21 Bible Verses about Clans

"Right"," Gideon responded. "Sir, how will I deliver Israel? Look my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I'm the youngest in my father's household."

Set aside and consecrate the fiftieth year to declare liberty throughout the land for all of its inhabitants. It is to be a jubilee for you. Every person is to return to his own land that he has inherited. Likewise, every person is to return to his tribe.

Tomorrow morning you are to come forward tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD selects is to come forward by tribes, the tribe that the LORD selects is to come forward by households, and the household that the LORD selects is to come forward one by one. The one selected as having taken what has been turned over to destruction is to be incinerated, along with everything that pertains to him, because he has transgressed against the covenant of the LORD and committed an outrageous thing in Israel."'" So Joshua got up early that morning, brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. read more.
He brought near the tribes of Judah, and the Zerahite tribe was selected. Then he brought near the Zerahite tribe family by family, and the household of Zabdi was selected. Next, he brought near his household one by one, and Carmi's son Achan, grandson of Zabdi and great-grandson of Zerah, was selected from the tribe of Judah.

Naomi had a close relative of her late husband, a man of considerable wealth from the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.

Saul answered: "Am I not a descendant of Benjamin from the least of the tribes of Israel? Isn't my family the least important of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why have you spoken to me like this?"

Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah. He told the Israelis, "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: "I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the power of Egypt and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' But today you have rejected your God who delivers you from all your troubles and difficulties. You have said, "No! Instead, appoint a king over us.' Now present yourselves in the LORD's presence by your tribes and families."read more.
Samuel brought forward all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin according to its families, and the family of Matri was chosen. Finally, Kish's son Saul was chosen, but when they looked for him, they couldn't find him.

David told Saul, "Who am I and what is my life or my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

He had 30 sons and 30 daughters, but he gave his daughters in marriage to outsiders and brought in 30 outsiders for his sons. He governed Israel for seven years,

"I'm Abraham's servant," he said. "The LORD has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become wealthy. He has provided him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. My master's wife Sarah gave birth to my master's son in her old age, and Abraham has given him everything that belongs to him. read more.
My master made me swear this oath: "You are not to select a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in this land where I live. Instead, you are to go to my father's household, to my relatives, and choose a wife for my son there.' "So I asked my master, "What if the woman won't come back with me?' "Abraham told me, "The LORD, who is with me wherever I go, will send his angel with you to make your journey successful. So you are to choose a wife for my son from my family, from my father's household. Only then will you be released from fulfilling my oath. However, when you come to my family, if they don't give her to you, you'll be released from fulfilling my oath.'

The leaders of the ancestral families of the descendants of Gilead, who were descendants of Machir, and descendants of Manasseh, from Joseph's tribe, approached and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelis. "The LORD commanded my master to apportion the land as an inheritance by lot to the Israelis," they said. "Now my master was ordered by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But when they get married to one of the descendants of the tribes of Israel, their inheritances are to be withdrawn from our father's inheritance and added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they are to belong. Consequently, it is to be withdrawn from the portion of our inheritance. read more.
Then, when the Jubilee Year of the Israelis comes, their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they have come to belong. Their inheritance will thus be taken away from the inheritance of our father's tribe!" So Moses issued the Israelis these orders based on what the LORD said: "The tribe of the descendants of Joseph has spoken. This is what the LORD is commanding the daughters of Zelophehad: If they decide it's a good idea in their opinion to get married only within the family of their father's tribe, then let them get married so that the inheritance of the Israelis won't be turned over from one tribe to another. Each one has an inheritance from his own father's tribe that the Israelis are to maintain. Every daughter who is in possession of an inheritance from the Israelis is to marry someone from the families within her father's tribe so the Israelis can retain possession of their ancestral inheritance. That way, their inheritance won't be turned over from one tribe to another, because the Israelis are each to maintain their ancestral inheritances." Zelophehad's daughters did just what the LORD had commanded Moses for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah: Zelophehad's daughters married their uncle's sons. They married into families of the descendants of Manasseh, that is, Joseph's descendants, so that their inheritance remained within the tribe of their ancestor's family.

Tell the Israelis that when a man dies without a son, you are to pass his inheritance to his daughter. If he doesn't have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he doesn't have brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. read more.
If his father doesn't have brothers, then give his inheritance to a relative who is nearest to him from the family and he'll take possession of it. This is to be a permanent ordinance for the Israelis, just as the LORD commanded Moses."

"If a resident alien or traveler becomes rich, but your relative who lives next to him is so poor that he sells himself to that resident alien or traveler among you or to a member of the resident alien's family, he has the right to be redeemed after he sells himself. One of his brothers may redeem him. His uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him or any blood relative from his tribe may redeem him. If he becomes rich, then he may redeem himself.

After Boaz had finished eating and drinking to his heart's content, he went over and lay down next to the pile of threshed grain. Ruth came in quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. In the middle of the night, Boaz was startled awake and turned over in surprise to see a woman lying at his feet. He asked her, "Who are you?" She answered, "I'm only Ruth, your servant. Spread the edge of your garment over your servant, because you are my related redeemer."read more.
He replied, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You've added to the gracious love you've already demonstrated by not pursuing younger men, whether rich or poor. Don't be afraid, my daughter. I'll do for you everything that you have asked, since all of my people in town are aware that you're a virtuous woman. It's true that I'm your related redeemer, but there is another related redeemer even closer than I.

Meanwhile, Boaz approached the city gate and sat down there. Just then, the very same related redeemer whom Boaz had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, "Come over and sit down here, my friend!" So the man came over and sat down. Boaz selected ten of the town elders and spoke to them, "Sit down here." So they sat down and Boaz addressed the related redeemer directly: "A portion of a field belonging to our relative Elimelech is up for sale by Naomi, who recently returned from the country of Moab. read more.
So I thought to myself I ought to tell you that you must make a public purchase of this before the town residents and the elders of my people. So if you intend to act as the related redeemer, then do so. But if not, let me know, because except for you and I after you there is no one to fulfill the duties of a related redeemer." The man responded, "I will act as related redeemer." Boaz continued, "On the very day you buy the field from Naomi, you're also "buying" Ruth the Moabite woman, the wife of her dead husband, so the family name may be continued as an inheritance." At this, the nearer related redeemer replied, "Then I am unable to act as related redeemer, because that would complicate my own inheritance. You act instead as the related redeemer, because I cannot do so." During Israel's earlier history, all things concerning redeeming or changing inheritances were confirmed by a man taking off his sandal and giving it to the other party, thereby creating a public record in Israel. So when the nearer related redeemer told Boaz, "Make the purchase yourself," he then took off his sandal. At this, Boaz addressed the elders and all of the people: "You all are witnesses today that I hereby redeem everything from Naomi that belonged to Elimelech, including what belonged to Chilion and Mahlon, along with Mahlon's wife Ruth the Moabite woman. I will marry her to continue the family name as an inheritance, so that the name of the deceased does not disappear from among his relatives, nor from the public record. You are all witnesses today!" Then all of the assembled people, including the elders who were there, said, "We are witnesses! May the LORD make this woman who enters your house like Rachel and Leah, who together established the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathah, and may you excel in Bethlehem! Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore for Judah, from the offspring that the LORD gives you from this young woman."

The king asked her, "What's your problem?" "I've been a widowed woman ever since my husband died," she answered. "Your humble servant used to have two sons, but they got into a fight out in the field. Because there was no one to keep them apart, one of them attacked the other and killed him. Now please pay attention closely! My whole family is attacking your humble servant! They're saying, "Turn over the one who attacked his brother and we'll put him to death in retribution for his brother, whose life he took. That way, we'll kill the heir also!' They're going to extinguish the only light left in my family, leaving my late husband neither an ongoing name nor a survivor on the face of the earth!"

After the plague was over, the LORD told Moses and Aaron the priest's son Eleazar, "Take a census of the entire community of Israel from the age of 20 years and above, according to each ancestral tribe, counting everyone who is able to go out to war in Israel." Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River in Jericho. read more.
They counted every male Israeli who had come out of Egypt and who was 20 years old and above, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. From Reuben, Israel's firstborn, the descendants of Reuben included from Hanoch, the family of the descendants of Hanoch; from Pallu, the family of the descendants of Pallu; from Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Carmi, the family of the descendants of Carmi. These families of the descendants of Reuben numbered 43,730. Now Pallu's son was Eliab. The descendants of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were removed from the community because they joined the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, as did Korah's company when they rebelled against the LORD. The ground had opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with Korah. Also, that group died when the fire devoured 250 men as a warning sign, but Korah's direct descendants didn't die. The descendants of Simeon, listed according to their families, included: From Nemuel, the family of the descendants of Nemuel; from Jamin, the family of the descendants of Jamin; from Jachin, the family of the descendants of Jachin; from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah; and from Shaul, the family of the descendants of Shaul. These families of the descendants of Simeon numbered 22,200. The descendants of Gad, listed according to their families, included: From Zephon, the family of the descendants of Zephon; from Haggi, the family of the descendants of Haggi; from Shuni, the family of the descendants of Shuni; from Ozni, the family of the descendants of Ozni; from Eri, the family of the descendants of Eri; from Arod, the family of the descendants of Arod; and from Areli, the family of the descendants of Areli. These families of the descendants of Gad numbered 40,500. The descendants of Judah originally included Er and Onan, though Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The descendants of Judah, listed according to their families, included: From Shelah, the family of the descendants of Shelah; from Perez, the family of the descendants of Perez; and from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah. The descendants of Perez included: From Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Hamul, the family of the descendants of Hamul. These families of Judah numbered 76,500. The tribe of Issachar, listed according to their families, included: From Tola, the family of the descendants of Tola; from Puvah, the family of the descendants of Puvah; from Jashub, the family of the descendants of Jashub; and from Shimron, the family of the descendants of Shimron. These families of Issachar numbered 64,300. The tribe of Zebulun, listed according to their families, included: From Sered, the family of the descendants of Sered; from Elon, the family of the descendants of Elon; and from Jahleel, the family of the descendants of Jahleel. These families of the descendants of Zebulun numbered 60,500. The tribe of Joseph, listed according to their families, included Manasseh and Ephraim. The descendants of Manasseh included: From Machir, the family of the descendants of Machir. (Machir was the father of Gilead.) From Gilead, the family of the Gileadites included: From Iezer, the family of the descendants of Iezer; from Helek, the family of the descendants of Helek; from Asriel, the family of the descendants of Asriel; from Shechem, the family of the descendants of Shechem; from Shemida, the family of the descendants of Shemida; and from Hepher, the family of the descendants of Hepher. Hepher's son Zelophehad had no sons, but the names of Zelophehad's daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. These families of Manasseh numbered 52,700. The descendants of Ephraim, listed according to their families, included: From Shuthelah, the family of the descendants of Shuthelah; from Becher, the family of the descendants of Becher; and from Tahan, the family of the descendants of Tahan. The descendants of Shuthelah included from Eran, the family of the descendants of Eran. These families of Ephraim numbered 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph, listed according to their families. The tribe of Benjamin, listed according to their families, included: From Bela, the family of the descendants of Bela; from Ashbel, the family of the descendants of Ashbel; from Ahiram, the family of the descendants of Ahiram; from Shephupham, the family of the descendants of Shephupham; and from Hupham, the family of the descendants of Hupham. The descendants of Bela were Ard and Naaman: From Ard, the family of the descendants of Ard; and from Naaman, the family of the descendants of Naaman. These descendants of Benjamin's families numbered 45,600. The tribe of Dan, listed according to their families, included the families of the descendants of Shuham. All the families of the Shuhamites numbered 64,400. The tribe of Asher, listed according to their families, included: From Imnah, the family of the descendants of Imnah; from Ishvi, the family of the descendants of Ishvi; and from Beriah, the family of the descendants of Beriah. The descendants of Beriah included: From Heber, the family of the descendants of Heber; and from Malchiel, the family of the descendants of Malchiel. (The name of Asher's daughter was Serah.) These descendants of Asher numbered 53,400. The tribe of Naphtali, listed according to their families, included: From Jahzeel, the family of the descendants of Jahzeel; from Guni, the family of the descendants of Guni; from Jezer, the family of the descendants of Jezer; and from Shillem, the family of the descendants of Shillem. These families of Naphtali numbered 45,400. The total of those numbered among the Israelis was 601,730. Then the LORD told Moses, "The land is to be divided for an inheritance according to the total number of these names. The more there are in number, you are to increase their inheritance, and the less there are in number, you are to decrease their inheritance. You are to provide an inheritance to each based on the size of their family, but the land is to be divided by lot, inheriting according to the names of their ancestor's tribe. Depending on the lot, the portion of their inheritance is to be divided between those with more members and those with fewer members." Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari. These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah. Now Kohath had a son named Amram. Amram's wife was Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the LORD's presence.

Moses allocated territory to the tribe of the descendants of Reuben according to their tribes. Their allocation was from the border of Aroer on the edge of the Arnon valley (including the city that is located in the valley, as well as the entire plain next to Medeba), Heshbon and all of its cities that are on the plain, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, read more.
Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, Kiriathaim, Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley, Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth-jeshimoth, all of the cities of the plain, the entire kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who used to reign in Heshbon and whom Moses attacked, along with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, nobles of Sihon who lived in the land. The Israelis also killed Beor's son Balaam, the occult practitioner, executing him with a sword as one of those killed. The border of the descendants of Reuben was the Jordan River and its banks. This was the inheritance belonging to the descendants of Reuben, divided according to their families, cities, and villages. Moses also allocated territory to the tribe of Gad, that is, to the descendants of Gad, according to their families. Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer which is located near Rabbah, from Heshbon as far as Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, from Mahanaim as far as the border of Debir, the valley containing Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon, with the Jordan River as its border as far as the southern end of the Sea of Galilee beyond the Jordan River to the east. This was the inheritance belonging to the descendants of Gad according to their tribes, cities, and villages. Moses also allocated territory to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, for the half-tribe of the descendants of Manasseh according to their tribes. Their territory extended from Mahanaim to include all of Bashan, all of the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, all of the 60 towns of Jair there in Bashan, half of Gilead, including Ashtaroth and Edrei. The cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan went to half of the descendants of Manasseh's son Machir, according to their tribes. These were the allotments that Moses apportioned for an inheritance in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan River east of Jericho. Moses allotted no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The LORD God of Israel is their inheritance, as he promised them.

Joshua said, "Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah, allocated according to their families, will extend to the border of Edom, southward to the wilderness of Zin until land's end, then from the southern end of the Dead Sea, that is, from the bay that orients toward the Negev, proceeding south to the ascent of Akrabbim, then continuing to Zin, and from there up along the south of Kadesh-barnea to Hezron, and from there up to Addar and then to Karka, read more.
passing along to Azmon toward the Wadi of Egypt and ending at the sea. This will be your southern border." The eastern border was the Dead Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan River. The border of the north side extended from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan River toward Beth-hoglah, and continuing on the north of Beth-arabah. The border ascended up to the boundary marker set up by Reuben's son Bohan. The boundary then went up to Debir from the Achor valley and turned north toward Gilgal opposite the ascent of Adummim in the southern part of the valley. Then the border continued to the waters of En-shemesh and terminated at En-rogel. Then the border proceeded up the valley of Ben-hinnom to the southern ascent of the Jebusites (that is, to Jerusalem), and from there to the top of the mountain that faces the valley of Hinnom to the west at the end of the valley of Rephaim toward the north. The border proceeded from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, then to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then the border curved toward Baalah (also known as Kiriath-jearim). The border turned west from Baalah to Mount Seir, continuing to the top of Mount Jearim on the north (also known as Chesalon), and then proceeded to Beth-shemesh, continuing through Timnah. The border proceeded north to the edge of Ekron, then curved to Shikkeron and on to Mount Baalah, proceeding then to Jabneel, where the boundary ended at the sea. The western border was at the Mediterranean Sea coastline. This is the border that surrounded the territory of the descendants of Judah, according to their families. Now Joshua gave an allotment among the descendants of Judah to Jephunneh's son Caleb, just as God told Joshua, Kiriath-arba, which was named after the ancestor of Anak (that is, Hebron). From there Caleb drove the three descendants of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai the Anakim. Then he went up from there to attack the inhabitants of Debir. (Debir was formerly known as Kiriath-sepher.) Then Caleb announced, "I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it." Othniel, the son of Caleb's brother Kenaz, captured it, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife. Sometime later, she came to Othniel and persuaded him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?" She replied, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also some springs of water." So he gave her the upper and lower springs.

from whom the coastal nations spread into their own lands and nations, each with their own language and family groups.

Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, along with the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, read more.
the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later, the Canaanite families were widely scattered. The Canaanite border extended south from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and east toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These are Ham's descendants, listed by their families, each with their own lands, language, and family groups.

These were the names of the chiefs who descended from Esau according to their clans, territories, and names: tribal leaders Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, read more.
Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs who descended from Edom, according to their territories in their own land. This was the dynasty of Esau, who was the ancestor of the Edomites.