Before I show you the 12 Tribes of Israel chart, how about a brief rundown?
We can trace the lineage of the 12 Tribes of Israel back to Adam and Eve. Now, before the tribes were known as the 12 Tribes of Israel, they were called Hebrews. In fact, Abraham was the first person called a Hebrew, and Abraham is the father of the 12 tribes.
God actually bestowed an everlasting covenant upon Abraham…
God said, Abraham would become the father of many nations, and his children would become as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands of the sea, (Genesis 17:4-7, 22:17-18). That became a reality during the days of Moses.
Next up…
How did the 12 Tribes of Israel obtain their names?
Abraham had a son named Isaac, who had a son named Jacob, and he was the immediate father of the 12 tribes. So then, the 12 Tribes of Israel originated from the 12 sons of Jacob, who are the 12 Patriarchs.
So how did the name “Israel” come about?
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God changed Jacob’s name to “Israel,” which means, “He will rule as God,” (Genesis 32:28).
All right, here are the 12 sons of Jacob which form their respective tribe, (Genesis 35:23-26):
- Tribe of Reuben
- Tribe of Simeon
- Tribe of Levi
- Tribe of Judah
- Tribe of Dan
- Tribe of Naphtali
- Tribe of Gad
- Tribe of Asher
- Tribe of Issachar
- Tribe of Zebulun
- Tribe of Joseph
- Tribe of Benjamin
To be clear, the descendants of Judah would make up the “tribe of Judah.” While the descendants of Levi would make up the “tribe of Levi,” and so on.
If you would like to learn more, I have an in-depth study on this subject.
All right, let’s have that chart.
Note: The 12 Patriarchs are listed in the order of their birth, through their respective mothers.
