning of “fathers”
houses’ is given in Num
26:38ff.; for details recorded under the Monar-
chy, see 1 Chr 8.]
The tribe occupied a strip of land in the passes betw
een Mt E
phraim and
the hills of Judah. The boundary w
ith Judah is clearly defined (Josh18:15ff.; cf. 15:5ff.) and passed S
of Jerusalem, w
hich however becam
ea Jebusite tow
n until David captured it. T
hence it ran to Kiriath-jearim
,at one tim
e in Benjam
in (Josh 18:28; RS
V “and” follows L
XX, but the text
is unclear). Josh 15:9 supports this, while identifying w
ith Baalah of
Judah. (Some consider this a gloss, but it is repeated in Josh 15:60; 18:14;
Judg 18:12; 1 Chr 13:6; cf. 1 C
hr 2:50ff.)
The N
border ran from Jericho to the N
of Ophrah, then roughly S
W to
the ridges S of B
eth Horon, leaving L
uz in Ephraim
(but perhapsoriginally not the sanctuary of B
ethel; Jos. 18:13). Under the D
ividedM
onarchy, “Ephraim
” (i.e. the N kingdom
) occupied Bethel and part of
E B
enjamin, but the border fluctuated; cf. 2 C
hr 13:9. The W
border isgiven as a straight line from
Beth-horon to K
iriath-jearim, but there w
assettlem
ent farther W (1 C
hr 8:12f.).
Jacob
’s Pro
ph
ecy
“Benjam
in is a ravenous wolf” (G
en 49:27). The tribe earned a high
reputation for bravery and skill in war, and w
as noted for its slingers with
their traditional left-handed action (Judg 3:15; 20:16). Know
n as fero-cious: Judg 19:16; 2 Sam
2:15,16; 1 Chr 8:40; 12:2; 2 C
hr 17:17).
Notable heroes include: E
hud, who delivered Israel from
the Moabites,
was of B
enjamin; so also w
ere Saul, the first king (1 S
am 9:1), Q
ueenE
sther (Esther 2:5) and the apostle P
aul (Rom
11:1). (Both “S
aul’s”).
Lying right in the path of P
hilistine expansion, the tribe played its chiefpart in Israelite history under S
aul’s leadership, and on the whole
Jacob
’s Pro
ph
ecy: Gen
49:19
Jacob alludes to his name, w
hich can also signify a troop, foresees thecharacter of that tribe, that it should be a w
arlike tribe, and so we find (1
Chr 12:8); the G
adites were m
en of war fit for the battle. H
e foresees thatthe situation of that tribe on the other side Jordan w
ould expose it to theincursions of its neighbours, the M
oabites and Am
monites; and, that
they might not be proud of their strength and valour, he foretells that the
troops of their enemies should, in m
any skirmishes, overcom
e them; yet,
that they might not be discouraged by their defeats, he assures them
thatthey should overcom
e at the last, which w
as fulfilled when, in Saul’s tim
eand D
avid’s, the Moabites and A
mm
onites were w
holly subdued: see1 C
hr 5:18, etc.
Mo
ses’ Blessin
g: D
eut 33:20,21
Sought inheritance before C
anaan divided; Land of G
ilead (Deut 3:12-
15).
“Enlargeth G
ad” (1 Chr 5:16; S
ahron not in Judah 13:24-28); exposed toA
mm
onites and Midianites: w
arfare.
First to be carried into captivity (1 Chr 5:26; Judg 11:4-6, 11,12; 1 Sam
11:1).
End-tim
e: Gad shall overcom
e (Jer 49:1-2; Zeph 2:8-9).
[Note: A
lso the name of a prophet or seer, a contem
porary of Saul and
David. H
e advised David to leave M
oab for Judah (1 Sam
22:5). Later,
God through G
ad offered a choice of three possible punishments to
David after his census, and then com
manded that D
avid build an altaron A
raunah’s threshing-floor (2 Sam
24:10ff.; 1 Chr 21). G
ad helpedD
avid and Nathan in organizing m
usic for eventual use in the temple (2
Chr 29:25), and w
rote a history of David’s reign (1 C
hr 29:29). This w
asalso the nam
e of a pagan deity worshipped by the C
anaanites as the godof F
ortune for whom
they “prepare a table” (Isa 65:11, RV, A
V mg.).]
Ben
jamin
The youngest son of Jacob, called “son of the right hand” by his father,
though his mother R
achel, dying in childbirth, called him “son of m
ysorrow
” (Gen 35:18, 24). A
fter Joseph’s disappearance, he took firstplace in his father’s affections as the surviving son of R
achel; and was
Page 63Page 62
of a national (idolatrous) sanctuary by Jeroboam I (1 K
gs 12:29f.), andso rem
ained until “the captivity of the land” under Tiglath-pileser III.
Some m
embers of the tribe, how
ever, remained in their earlier settlem
ent,w
ith the Philistines as their W
neighbours; it is in this region that thestories of S
amson, a D
anite hero, have their setting (Judg 13:1ff.). It ispossibly the rem
nant of the tribe that stayed in its first home that is
described in Deborah’s song (Judg 5:17). T
he S rem
nant appears to havebeen absorbed ultim
ately in Judah; the N D
anites were deported by
Tiglath-pileser III in 732 B
C (2 Kgs 15:29).
The aggressive qualities of the D
anites are celebrated in the benedic-tions of G
en 49:16f and Deut 33:22.
Jacob
s’s Pro
ph
ecy
Gen 49:16-18: E
vil predicted. Follow
ing “serpent” is verse 49:18:“salvation” (cf. G
en 3:15)!
Dan is m
issing from the list of tribes in R
evelation. Irenaeus (Adv. H
aer.5. 30. 2) explains the om
ission by saying that antichrist is to come from
the tribe of Dan—
a belief which he bases on Jer 8:16, L
XX (“from
Dan
shall we hear the noise of his sw
ift horses”).
Ed
itorial D
erision
?
Nam
es of his sons omitted in genealogies: G
en 46:23; Num
26:42.(H
ushim?, S
huham? =
“pit digger.”)
1 Chr 1-10; R
ev 7: Nam
e blotted out!? Mentioned last: N
um 10:25; Josh
19:47-49; 1 Chr 27:16-22.
Deut 33:22:
Judg 18: Cruel and crafty attack on L
aish; Dan “leaped” from
Bashan and
Mt. H
ermon.
* * *
remained loyal to him
, though a number cam
e over to David in his exile
(1 Chr 12:2-7, 29). Indeed, the feud w
as remem
bered long after (2 Sam 16:5;
20:1). Such clan loyalty w
as evident in their disastrous resistance to thenational dem
and for justice in the matter of the L
evite’s concubine (Judg20-21) m
any years before the Monarchy (20:26f).
With the capital established at Jerusalem
, Benjam
in was draw
n closer toJudah (1 C
hr 8:28), and after the division Rehoboam
retained its alle-giance (1 K
gs 12:21; 2 Chr 11; note 1 K
gs. 11:32, “for the sake ofJerusalem
”). There w
ere two “B
enjamin” gates in the city, one in the
Tem
ple (Jer 20:2), the other perhaps the same as the “sheep gate” in the
N city w
all (Jer 37:13; Zec 14:10). D
espite the varying fortunes of war,
Benjam
in remained part of Judah (1 K
gs. 15:16ff.; 2 Kgs 14:11ff.; cf. 2 K
gs23:8, “G
eba”). From
the Restoration, the distinction is confined to
personal genealogy (cf. Neh 7 w
ith 11:7ff.). In the vision of Ezekiel, the
portion of Benjam
in lies just S of the city (E
zek 48:22ff.).
Da
n
The elder of the tw
o sons borne to him by R
achel’s maidservant B
ilhah(G
en 30:1-6).
Gen 30:1-6; L
ow B
irth; Oldest of 4 sons of concubines. E
vil report byJoseph ( 37:2).
Th
e Trib
e of D
an
Its first settlement lay betw
een the territories of Ephraim
, Benjam
in andJudah (Josh 19:40ff). Pressed back into the hill-country by the A
morites,
who them
selves were being pressed from
the W by the P
hilistines andother sea peoples w
ho had occupied the Mediterranean seaboard, the
majority of the D
anites migrated N
to find a new hom
e near the sourceof the Jordan (Josh 19:47; Judg 1:34; 18:1ff.). A
northern city, Laish (Judg
18:29; called Leshem
in Josh 19:47), near one of the sources of Jordan,w
as named D
an (modern T
ell el-Qadi or T
ell Dan). It w
as the most N
Israelite city, hence the phrase “from D
an to Beersheba” (e.g. Judg 20:1).
First to fall into idolatry (Judg 18:30; G
olden Calves: 1 K
gs12:28,29..Jeroboam
2 Kgs 10:29. .. until Jehu.) T
he shrine establishedhere under the priesthood of M
oses’ grandson Jonathan and hisdescendants (Judg 18:30) w
as elevated (along with B
ethel) to the status
Page 65Page 64
Nap
htali
Gen 49: 21:
“Hind let loose” escapes hunters; sent, sent forth. R
aven,dove let loose by N
oah .
Barak (“lightning”) in Judges 4:6 sent forth by D
eborah; onslaught onT
abor. Hosts of S
isera scattered (Judg 4:14). Men after him
.
“Sent” Judg 5:15:
defenseless on floor of valley (Judg 5:8);defenseless and deserted (Judg 15:8);G
od set them free.
NT
Zebulon =
First 30 years...
Naphtali: C
apernaum, B
ethsaida, Chorazin...
Th
e NA
ME
S (S
um
mary)
Reuben is connected w
ith the phrase, “the Lord has looked upon m
yaffliction.” T
hat this meaning w
as attached to the name is clear from
theother nam
es in this section:
Simeon
(Heard). . . the L
ord has heard, God hears m
e
Levi (A
ttached). . . my husband . . . w
ill be attached, joined
Judah (Praise). . . I w
ill praise the Lord
Dan (Judge). . . “G
od has judged me,” etc.
Gad
Granted good fortune
Asher
Happy am
I
Naphtali
my w
restling
Manasseh
making m
e to forget
Issacharpurchased m
e
Zebulun
dwelling
Zeb
ulo
n, Issach
ar, Ash
er, Nap
htali
Zeb
ulo
n
Gen 49:13: [Jacob skips from
4th to 10th son. Looks tow
ard Christ!]
Positive:
Deborah’s song
Judg 5:18D
avid1 C
hr 12:33, 40M
osesD
eut 33: 18,19
Seafaring tribe? Josh 19:10,11 (w
/Naphtali) S
ea of Galilee (M
t 4:15).E
leven Apostles “rejoice in going out.” H
aven of ships: Galilee =
haven;John 12:1.
Issachar
Gen 49:14: A
ss = honorable anim
al (Judg 10:4; 12:14; Deut 17:6) [N
ohorses until S
olomon]
Only Judah and D
an stronger; 64,300 (Num
26:25); to 87,000 (1 Chr 7:5).
Ash
er
Gen 49: 20: S
ettled in northern part: Phoenicia (L
and of the Palm
s). Mt.
Lebenon to M
ed. Incl. Tyre &
Sidon. Josh 19:24-31.
“Royal D
ainties”w
orkmen and m
aterials to David; 2 S
am 5:11
...and Solom
on; 1 Kgs 5:1-10
kept Passover under H
ezekiah (in contrast ot others);2 C
hr 30:1,10,11
“Bread shall be fat”
Elijah (fam
ine) widow
to sustain; 1 Kgs17:9.
Zarephath in S
idon (Luk 4:26) in A
sher; Josh 19:28.
NT:
Anna, the prophetess (of Jesus); L
uke 2:36-38.P
aul refreshed in Sidon; A
cts 27:3.
Page 67Page 66
mighty”), began publishing a series of pam
phlets. He w
as later confinedby the governm
ent in an asylum for the crim
inally insane (1795-1806). Alater w
riter, Edw
ard Hine, published the best selling F
orty-Seven Iden-
tifications of the British N
ation with the L
ost Ten T
ribes of Israel (1871),by w
hich time A
nglo-Israelism had crystallized into an organized m
ove-m
ent. The B
ritish Israel World Federation, w
ith headquarters in London,
claims hundreds of thousands of supporters; A
kindred organization inthe U
.S., the Anglo-Saxon Federation of A
merica, exploited anti-Sem
itismin order to further its claim
s. Anglo-Israelism
has become part of the
doctrine of a number of pseudo-C
hristian sects, including the Morm
onC
hurch.
Misco
ncep
tion
s
The m
yth of the “Ten L
ost Tribes” is the basis for “B
ritish-Israelism” and
similar legends, but has no real B
iblical basis. A m
isconception fromm
isreading of passages such as 2 Kgs 17:7-23, 2 C
hr 6:6-11, etc. The
“tribal” terms refer to geography as m
uch as the tribes themselves.
When the A
ssyrians conquered the northern kingdom (w
hich includedrem
nants of all 12 tribes) they scattered their captives throughout theirem
pire, and repopulated the area with captives from
elsewhere. T
hus,the descendants w
ere the “Sam
aritans” who w
ere considered “half-Jew
s.” (Cf. P
entecost, Acts 2,: 12 tribes. E
pistles of James, 1 P
eter: “to12 tribes.”)
Th
e Faith
ful V
oted
with
Th
eir Feet
Before the A
ssyrian captivity, substantial numbers from
the northerntribes had identified them
selves with the house of D
avid (1 Kgs 12:16-
20; 2 Chr 11:16-17). T
he rebellion of Jeroboam, and subsequent crises,
caused many to repudiate the northern kingdom
and unite with the
southern kingdom in a com
mon alliance to the house of D
avid and tow
orship the Lord (2 C
hr 19:4; 30:1, 10-11, 25-26; 34:5-7, 22; 35:17-18; etc.).
Confirm
ations
930 B.C., Jeroboam ruled the N
orther Kingdom
from his capital in Sam
aria(R
ead 1 Kgs 11:43-12:33). W
hen Jeroboam turned the northern kingdom
to idolatry, the Levites (and others w
ho desired to remain faithful)
migrated south to R
ehoboam (2 C
hr 11:14-17).
Horrified that Jeroboam
set up a rival religion, with golden calf w
orshipat B
ethel and Dan, m
any northerners moved south, know
ing that the
Josephw
ill add to me
Benjam
inS
on of His right hand
Rev 7: I w
ill praise the Lord, (for) H
e has looked on my affliction (and)
granted good fortune. Happy am
I (because) my w
restling (is) making
me forget. G
od hears me; H
e has purchased me a dw
elling (and) He w
illadd to m
e the Son of H
is right hand.
Th
e “Lo
st 10 Tribes”
Th
e Myth
There is a w
idely circulated legend that ten of the tribes, after theA
ssyrian captivity, were “lost”: that they w
andered off to Europe and
are now represented by som
e of the current nations there. Accom
pany-ing som
e of the legends of the so-called “10 Lost T
ribes” are aspersionson the present S
tate of Israel and the people being regathered in theL
and. These various theories are by their nature anti-S
emitic because
they deny the Jewish people their proper place in the plan of G
od.
British
Israelism
The A
nglo-Israel theory maintains that the E
nglish and their ethnickinfolk throughout the w
orld are descended from the “L
ost Tribes” of
Israel. This is based on bizarre and linguistic assum
ptions that thechurch is som
ehow the “N
ew Israel.” B
ased on legends such as Josephof A
rimathea establishing an E
nglish church predating that of Rom
e; thebelief that B
ritish monarchs seated at their coronation on the S
tone ofS
cone, are thus in fact consecrated by the patriarch Jacob’s stone ofB
ethel; and the old Puritan idea that the B
ritish have refought Israel’sbattles against G
od’s enemies. Includes the belief that the Japhetic
Cym
ri, or Cim
merians are the ancient B
ritons (Berit-Ish, or “M
en of theC
ovenant”) and the Saxons, “Isaac’s S
ons,” while the w
anderings of the“lost” tribe of D
an are traced from D
nieper to Denm
ark and those of theG
adites, from G
otland to Cam
bria.
Anglo-Israelism
’s first manifesto w
as issued by the Puritan M
ember of
Parliam
ent John Sadler, author of R
ights of the Kingdom
(1649), but them
ovement began to gather force only at the end of the 18th century,
when R
ichard Brothers, a false prophet (claim
ing descendancy fromJam
es the brother of Jesus, thus the self-styled “Nephew
of the Al-
Page 69Page 68
at that time range from
400,000 to 500,000; less than 1/20th were
deported—m
ostly the leadership from around the capital, S
amaria.
Th
e Bab
ylon
ians T
ake Over
When the northern kingdom
went into captivity (722 B.C.), all 12 tribes
were also represented in the south. W
hen the Babylonians took the
southern kingdom into captivity (586 B.C.), m
embers of all 12 tribes of
Israel were involved. Isaiah, prophesying to Judah, refers to them
as the“H
ouse of Jacob, which are called by the nam
e of Israel...” (Isa 48:1. cf.vv12-14.).
The northern kingdom
was taken by A
ssyria as slaves, which w
ere avaluable com
modity. (It is difficult to view
them as careless enough to
let them w
ander off to Europe.) W
hen the Babylonians take over
Assyria, the descendants of the “10 tribes” w
ere probably againcom
mingled w
ith the captives of Judah.
Co
mm
ing
led T
ermin
olo
gy
After the B
abylonian captivity, the terms Jew
and Israelite are usedinterchangeably. E
zra calls the returning remnant Jew
s 8 times and Israel
40 times. (E
zra speaks of “all Israel”: Ezra 2:70; 3:11; 8:35; 10:25, et al.)
Nehem
iah calls them Jew
s 11 times, Israel 22 tim
es. Nehem
iah speaks of“all Israel” being back in the land (N
eh 12:47). The rem
nant who returned
from B
abylon is represented as the nation (Mal 1:1, et al).
New
Testam
ent T
estimo
ny
The sam
e is true in the New
Testam
ent. Our L
ord is said to have offeredH
imself to the nation, “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (M
t 10:5-6; 15:24). O
ther tribes than Judah are mentioned specifically in the N
Tas being represented in the land (M
t 4:13,15; Lk 2:36; A
cts 4:36; Phil 3:5;“the tw
elve tribes” Acts 26:7; Jam
es 1:1). Anna knew
her tribal identityfrom
the tribe of Asher (L
k 2:30). Paul knew
he was of the tribe of
Benjam
in—a “Jew
” and an “Israelite”—R
om 11:1.
The N
ew T
estament speaks of Israel 75 tim
es and uses the word “Jew
”174 tim
es (Acts 21:39; 22:3; R
om 11:1; 2 C
or 11:22; Phil 3:5, etc.). [Gal 6:16
is often misunderstood by failing to note the kai before “the Israel of
God,” contrasting them
to the Gentiles. S
ee Arnold F
ruchtenbaum’s
only place acceptable to God w
as the Tem
ple on Mt. M
oriah (Deut 12:5-
7; 16:2-6; Isa 18:7). Those w
ho favored idolatry, migrated north to
Jeroboam.
Later, w
hen Asa reigned as king in the south, another great com
panycam
e from the north (2 C
hr 15:9).
Years after the deportation by A
ssyria, King H
ezekiah of Judah issueda call to all Israel to com
e and worship in Jerusalem
and celebratePassover (2 C
hr 30:5-6, 10-11, 21).
80 years later, King Josiah of Judah also issued a call and an offering for
the temple cam
e back from “M
anasseh and Ephraim
and all the remnant
of Israel...” (2 Chr 34:9).
Eventually all 12 tribes w
ere represented in the south. God even
addresses the 12 tribes in the south: “Speak unto R
ehoboam the son of
Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and B
enjamin...”(2 C
hr11:3).
[The “tribe of Judah” (2 K
gs 17:18, et al) is used idiomatically for the
Southern K
ingdom (C
f. 1 Kgs 11:13,32, etc.) (W
hen encountering thetribal designations, it is im
portant to distinguish between the territories
allocated to the tribes and the people themselves.)]
Th
e No
rthern
Kin
gd
om
Falls
724 B.C.: Shalm
aneser V besieged S
amaria, three years. K
ing Hoshea of
Israel attempted to revolt against paying A
ssyrians annual tributem
oney; A treaty w
ith Pharaoh of E
gypt did not help (2 Kgs 18:2).
Samaria, Jeroboam
’s capital, fell in 722 B.C.; Sargon II seized power in 721
B.C. Assyrians pulled dow
n towers, took 27,290 captive; placed an
Assyrian ruler over the city; looted it of 50 royal chariots, and other item
s,etc. T
he Assyrians im
plemented their infam
ous policy of mixing con-
quered peoples to keep them from
organizing a revolt. Israelite captivesw
ere mixed w
ith Persians and others; and strangers from
far-off landsw
ere resettled in Sam
aria. The resulting m
ixed, quasi-Jewish popula-
tions resulted in “Sam
aritans” ( John 4:20-22). (Fall: 2 K
ings 17.)
Not all of the northern kingdom
was deported. A
rchaeologists haveuncovered annals of the A
ssyrian Sargon, in w
hich he tells that hecarried aw
ay only 27,290 people and 50 chariots (Biblical A
rchaeolo-gist, V
I, 1943, p.58). Estim
ates of the population of the northern kingdom
Page 71Page 70
The “bow
” of Rev 6:2
The M
agog Invasion:T
he role of IslamT
he Role of R
ussia
For an in-depth study of E
zekiel 38 and 39, see The M
agog Invasionbriefing package.
“My people” of E
x 38 implies post-rapture placem
ent!
Th
e Twelve Trib
es Tod
ay
Israel today spans 40 miles, including the “W
est Bank” (vs. the A
rablands, 540 tim
es this size!) They w
ant to reduce Israel to only 10 miles
wide!?
Their historical right to their hom
eland was recognized by international
consensus at the beginning of this century; yet they now find the
legitimacy of that com
mitm
ent scorned and eroded; why?
Israel has been shrunk to 1/5 the size of the homeland originally prom
isedto the Jew
ish people.
Israel is the only democracy in the M
iddle East, yet is the focus of
Western criticism
of the kind never directed to any of the surroundingA
rab tyrannies; why?
Israel: Pro
ph
etic Miracle
1)L
and confirmed to A
brahamG
en 15:8ff...to Isaac
Gen 26:3-5
...to JacobG
en 28:13-15...to descendants forever
Lev 25:46; Josh 14:9; etc.
2)H
istory confirms that G
od brought them into this Prom
ised Land (E
x6:7,8; D
eut 7:6; 14:2, etc.).
3)T
hey were w
arned that if they practiced the idolatry and imm
oralityof the heathen tribes, they w
ould be cast out as well (D
eut 28:63; 1K
gs 9:7; 2 Chr 7:20 etc.).
book on Israelology: The M
issing Link in System
atic Theology (pp.
690-699).]
Th
e Day o
f Pen
tecost/F
east of S
havo
ut
Peter cries “Y
e men of Judea” (A
cts 2:14) and “ye men of Israel...”(A
cts2:22), and “A
ll the house of Israel..” (Acts 2:36).
Reg
athered
as On
e
Ezekiel 36 and 37: D
ry Bones V
ision declares that Judah (Jews) and Israel
(10 tribes) shall be joined as one in the regathering. (Ezek 37:16-17, 21-
22). This is true today. [T
he total physical descendants were not the
people to whom
the promises w
ere made (R
om 9:4-7).]
An
ti-Sem
itism
Accom
panying some of the legends of the so-called “10 L
ost Tribes” are
aspersions on the present State of Israel and the people being regathered
in the Land. T
hese various theories such as “British Israelism
” are bytheir nature anti-S
emitic because they deny the Jew
ish people theirproper place in the plan of G
od.
Israel is being regathered just as God has announced (E
zek 36, 37; Isa11:11, et al.) T
here is yet to come an event that w
ill awake them
to realizethat the G
od of Abraham
, Isaac, and Jacob once again has His hand upon
them (E
zek 38, 39). I believe it that it may happen at any m
oment.
The T
hrone of David w
as promised to the S
on of Mary (L
k 1:32). His
taking possession of it is the subject of the countdown in R
evelation.A
nd it increasingly appears that it is on the near horizon. Maranatha!
Th
e Interval o
f Blin
dn
ess (Lk 19:44; R
om
11:25)
Jerusalem: a cup of trem
bling.
The T
hird Tem
ple. (For an in-depth study do see T
he Com
ing Tem
plebriefing package).
Key to prophecy: M
atthew 24:15
Destiny for desecration
The C
ovenant with H
ell
Page 73Page 72
On M
ay 14, 1948, David B
en Gurion, citing the book of E
zekiel as hisauthority, proclaim
ed Israel as the new Jew
ish homeland. T
he nationIsrael w
as reestablished on the very completion of this interval from
theend of the “S
ervitude of the Nation” under B
abylon.
What a “coincidence.”
Th
e Deso
lation
s of Jeru
salem
If one starts with the third siege of N
ebuchadnezzar, which began the
“Desolations of Jerusalem
” in 587 B.C., the seventy years of desolationsended in 518 B.C. W
ith August 16, 518 B.C. as the com
pletion of thedesolations of Jerusalem
, then
-518 y 8 m 16 d
1 (N
o “year 0”)2483 y 9 m
21 d--------------------1967 y 6 m
7 d =June 7, 1967.
On June 7, 1967, as a consequence of the “S
ix Day W
ar,” the Old C
ityof Jerusalem
fell under Israeli control for the first time since Jesus’
prediction:
“...Jerusalem w
ill be trampled on by the G
entiles until the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled” (L
uke 21:24).
Israel regained Jerusalem at the very com
pletion of this same interval
since the “Desolations of Jerusalem
” under Babylon. W
hat a “coinci-dence.” (T
he rabbis say that “coincidence is not a kosher word.”)
Th
e Un
recog
nized
Mesh
iach N
agid
[Cf. D
aniel’s 70 Weeks briefing package; D
an 9:24-27; Luke 19:28-44:
Blindness declared “...until...” (R
om 11:25). S
ee also, From
Here T
oE
ternity briefing package.]
The D
iaspora: that they would be scattered throughout the w
hole earth(D
eut 28:64; cf 1 Kgs 9:7; N
eh 1:8; Am
os 9:9; Zech 7:14 etc.). T
hat God
would not let them
be destroyed, but would preserve them
as anidentifiable ethnic, national group (Jer 30:11; 31:35-37; etc.).
...against all odds; all pressure to assimilate; etc.
Th
e Servitu
de o
f the N
ation
(in B
abylo
n)
2 Chr 36:21 (2 C
hron 7:19,20; Jer 9:13-16; 44:2-17, etc.).
Nebuchadnezzar’s T
hree Sieges. F
alse prophet’s insistence vs. God’s
warnings. T
he Desolations of Jerusalem
.
Ezekiel’s 430 years
There is a puzzling prophecy in the book of E
zekiel that speaks of 430years of judgm
ent pronounced upon Israel (Ezek 4:1-8). S
eventy yearsare clearly accounted for by the B
abylonian Captivity. B
ut that leaves360 years that do not seem
to fit any specific interpretation of history.
There are also passages in L
eviticus that indicate that if Israel doesn’tobey the first tim
e God w
ill multiply her punishm
ent by seven (Lev. 26:18,
21, 24, 28). 360 years times 7 equals 2520 years.
In previous articles we’ve pointed out that the B
ible seems to deal in 360
day years (See D
aniel’s Seventy Weeks). C
onverting the 2520 years360
results in 2483 years365 plus 9 m
onths and 21 days:
2483 years365
906,295 daysplus, for leap years
614 days9 m
onths 270 days
21 days 21 days
2520 years360
907,200 days
But w
here does one apply this interval?
Th
e Servitu
de o
f the N
ation
If one starts with the first siege of N
ebuchadnezzar, which began the
“Servitude of the N
ation” in 606 B.C., the seventy years of servitudeended in 537 B
.C. W
ith July 23, 537 B.C.. as the release from servitude,
then
-537 y 7 m 23 d
1 (N
o “year 0”)2483 y 9 m
21 d—
——
——
——
——
—1948 y 5 m
14 d =M
ay 14, 1948
Page 75Page 74
10)a L
evite of the sons of Asaph w
ho played a musical instrum
ent atthe dedication of the w
all of Jerusalem.
A G
lobal Hernia? A
Goblet of S
taggering: Zech 12:2,3.
• The N
ext Step? [F
or an in-depth study do see The N
ext Holocaust.]
• Ezekiel 38, 39? [F
or a complete study see T
he Magog Invasion.]
• Destiny? [F
or a study contrasting the church and Israel review our
briefing package, The P
rodigal Heirs.]
Bib
liog
raph
y
Bible, T
he King Jam
es Version, (C
ambridge: C
ambridge) 1769.
Encylopedia Judaica, copyright by K
eter Publishing H
ouse Jerusalem L
td., Israel.F
ruchtenbaum, A
rnold, Israelology: The M
issing Link in System
atic Theology, A
rielM
inistries Press, T
ustin, CA
, 1989.H
unt, Dave, A
Cup of T
rembling, H
arvest House, E
ugene OR
1995.L
ewis, D
avid Allen, C
an Israel Survive in a Hostile W
orld?, New
Leaf P
ress, Green
Forest A
R, 1994.
Netanyahu, B
enjamin, A
Place A
mong the N
ations, Bantam
Books, N
Y 1993.
Pink, A
.W., G
leanings from G
enesis, Moody B
ible Institute of Chicago, 1922.
Sw
anson, James (editor), N
ew N
ave’s Topical B
ible, Logos R
esearch System
s, Inc.,O
ak Harbor, W
A, 1994.
Walvoord, John F
., and Zuck, R
oy B., T
he Bible K
nowledge C
omm
entary, Scripture
Press P
ublications, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 1983, 1985.
Bib
liog
raph
y Fo
r Cam
p o
f Israel
Fruchtenbaum
, Arnold G
., Israelology: the Missing L
ink in Systematic T
heology,A
riel Press, T
ustin CA
, 1989M
issler, Chuck, E
xpositional Com
mentaries on G
enesis, Revelation, K
oinoniaH
ouse, Coeur d’A
lene, ID, 1995.
Missler, C
huck, Briefing P
ackages: The N
ext Holocaust, Signs in the H
eavens, The
Prodigal H
eirs, The R
omance of R
edemption (R
uth), Daniel’s Seventy W
eeks,T
he Com
ing Tem
ple, From
Here to E
ternity, Koinonia H
ouse, Coeur d’A
lene,ID
, copyrighted individually.
Th
e Ho
locau
st of E
uro
pe
In the Torah: D
euteronomy. W
ould be brought back into their land (Jer30:10; 31:8-12; E
zek 36:24, 35-38; etc.). The (Second) R
egathering: Isaiah11:11; 43:6; Jer 31:8; E
zekiel 37.
“Peace, P
eace” where there is no peace; T
he False P
remise; T
he Age of
Deceit (D
an 8:25).
The C
omm
itment of G
od (Ezek 36:19f).
Ytzak R
abinE
nd of Zionism
?G
en 15:17S
himon P
eres“D
ivided; broken”D
an 5:28B
ibi Netanyahu
“Given of G
od”
05418 {neth-an-yaw’}or {neth-an-yaw
’-hoo} from 05414 and 03050; n pr
m A
V - N
ethaniah 20; 20.
Nethaniah = “given of Jehovah”:
1)son of E
lishama of the royal fam
ily of Judah and father of Ishmael
who m
urdered Gedaliah.
2)father of Jehudi.
3)a L
evite, one of the 4 sons of Asaph the m
instrel.4)
a Levite in the reign of king Jehoshaphat of Judah.
Also, C
f.: 05417 {neth-an-ale’} from 05414 and 0410; n pr m
AV
-N
ethaneel 14; 14.
Nethaneel = “given of G
od”:1)
son of Zuar and a chief of the tribe of Issachar at the exodus.
2)the 4th son of Jesse and a brother of D
avid.3)
a priest in the reign of David w
ho blew the trum
pet before the arkw
hen it was brought from
the house of Obed-edom
.4)
a representative of the priestly family of Jedaiah in the tim
e ofJoiakim
.5)
a priest of the family of P
ashur who had a foreign w
ife in the time of
Ezra.
6)a L
evite, father of Shem
aiah the scribe in the reign of David.
7)a L
evite, son of Obed-edom
.8)
a chief of the Levites in the reign of king Josiah of Judah.
9)a prince of Judah in the reign of king Jehoshaphat of Judah w
ho was
sent by the king to teach in the cities of the kingdom.
Page 76
Ab
ou
t Th
e Co
ver Desig
n(o
n th
e tape cassette vo
lum
es)
Th
e “Fro
nt” co
ver:
The G
reek border: “I am A
lpha and Om
ega, the beginning and theending, saith the L
ord, which is, and w
hich was, and w
hich is to come,
the Alm
ighty (Revelation 1:8).” T
he center design element sym
bolizesthe W
ord of God Incarnate, illum
inated by the Holy S
pirit.
Th
e “Back” co
ver: (the “fro
nt” to
the Jew
ish read
er)
The H
ebrew border: “H
ear O Israel: T
he Lord our G
od is one Lord:
and thou shalt love the LO
RD
thy God w
ith all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy m
ight (from the S
h’ma, D
eut 6:4-5).”
The center design represents the B
urning Bush, m
ade up of Hebrew
letters which proclaim
“the Eternal O
ne cannot lie.”
Th
e Sp
ine:
The spine includes a M
enorah from the O
ld Testam
ent, a Maranatha
Dove suggesting the N
ew T
estament, and the K
oinonia House logo
at the base.
Koinonia H
ouseP.O. Box D
Coeur d�Alene Idaho83816-0347
(208) 773-6310www.khouse.org
ISB
N 1-880532-24-7
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