What are the twelve tribes of Israel?

from the old testament

• In Genesis 12 we read that God called a man named Abram (whom God renamed Abraham) to leave his country and made a covenant with him to make him a great nation and that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. Abraham’s son Isaac had a son named Jacob (whom God renamed Israel), and God used Jacob’s sons to make a nation out of his descendants. That nation is Israel.
• It is simple to say that the twelve tribes of Israel are those tribes that descended from Jacob's sons, but it is not quite that easy. Joseph received a double portion, the Levites were set apart, and different lists of the tribes contain different names.
• These are the sons of Jacob (and their mothers) and the tribal patriarchs in the order they were born:
• Reuben (Leah): Reuben slept with Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid and Jacob's concubine (Genesis 35:22). He lost the blessing of the firstborn because of this (Genesis 49:3–4). Reuben convinced his brothers not to kill Joseph and planned on rescuing Joseph (Genesis 37:21–22), but the brothers sold him before he had the chance. Reuben later saw Joseph's initial reaction to the brothers purchasing grain in Egypt as a reckoning for what they'd done to Joseph (Genesis 42:22). He also told Jacob that Jacob could kill his two sons if Benjamin did not return from Egypt safely (Genesis 42:37). The tribe of Reuben settled on the east side of the Jordan with Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 32).
• Simeon (Leah): When the brothers went to Egypt to beg for food, Joseph held Simeon hostage until the others could return home and bring Benjamin back with them (Genesis 42:24). Years prior, Simeon and Levi betrayed the city of the man who raped their sister Dinah and then wanted to marry her. Jacob's sons feigned a marriage agreement for their sister, convinced the males of the city to be circumcised, and then killed them and plundered the city when they were vulnerable (Genesis 34). They did not receive a good blessing from Jacob because of it (Genesis 49:5–7). The tribe of Simeon's territory was within the boundaries of Judah (Joshua 19:1–9).
• Levi (Leah): Levi also betrayed the city of the man who seduced Dinah (Genesis 34) and did not receive a good blessing from Jacob (Genesis 49:5–7). However, as the tribe of Moses and Aaron, and the only tribe to punish the others for worshiping the golden calf (Exodus 32:25–28), the Levites were given the priesthood. They did not have a single territory but did have several cities and surrounding farmland (Joshua 20). Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, was a Levite.
• Judah (Leah): Judah came up with the plan to sell Joseph into slavery rather than allow him to die in a pit (Genesis 37:26–27). He also had two evil sons whom God killed, and Judah refused to give his third son to their widow. Instead, he sent Tamar back to her father's house with a promise that he would give the third son at a later date. After the death of Judah's wife, Tamar dressed as a cult prostitute to meet Judah on his travels. Not recognizing her, Judah gave her his signet, cord, and staff as pledge that he would send a goat for payment later. When he sent the goat, there was no prostitute to be found. When Tamar later revealed her pregnancy, she also revealed the items he'd given in pledge to demonstrate that Judah was the father. He said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah" and never had sex with her again (Genesis 38:26). Tamar gave birth to twins, one of whom is an ancestor of Jesus. Later, Judah personally ensured Benjamin's safety when the brothers took him to see Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 43:8–9). Jacob gave Judah a mighty blessing that also includes a messianic prophecy (Genesis 49:8–12). The tribe of Judah was the dominant tribe of the southern kingdom; the entire kingdom took the name Judah, and the Israelites are called "Jews" because of his tribe's dominance. The tribe of Judah settled in a large area in the south (Joshua 15). Both Mary and Joseph, as descendants of David, were from the tribe of Judah. The possible reason that God chose Judah, the fourth-born, to be the ancestor of the Messiah is that the firstborn, Reuben, slept with his father's concubine and the next two, Simeon and Levi, betrayed and slaughtered the Hivites and abused the sign of the Abrahamic covenant to do so. In Jacob’s blessing, Judah is praised as a leader; he will be a lion's cub and his descendants will reign (Genesis 49:8-12).
• Dan (Bilhah): The tribe of Dan's territory was in the north (Joshua 19:40–48). Dan is not listed among the tribes from which the 144,000 come during the Tribulation; no reason is given. In his blessing, Jacob says that Dan will judge his people and be a serpent by the way, bringing swift justice (Genesis 49:16-17).
• Naphtali (Bilhah): The tribe of Naphtali's territory was in the north (Joshua 19:32–39). In Jacob’s blessing, Naphtali is likened to a deer that gives beautiful words (Genesis 49:21).
• Gad (Zilpah): The tribe of Gad settled on the east side of the Jordan with Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 22:1–9). In his blessing, Jacob says that Gad will be raided but will ultimately triumph (Genesis 49:19).
• Asher (Zilpah): The tribe of Asher's territory was in the north (Joshua 19:24–31).
• Issachar (Leah): The tribe of Issachar's territory was in the north (Joshua 19:17–23). In his blessing, Jacob says that Asher will produce rich food and provide royal delicacies (Genesis 49:20).
• Zebulun (Leah): The tribe of Zebulun's territory was in the far northwest (Joshua 19:10–16). Genesis 49:13 states that Zebulun will dwell by the sea, becoming a haven for ships, with his border reaching Sidon.
• Joseph (Rachel): As Rachel's son, Joseph was Jacob's favorite until Jacob was told he was dead. Joseph had been sold as a slave to Egypt and ultimately saved Egypt and his family from famine (Genesis 37—50). Jacob adopted his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, thus giving Joseph a double portion of the inheritance (Genesis 48:5). Jacob blesses Joseph with prosperity and strength, and acknowledges Joseph’s suffering but predicts great blessings (Genesis 49:22-26).
• Benjamin (Rachel): Benjamin was the youngest son and favorite of Jacob after Joseph went missing; Rachel, Jacob's beloved, died shortly after his birth (Genesis 35:16–21). During the famine in Egypt, Joseph treated Benjamin with special favor, as he was his only full brother. He invited Benjamin to a lavish feast, providing him with the largest portion of food, which emphasized Joseph's affection for him and served to test his brothers' loyalty and feelings toward Benjamin (Genesis 43:34). In Genesis 49, Jacob blesses his twelve sons, imparting prophetic messages about their futures. Specifically, he blessed Benjamin by saying, "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil" (Genesis 49:27), indicating Benjamin's fierce and warrior-like nature. The tribe of Benjamin settled just north of Judah, in the southern kingdom (Joshua 18:11–28). The tribe was nearly destroyed after the men of Gibeah violated the concubine of a visiting Levite when his host would not allow them to harm the Levite (Judges 19:10—21:25). King Saul (1 Samuel 9:15—10:1), Esther, Mordecai (Esther 2:5–7), and Paul (Romans 11:1) were all Benjamites.
• Joseph had two sons in Egypt (Genesis 41:50–52), and both of them also received a blessing from Jacob (Genesis 48):
• Ephraim: The tribe of Ephraim settled between Benjamin and Manasseh (Joshua 16). They became part of the northern kingdom of Israel, which was also sometimes called Ephraim. The tribe of Ephraim is sometimes called the tribe of Joseph. Though Ephraim was Joseph's second son (Genesis 41:52), Jacob blessed Ephraim as though he was the firstborn son (Genesis 48).
• Manasseh: The tribe of Manasseh settled in a very large northern territory that spilled over to the east side of the Jordan (Joshua 22:1–9).
• In the book of Joshua, the tribes of Israel receive their territorial inheritance, and each of them gives a number of cities to the Levites. The tribes are listed in Joshua 21 as Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—note that the tribe of Joseph was divided into Ephraim and Manasseh, so the Levites received cities from twelve tribes. Of course, when a passage records the sons of Jacob and not the tribes, Levi and Joseph are included, while Ephraim and Manasseh are not (Genesis 35:23–26; Exodus 1:1–4; 1 Chronicles 2:1–2).
• Tribes of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, and Joseph (often referred to as the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh).
• Sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
• Tribes who were part of the northern kingdom of Israel, conquered by the Assyrians: Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Asher, Dan, Reuben, Gad, and some of the Levites.
• Tribes who were part of the southern kingdom of Judah, taken into Babylonian captivity and then released: Judah and Benjamin.

from the new testament

• When the book of Revelation lists the tribes of the 144,000 who will witness during the tribulation, Manasseh and Joseph are listed separately and Dan is not mentioned at all (Revelation 7:4–8). There is no explanation given as to why.
• Tribes from which the 144,000 come: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Joseph (Ephraim), and Manasseh.
• In the new heaven and new earth, there is a New Jerusalem. The twelve tribes have significance there: “on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:12–14).

implications for today

One key application we can learn from the story of Abraham and the tribes of Israel is the profound importance of faith and obedience in the face of uncertainty. When God called Abraham to leave his homeland, he obeyed without knowing where he was going or how God’s promises would unfold. This act of faith became the foundation of God’s covenant, resulting in the formation of the nation of Israel and ultimately blessing all nations. This narrative teaches us to trust in God’s promises and to remain obedient, even when the path is unclear. It shows us that God’s faithfulness spans generations, transcending individual flaws and failures. Our lives are part of a larger divine narrative, reminding us that God’s plan is bigger than our circumstances. Reflecting on His past faithfulness strengthens our trust, and embracing our unique roles within His plan gives us purpose and hope. Abraham’s journey exemplifies how daily trust and obedience can lead to the fulfillment of God’s promises, encouraging us to walk in faith and rely on His steadfast love and sovereign plan.