'Tribe' in the Bible
But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”
“Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have placed wisdom within every skilled craftsman in order to make all that I have commanded you:
Moses then said to the Israelites: “Look, the Lord has appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
He has also given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.
Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord commanded Moses.
With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a gem cutter, a designer, and an embroiderer with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
Her son cursed and blasphemed the Name, and they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, a daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.)
A man from each tribe is to be with you, each one the head of his ancestral house.
those registered for the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
those registered for the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
those registered for the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
those registered for the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
those registered for the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
those registered for the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
those registered for the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
those registered for the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
those registered for the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
those registered for the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
those registered for the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
those registered for the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
But the Levites were not registered with them by their ancestral tribe.
“Do not register or take a census of the tribe of Levi with the other Israelites.
The tribe of Issachar will camp next to it. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel son of Zuar.
The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the Zebulunites is Eliab son of Helon.
The tribe of Simeon will camp next to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel.
The tribe of Manasseh will be next to it. The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the Benjaminites is Abidan son of Gideoni.
The tribe of Asher will camp next to it. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ochran.
The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira son of Enan.
“Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah.
Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of Simeon’s tribe,
and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.
Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh,
and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.
and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.
These were their names:Shammua son of Zaccur from the tribe of Reuben;
Gaddi son of Susi from the tribe of Manasseh (from the tribe of Joseph);
But also bring your relatives with you from the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, so they may join you and assist you and your sons in front of the tent of the testimony.
When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him,
Increase the inheritance for a large tribe and decrease it for a small one. Each is to be given its inheritance according to those who were registered in it.
So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel—12,000 equipped for war.
Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.
So Moses gave them—the Gadites, Reubenites, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph—the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land including its cities with the territories surrounding them.
For the tribe of the Reubenites and the tribe of the Gadites have received their inheritance according to their ancestral houses, and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance.
These are the names of the men:Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;
from the sons of Joseph:Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh,
Of the cities that you give from the Israelites’ territory, you should take more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one. Each tribe is to give some of its cities to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance it receives.”
If they marry any of the men from the other Israelite tribes, their inheritance will be taken away from our fathers’ inheritance and added to that of the tribe into which they marry. Therefore, part of our allotted inheritance would be taken away.
When the Jubilee comes for the Israelites, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestral tribe.”
So Moses commanded the Israelites at the word of the Lord, “What the tribe of Joseph’s descendants says is right.
This is what the Lord has commanded concerning Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they like provided they marry within a clan of their ancestral tribe.
An inheritance belonging to the Israelites must not transfer from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of his ancestral tribe.
Any daughter who possesses an inheritance from an Israelite tribe must marry someone from the clan of her ancestral tribe, so that each of the Israelites will possess the inheritance of his fathers.
No inheritance is to transfer from one tribe to another, because each of the Israelite tribes is to retain its inheritance.”
They married men from the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father’s clan.
The plan seemed good to me, so I selected 12 men from among you, one man for each tribe.
I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og. The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.
“At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as it is today.
“The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They will eat the Lord’s fire offerings; that is their inheritance.
We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.
Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh:
Now choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.
So Joshua summoned the 12 men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe,
The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh went in battle formation in front of the Israelites, as Moses had instructed them.
The Israelites, however, were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the Lord’s anger burned against the Israelites.
In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord selects is to come forward clan by clan. The clan the Lord selects is to come forward family by family. The family the Lord selects is to come forward man by man.
Joshua got up early the next morning. He had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.
He then had Zabdi’s family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
Moses the Lord’s servant and the Israelites struck them down. And Moses the Lord’s servant gave their land as an inheritance to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”
With the other half of the tribe, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had given them:
He did not give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was its inheritance, just as He had promised: the offerings made by fire to the Lord, the God of Israel.