Threads: How the Bible Weaves TogetherSample

Day 4: The Twelve Tribes of Israel

Daily Thread: Jacob, later called Israel, had twelve sons, and from them came the twelve tribes of Israel. Their names were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. These tribes became the organizing framework of Israel’s identity, land inheritance, and worship. Judah was prophesied to be the royal line, Levi became the priestly line, and Joseph’s inheritance was split into two tribes through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh (who replaced Joseph and Levi). Understanding these tribes is essential for tracing the rest of the Bible’s storyline, because they appear throughout Israel’s history and reemerge in Revelation.

*Highlight* Genesis 49:1–27. Here, Jacob blesses his twelve sons, who become the twelve tribes of Israel. These tribes form the framework of the rest of the Old Testament and reappear throughout the New. Everything in God’s story, including the coming of Jesus, connects back to these tribes and this moment.”