Tribes of Israel

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

Originated from the twelve sons of Jacob. Israel was the new name given to Jacob by God. The most significant tribes were the sons of Levi. They served as priests and were scattered throughout the kingdom. The second is the tribe of Judah, who were the ancestors of Jesus Christ.

The Ten Lost Tribes

Because of disobedience, God allowed the ten tribes and the priests in the Northern part of the kingdom to be captured by the Assyrians. The destiny of these tribes have been a mystery ever since and they became known as the lost tribes. They may have been released after the Persian empire fell to the Greeks and some came back as the Samaritans. They are a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. The ten tribes were Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Manasseh, Ephraim and some Levites.