TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL

in the Old Testament, the Hebrew people who, after the death of Moses, took possession of the Promised Land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Because the tribes were named after sons or grandsons of Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel by God), the Hebrew people became known as Israelites. Jacob's first wife, Leah, bore him six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. With the exception of Levi, each was the father of a tribe. Two other tribes, Gad and Asher, were named after sons born to Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Two additional tribes, Dan and Naphtali, were named after sons of Jacob born of Bilhah, the maidservant of Rachel, Jacob's second wife. Rachel bore Jacob two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Though a tribe was named after Benjamin, none bore the name of Joseph. Two tribes, however, were named after Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. The 10 tribes that settled in northern Palestine became known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel (q.v.).