Why didn’t you list the ten tribes?
Questions:
You fail to answer your own question, “Who are the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom?”
I was looking to see if Levi was among them but no list is given. If Judah and Benjamin remained in the south then that would mean Levi was in the north. But I have read that some Levites and a few from the other tribes remained in the south too. No doubt some Levites were required for the temple.
Answer:
True, I focused on answering the question which was more about how the tribes were split after Solomon.
| The Twelve Sons Genesis 35:22-26
| The Twelve Tribes Numbers 1:5-15 Listed by Land |
|---|---|
| Reuben | Reuben |
| Simeon | Simeon |
| Levi | |
| Judah | Judah |
| Issachar | Issachar |
| Zebulun | Zebulun |
| Joseph | |
| Ephraim | |
| Manasseh | |
| Benjamin | Benjamin |
| Dan | Dan |
| Naphtali | Naphtali |
| Gad | Gad |
| Asher | Asher |
The list of tribes is not the same as the sons of Israel because Levi, being the priestly tribe, did not inherit any land (Joshua 13:33). Joseph also did not directly receive any land; instead, Joseph’s two sons were adopted by Jacob and were each given a portion of land, thus giving Joseph a double portion (Genesis 48:5-6; I Chronicles 5:1).
By territory, Jeroboam received ten tribes: Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim, Manasseh, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Rehoboam received two tribes: Judah and Benjamin. Levi did not receive territory, so they were never considered. However, the Levi cities were scattered throughout Israel, so some were in Northern Isreal after the split and some were in Southern Judah.
But when you consider the people, they moved around (I Kings 12:7). For instance, during the time of Asa, a number of families from Northern Israel defected to Judah (I Chronicles 15:9).
Response:
Yes, thanks for that.
I was aware that Levi was not given a portion of the land but they were provided for in other ways. However, before your answer, I assumed that since the southern kingdom of Judah consisted only of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, then Levi must have been in the northern kingdom of Israel. Although, I believed that many of them would still remain in the southern kingdom of Judah to serve as priests there. I believe that representatives from all the tribes were present in and around the southern kingdom of Judah, albeit, in rather small numbers.
Thanks for those notes on the web. A very interesting read.
