12 Tribes: Numbers 7

       And now we are coming into the part of Numbers that tends to bog people down. A lot of repetition will be coming your way. Before your eyes glaze over, here’s something I recommend.

       Numbers is about numbers. It is also about names. It’s about genealogy. Interspersed within, almost hidden, are gems of action. I’ll do my best to point out the gems. To keep it interesting, I like to look up the meanings of the names. All you need is a good concordance (such as Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) or a decent mobile application (Strong’s Concordance for iPod has a free version and one for just a few bucks).

       The princes of the children of Israel bring their offerings to dedicate the altar. Each represents a tribe and each offers on a specific day. Twelve princes, twelve tribes, twelve days.

1.    Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah

2.    Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar

3.    Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun

4.   Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben

5.    Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon

6.   Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad

7.    Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim

8.   Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh

9.   Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin

10.        Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan

11. Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher

12. Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali

       Something that still manages to boggle my mind is how the 12 tribes of Israel started out as the 12 sons of Jacob and then there is some mixing and merging. You’ll see above that the Levites are not included. And where is Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons? Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Their descendents were so numerous that they each come to be counted as a tribe. Joseph, their father, isn’t mentioned.

       As you go through the Old Testament, you might enjoy tracking which tribes seem to get absorbed and reemerge. Like I said, it still manages to boggle my mind.