twelve tribes
Jacob's sons' lineages
The twelve tribes are the divisions of ancient Israel, descended from the twelve sons of Jacob (also called Israel): Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
The phrase appears in biblical and religious contexts discussing the origins of the Jewish people or prophetic restoration: the gathering of the twelve tribes.
Various groups have claimed descent from "lost tribes" supposedly scattered after Assyrian conquest.
- BenjaminHebrew-origin masculine name
- ReubenEldest of twelve brothers
- DanMale nickname, biblical origin
- CovenantNamed sacred compact
- EphraimHebrew tribal patriarch
Asher · Joseph · Promised Land · Manasseh · Simeon · Revelation · gemstones · Ark of the Covenant · Levi · Jewish diaspora · Torah · Old Testament · Canaan · Judah · Jerusalem · Moses · tabernacle · exodus
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