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The Twelve Tribes - Their Names and Meanings

~ scriptures are from the Hebraic Roots Bible, and HBR Bible Notes in italics.
Bible Commentries and Notes.

The 12 Sons Of Ya'aqab יעקב Jacob whose name was changed to Yasharal ושראל Israel
— Is The Mystery Of Yahusha Ha Mashyakh יהושע המשיח “The Anointed One.”

Yasharal ושראל Israel
had 12 sons, and in their names put together was the “Good News”

Its amazing how Yahuah יהוה Aluah אלוה “Mighty One” hid this wonderful truth inside these simple names which formed into
the “Twelve Tribes Of Yasharal משבטיי ושראל Israel.”

Here are the names and their meanings:

• Reuben ראובן ► See a Son
• Simeon שמעין ► One who hears
• Levi לוי ► Enjoined
• Yahudah יהודה ► Praise Yahuah
• Dan ןד ► Judge, Rule
• Naphtali נפתל ► My Struggle
• Gad שוטטות ► Overcome
• Asher אשר ► Happiness
• Yssachar יששכר ► He will bring a reward
• Zebulun זבוליו ► Dwelling with
• Yahusaph יהוסף ► He will add
• Benyamin בנימין ► Son of the right hand

When the names are joined together, this is what it says ►

“See, a Son is born unto us, One who hears and enjoined us.
Praise Yahuah יהוה
He will plead my struggle and overcome in happiness, He will bring a reward and dwell with us; He will add us to be son of the Right Hand.”

Aman אמן It is so.

Shalam שלם Complete Peace.
~ Joseph De La Fuente

Eze 3:17-21 Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.
And hear the Word of My mouth, and warn them from Me.
In My saying to the wicked, surely you shall die; and you do not warn him, and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, he, the wicked, shall die in his iniquity. But I will require his blood at your hand.
And you, because you have warned the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his way, he, the wicked, shall die in his iniquity. But you have delivered your soul.
And when the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die. Since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered. But I will require his blood at your hand.
But you, because you warned him, the righteous, so that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, surely he shall live because he is warned. And you have delivered your soul.

My People - House of Israel
Jer 31:1 At that time, says YAHWEH, I will be the Elohim of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people

Eze 34:30-31 And they shall know that I, YAHWEH their Elohim, am with them, and they are My people, the house of Israel, declares Adonai YAHWEH.
And you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men. I am your Elohim, declares Adonai YAHWEH.

Eze 39:29 And I will not any more hide My face from them, for I have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, declares Adonai YAHWEH.

Amo 5:4 For so says YAHWEH to the house of Israel, Seek Me, and live.

Lost Sheep of Israel
Mat 10:6 But rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For truly I say to you, In no way will you have finished all the cities of the House of Israel until the Son of Man will come.

Mat 15:24 But he answered and said to them, Have I not been sent except to the sheep which went astray from the house of Israel?

Act 2:36 Then assuredly, let all the house of Israel acknowledge that YAHWEH made known this same Yahshua whom you crucified, He is both YAHWEH and Messiah.

Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says YAHWEH, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah;

Heb 8:10 Because this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says YAHWEH, I will put My Torah into their mind, and I will inscribe it on their hearts, and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people."

Salvation of Israel
Psa 14:7 Who will give out of Zion the salvation (Y’shua*) of Israel?
When YAHWEH brings back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice; Israel shall be glad.

Psa 53:6 Who gives from Zion Y'shua* of Israel? When Elohim brings back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice; Israel shall be glad.

Isa 45:17 Israel is saved in YAHWEH with everlasting salvation (Y’shua*). You shall not be ashamed nor disgraced to the forevers of eternity.

Isa 46:13 I bring near My righteousness; it shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not wait; I will place salvation (Y'shua*) in Zion, My glory for Israel.

Jer 3:23 Truly, for delusion comes from the hills, tumult on the mountains. Truly, in YAHWEH our Elohim is the salvation of Israel.

Luk 1:68 Blessed be YAHWEH, the Elohim of Israel, because He visited and worked salvation for His people.

New Jerusalem - 12 Gates : Tribes, 12 Pillars : Apostles
Rev 21:12-14 and having a great and high wall, having twelve gates, and twelve cherubs at the gates and names having been inscribed, which are of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
From the east, three gates; from the north, three gates; from the south, three gates; and from the west, three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Rev 21:27 And there shall not enter it any thing that defiles, or he who practices abominations and lies, but only the ones having been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb.

Mat 19:28 And Yahshua said to them, Truly I say to you, You who have followed Me in this world, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Scattered Tribes.
Act 26:6-7 And now, for the hope of the promise which was made by Elohim to our fathers, I stand and am judged. To this hope, our twelve tribes hope to come, with earnest prayers by day and by night: and for this same hope, king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

As also He says in Hosea, "I will call those Not My people, My people! And those not beloved, Beloved!"
"And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there they will be called, Sons of the Living Elohim."
But Isaiah cries on behalf of Israel, "If the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved."
For He is bringing the matter to an end, and having been cut short "in righteousness, because YAHWEH will do a thing cut short on the earth."
And as Isaiah has said before, "If YAHWEH of hosts had not shown favor to us with a remnant, we would have become as Sodom, and we would have become as Gomorrah."

~ Romans 9:25 This quote coming from Hos 2:23 is about the redemption of the House of Ephraim (Northern tribes of Israel) in the latter days showing again Paul's intent in writing Romans chapters 9, 10, 11.

~ Romans 9:27 Paul again stresses the point that even though in the latter days Yahweh will awaken the Northern tribes of Israel to their true identity, that one must freely choose to accept this calling and repent of their former way of life and enter covenant, and as verse 27 somberly shows only a small remnant will accept the calling.

~ Romans 9:28 This will not be 2700 years as the House of Ephraim's Diaspora was, but the calling back will be less than a generation (Mat 24:34). Isa 10:22-23

~ Romans 9:29 YHWH's mercy to redeem the House of Israel in the end times is not due to their goodness but because of the faithfulness of YHWH and the promises that He made to Abraham. (Eze 36:24-36) Isa 1:9

Jas 1:1 Jacob, a slave of Elohim and of the Master Yahshua Messiah, to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora among the nations, greeting:

~ James 1:1 This epistle should be the letter from Jacob the half brother of Yahshua. Later the king of England, James, changed the book to his name when the bible was printed in English. Also this letter is written to the House of Israel in Diaspora showing the tribes were not lost.

John Wesley Notes
James 1:1 To the twelve tribes - Of Israel; that is, those of them that believe. Which are scattered abroad - In various countries. Ten of the tribes were scattered ever since the reign of Hosea; and great part of the rest were now dispersed through the Roman empire: as was foretold, Deu 28:25, &c., Deu 30:4. Greeting - That is, all blessings, temporal and eternal.

Twelve Tribes of Israel
Source : Encyclopædia Britannica - www.britannica.com

Israel ~ Old Testament kingdom
Israel, either of two political units in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament): the united kingdom of Israel under the kings Saul, David, and Solomon, which lasted from about 1020 to 922 BCE; or the northern kingdom of Israel, including the territories of the 10 northern tribes (i.e., all except Judah and part of Benjamin), which was established in 922 BCE as the result of a revolt led by Jeroboam I. The southern kingdom, ruled by the Davidic dynasty, was thereafter referred to as Judah. The later kingdom’s history was one of dynastic instability, with only two prolonged periods of stable government, under Omri (reigned 876–869 or c. 884–c. 872 BCE) and Ahab (c. 874–c. 853 BCE) and the Jehu dynasty (c. 842–746 BCE). In the 8th century BCE the northern kingdom was overrun by the Neo-Assyrian empire, with Samaria, the capital, falling in 722/721.

Twelve Tribes of Israel
Twelve Tribes of Israel, in the Bible, 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 after he wrestled an angel of the Lord, the Hebrew people became known as Israelites.

Jacob’s first wife, Leah, bore him six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Each was the father of a tribe, though Levi’s descendants (among whom were Moses and Aaron), the priests and temple functionaries, were dispersed among the other tribes and received no tribal land of their own. 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. The tribe of Benjamin provided Israel with its first king, Saul, and was later assimilated into the tribe of Judah. While no tribe bore the name of Joseph, two tribes were named after Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. The 10 tribes that settled in northern Palestine and were carried into captivity by the Assyrians became known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Ten Lost Tribes of Israel
10 of the original 12 Hebrew tribes, which, under the leadership of Joshua, took possession of Canaan, the Promised Land, after the death of Moses. They were named Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun—all sons or grandsons of Jacob. In 930 BC the 10 tribes formed the independent Kingdom of Israel in the north and the two other tribes, Judah and Benjamin, set up the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Following the conquest of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 721 BC, the 10 tribes were gradually assimilated by other peoples and thus disappeared from history. Nevertheless, a belief persisted that one day the Ten Lost Tribes would be found. Eldad ha-Dani, for instance, a 9th-century Jewish traveler, reported locating the tribes “beyond the rivers of Abyssinia” on the far side of an impassable river called Sambation, a roaring torrent of stones that becomes subdued only on the sabbath, when Jews are not permitted to travel. Manasseh ben Israel (1604–57) used the legend of the lost tribes in pleading successfully for admission of Jews into England during Oliver Cromwell’s regime. Peoples who at various times were said to be descendants of the lost tribes include the Assyrian Christians, the Mormons, the Afghans, the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, the American Indians, and the Japanese. Among the numerous immigrants to the State of Israel since its establishment in 1948 were a few who likewise claimed to be remnants of the Ten Lost Tribes. The descendants of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin have survived as Jews because they were allowed to return to their homeland after the Babylonian Exile of 586 BC.

Ten Tribes : Northern Kingdom - Israel
Asher, The tribe was named after the younger of two sons born to Jacob (also called Israel) and Zilpah, the maidservant of Jacob’s first wife, Leah.
After the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, Joshua assigned territory to each of the 12 tribes. The tribe of Asher apparently settled among the Phoenicians in the upper region of Palestine, beyond the tribe of Zebulun and west of the tribe of Naphtali.

When the northern kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians in 721 BC, the 10 northern tribes, including Asher, were partially dispersed. In time they were assimilated by other peoples and thus disappeared as distinctive units. Jewish legends refer to them as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Dan, The tribe was named after the first of two sons born to Jacob (also called Israel) and Bilhah, the maidservant of Jacob’s second wife, Rachel.
The portion assigned to the tribe of Dan was a region west of Jerusalem. At least part of the tribe later moved to the extreme northeast and took the city of Laish, renaming it Dan. As the northernmost Israelite city it became a point of reference in the familiar phrase “from Dan to Beersheba.”

The great hero of the Danites was Samson, who, until his betrayal by Delilah, used his mighty strength against the Philistine invaders. Dan was one of the 10 northern tribes that disappeared from history after the Assyrian conquest of the kingdom of Israel in 721 BC. They are known in Jewish legends as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Ephraim, one of the 12 tribes of Israel that in biblical times comprised the people of Israel who later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after one of the younger sons of Joseph, himself a son of Jacob.

Members of his tribe settled in the fertile, hilly region of central Palestine. They gradually gained great power, for the Ephraimites acted as hosts to the tribal assemblies and had within their borders such religiously important centres as Shiloh and Bethel.

In 930 BC the tribe of Ephraim led the 10 northern tribes in a successful revolt against the south and established the Kingdom of Israel, with Jeroboam I, an Ephraimite, as king. The seventh king of Israel, Ahab (reigned c. 874–c. 853 BC), was also an Ephraimite. His generally peaceful reign was marred by the worship of the Canaanite god Baal by his wife, Jezebel. From about 745 BC, the northern kingdom was often referred to as the Kingdom of Ephraim, a reflection of the tribe’s importance. Assyrian conquerors overran the kingdom in 721 BC, dispersing some of the inhabitants and gradually assimilating others, occurrences that account for the eventual disappearance of the tribe of Ephraim along with the nine other northern tribes. They have become known in legend as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Gad, The tribe was named after the elder of two sons born to Jacob and Zilpah, a maidservant of Jacob’s first wife, Leah.
The tribe of Gad settled on land east of the Jordan River, gained renown for its military spirit, and was one of the 10 northern tribes that formed a separate kingdom in 930 BC with Jeroboam I as king. Following the Assyrian conquest of 721 BC, the 10 tribes were partially dispersed and eventually assimilated by other peoples. The tribe of Gad thus became one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Issachar, The tribe was named after the fifth son born to Jacob and his first wife, Leah.
The tribe of Issachar settled on land lying west of the Jordan River and southeast of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. After the death of King Solomon (922 BC), Issachar was one of the 10 northern tribes that established the independent Kingdom of Israel that survived until the Assyrian conquest of 721 BC. These 10 tribes, partially dispersed to other regions, eventually lost their identity and became known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Manasseh, The tribe was named after the elder son of Joseph, himself a son of Jacob.
The tribe of Manasseh settled in central Palestine—some to the east, some to the west of the Jordan River. When the independent kingdom of Israel, established by the 10 northern tribes after the death of King Solomon (10th century BCE), was conquered by the Assyrians in the late 8th century BCE, many Israelites were carried off into slavery. In time the tribe of Manasseh was assimilated by other peoples and thus became known in legend as one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Among the most illustrious members of the tribe of Manasseh was Gideon, a fearless warrior who served as a judge for 40 years.

Naphtali, The tribe was named after the younger of two sons born to Jacob and Bilhah, a maidservant of Jacob’s second wife, Rachel. After Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he divided the new territory among the 12 tribes, assigning a region northwest of the Sea of Galilee to the tribe of Naphtali.

After the death of King Solomon (922 BCE), the 10 northern tribes established an independent Kingdom of Israel. In 734 BCE the Naphtalites were conquered by the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III, whose armies in 721 BCE gained control over the entire northern kingdom. Israelites who were deported into slavery and those who remained behind were gradually assimilated by other peoples. The tribe of Naphtali thus lost its identity and became known in Jewish legend as one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Reuben, The tribe was named after the oldest of Jacob’s sons born of Leah, his first wife.
The tribe of Reuben apparently settled east of the Dead Sea in the same general area occupied by the tribe of Gad and played a secondary role in the history of the Jewish people. 721 BC Israel fell to Assyrian conquerors. In time these northern tribes lost their identity through assimilation with other peoples, and thus the tribe of Reuben became known in legend as one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Simeon, The tribe was named after the second son born to Jacob and his first wife, Leah.
Though sources do not clearly indicate where the tribe of Simeon settled, it seems to have been in the south of Palestine beyond the powerful tribe of Judah. In time, part of the tribe of Simeon was apparently absorbed by Judah, while other members possibly relocated in the north.
If the tribe of Simeon is counted among the tribes that formed the northern kingdom, then it too was assimilated by other peoples after the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 721 BC. One way or another, the tribe of Simeon disappeared from history and is thus numbered among the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel (q.v.).

Zebulun, The tribe was named for the sixth son born of Jacob and his first wife, Leah.
After the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, Joshua divided the territory among the 12 tribes, assigning to the tribe of Zebulun a fertile section of land roughly northeast of the Plain of Jezreel. In 721 BC Israel fell to Assyrian conquerors. Jewish legends thus consider the tribe of Zebulun as one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Two Tribes : Southern Kingdom - Judah
Benjamin, according to biblical tradition, one of the 12 tribes that constituted the people of Israel, and one of the two tribes (along with Judah) that later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after the younger of two children born to Jacob (also called Israel) and his second wife, Rachel.
After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and, dividing the territory among the 12 tribes, assigned south-central Palestine to the tribe of Benjamin. Members of the tribe were separated when two distinct kingdoms were established after the death of King Solomon (922 BC) and the territory of Benjamin was divided between them. Jews belonging to the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel disappeared from history after the Assyrian conquest of 721 BC and are known in legend as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Benjaminites in the southern kingdom of Judah were assimilated by the more powerful tribe of Judah and gradually lost their identity. Modern Jews thus consider themselves to be descendants of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin or are classed as Levites to indicate an affinity with the religious functionaries who at one time exercised the priesthood in ancient Israel. Saul, the first of Israel’s kings, and Paul the Apostle were both of the tribe of Benjamin.

Judah, one of the 12 tribes of Israel, descended from Judah, who was the fourth son born to Jacob and his first wife, Leah. It is disputed whether the name Judah was originally that of the tribe or the territory it occupied and which was transposed from which.

After the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, each was assigned a section of land by Joshua, who had replaced Moses as leader after the latter’s death. The tribe of Judah settled in the region south of Jerusalem and in time became the most powerful and most important tribe. Not only did it produce the great kings David and Solomon but also, it was prophesied, the Messiah would come from among its members. Modern Jews, moreover, trace their lineage to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (absorbed by Judah) or to the tribe, or group, of clans of religious functionaries known as Levites. This situation was brought about by the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel in 721 BC, which led to the partial dispersion of the 10 northern tribes and their gradual assimilation by other peoples. (Legends thus refer to them as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.)

The southern Kingdom of Judah thrived until 587/586 BC, when it was overrun by the Babylonians, who carried off many of the inhabitants into exile. When the Persians conquered Babylonia in 538 BC, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, where they soon set to work to replace the magnificent Temple of Jerusalem that the Babylonians had destroyed. The history of the Jews from that time forward is predominantly the history of the tribe of Judah.

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