Did the geographic positioning of the tribes fulfill Jacob’s blessing? | GotQuestions.org

GotQuestions.org

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Hi there, many others like you have asked, did the geographic positioning of the tribes fulfill

00:06

Jacob's blessing? Let's find out, shall we? You can discover this answer and more on GotQuestions .org

00:13

Beginning in Joshua 13, Joshua is commanded to divide the promised land among the nine and a half tribes west of the

00:21

Jordan River. When we look at Jacob's blessings given in Genesis 49, we see that the division of the land under Joshua was a fulfilled prophecy.

00:32

Reuben, the firstborn son of Jacob, gave up his birthright through evil actions. Joseph, the firstborn of Jacob's wife

00:39

Rachel, received a double portion instead. Reuben's inheritance was east of the

00:45

Jordan, outside the promised land. Simeon and Levi, these two brothers were mentioned together as violent individuals whose land would be divided.

00:55

Simeon's inheritance was a small area of cities in Israel. Levi became the priestly tribe that had no land inheritance.

01:03

Instead, they lived in cities scattered throughout the other tribes of Israel. Judah was predicted as a lion who would lead the other tribes.

01:12

Judah was the tribe that remained loyal to God the longest in the divided kingdom, and Jesus Christ was a descendant of Judah.

01:19

Zebulun. This son would receive land between the Mediterranean Sea and the

01:25

Sea of Galilee. Zebulun received the third lot of the inheritance. It was located in the northern part of the promised land that included

01:32

Nazareth, the future hometown of Jesus. Ezekiel also speaks of an area promised to Zebulun, a land that has not yet been received.

01:42

Issachar's allotment included the important farming region of the Valley of Jezreel in Galilee.

01:48

This closely matches the prediction of Issachar's receiving agricultural land.

01:54

Dan's blessing in Genesis 49, 16 -18 dealt with his becoming a judge in Israel rather than referring to his land.

02:02

Samson came from this tribe and yet so did other leaders who worshipped idols, prompting God's judgment upon the people of Israel.

02:10

Gad's blessing only referred to his skill in military conflict. Some have made a connection with the large number of troops from Gad who served in King David's army, though Jacob's blessing is too vague to make a very direct connection.

02:23

Jacob said Asher would have good soil and Joshua, Asher's tribe, inherited ideal land in Carmel in the coastal region.

02:32

The only reference to Naphtali is that the other tribes would admire him. He received land from the

02:39

Sea of Galilee up to Phoenicia in the north and included 19 fortified cities.

02:45

Joseph received a double portion as both his sons Ephraim and Manasseh received a separate inheritance.

02:53

Ephraim's land was west of the Jordan River. Manasseh's territory was split, with half of it to the east of the

03:01

Jordan and half of it to the west. Jacob predicted that his youngest son, Benjamin, would become a warrior.

03:08

From this tribe came the judge Ehud, King Saul, and Saul's son, Jonathan.

03:13

This tribe was often noted for its warlike personality. As can be seen, the sons of Jacob who were given a land blessing in Genesis 49 received it in ways that matched

03:26

Joshua's allotment or a prophet's prediction. The fact that numerous details predicted by Jacob came true generations later serves as a powerful testimony to God's power.

03:39

Alright, that answers your question. Did the geographic positioning of the tribes of Israel fulfill