101 Myths of the Bible: how ancient scribes - Conscious Evolution TV

158
yth #63:
Jacob’s sons became the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
The Myth: And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together,
that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves
together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father… All these are
the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed
them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. (Gen. 49:1–2,28)
The Reality: Jacob’s twelve sons were the mythological founders of various political
groups that merged into the House of Israel.
Jacob had twelve sons by four wives. The following chart shows which wife had
which son and the numbers in parentheses show the birth order.
Leah Bilhah Zilpah Rachel
Rachel’s Leah’s
Handmaid Handmaid
(1) Reuben (5) Dan (7) Gad (11) Joseph
(2) Simeon (6) Naphtali (8) Asher (12) Benjamin
(3) Levi
(4) Judah
(9) Issachar
(10) Zebulun
Subsequently, Joseph had two sons named Manasseh and Ephraim, and Jacob
adopted them as if they were his own sons. Each of the two sons were treated as a separate
tribe, creating confusion as to whether there were twelve or thirteen tribes in the
House of Israel. In the Overview to Part II, I briefly describe the geographical and
political arrangements between the children and the wives.
The idea that Jacob had twelve sons and that these sons formed the twelve tribes
of Israel constitutes one of the most fundamental beliefs of Old Testament tradition.