The Biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel were descended from the twelve sons of Jacob, who came to be known

by the name of Israel. These sons were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan,
Asher, Gad, and Joseph. Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh would be given land constituting their own
respective tribes, while the priestly tribe of Levi would not have a de facto tribal area of their own. These
twelve multiplied to form the Israelite people who have a religious and historical significance

The Israelites in Egypt

The Israelites moved to Egypt after a period of drought in Canaan. During this time, Joseph was residing in
Egypt and worked in the Pharaoh's government as a governor over all Egypt. Due to his favor with the
Pharaoh, his relatives were given a territory to settle. The Israelites multiplied into a great nation and the
Pharaoh, who did not know of Joseph, subjected them to slavery as he feared they would overpower the
Egyptians because of their growth rate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exodus

In the Wilderness

During their captivity in Egypt, God heard their cries and called Moses to rescue his fellow Israelites from
their plight. Along their escape from Egypt they stopped at Mount Sinai, where God gave them the Ten
Commandments which are still followed by Jews and Christians today. The Israelites crossed the Red Sea
and were guided by God through the wilderness where they wandered for forty years due to disobedience
and unbelief. During these forty years, God still provided for them with manna which rained from heaven.
After the forty years, they were led into the Promised Land by Joshua. Moses died in the wilderness along
with other adults except for Caleb and Joshua, whom Moses commanded to lead the people. The children
of Israel crossed the Jordan River and conquered the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. They
defeated 33 kings in seven years. After this the leaders of each tribe came to Shiloh and they cast lots to
determine which part of the land was apportioned to their tribe. The promised land was finally divided up
among the 12 tribes of Israel in fulfillment to God's promises to Abraham.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sinai

Joshua. Joshua was the man that Moses chose as his successor and to lead the Israelites into the
promised land. Joshua is first seen in the Bible as a strong military leader in a battle against the Amalekites
at Rephidim. This happened early during the time of the wandering in the wilderness. When the children of
Israel arrived at the promised land at Kadesh, they sent 12 spies to survey the land of Canaan to determine
what they were up against. 10 of the spies gave a fearful report, but Joshua and Caleb encouraged the
Israelites to go up and take the land that God had promised them. Later Joshua led the tribes across the
Jordan River, near Jericho, and conquered the Land of Canaan in a period of seven years and divided it
between the remaining 9 1/2 tribes. Earlier Moses had divided the land east of the Jordan (Transjordan)
between 2 1/2 tribes as they requested (Numbers 32). During the last request of Moses before his death he
instructed Joshua to help Eleazar the priest in the allotment of the promised land. At the end of Joshua's
life he summoned all of Israel to gather at Shechem. He gave them a reminder of all the mighty works that
God had done on their behalf, and he charged them to remain faithful to the LORD. Joshua closed his
speech with the famous statement, "choose you this day whom ye will serve,? But as for me and my house,
we will serve the LORD."

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/old-testament-stories/chapter-23-joshua?lang=eng

Crossing the Jordan River. Getting the people across the Jordan River was no easy task. It was a very
large raging river and the water was full because of the flooding season. The children of Israel were very
numerous, not to mention their large flocks and herds. Joshua sought the Lord and requested that the
priests were to carry the Ark of the Covenant across the river first and lead the way. Then the people were
to follow. As they rose up in faith they enter the water in the river parted before them. They stood in the
middle of the river as all the people passed, and after they safely cross to the other side the waters
returned back to their place. Joshua told the the tribal leader of each of the 12 tribes to pick up a stone from
the river. Joshua gathered all the stones and erected a memorial to remind them and their children of how
God brought them safely across the Jordan River into the promised land.

https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-stories/3/crossing-jordan-river/

The Canaanites. The people of the land of Canaan were called "Canaanites" and they were made up of
seven great and powerful nations. Canaan was the great grandson of Ham (Noah's son), and the
Canaanites were his descendants. They were very wicked in the eyes of God and their religion was based
on idolatry, human sacrifice, temple prostitution, and many other corrupt things. God said in the Bible that
the wickedness of the Canaanites had become so great that if they were not destroyed the land itself would
vomit them out. The LORD sent Israel to do just that, to destroy them and not leave a trace, lest their
wicked ways become adopted by the Israelites.

https://truebiblefacts.com/the-canaanites-were-descended-from-canaan-son-of-ham-son-of-noah/

https://biblereadingarcheology.com/2016/05/13/did-the-canaanites-sacrifice-their-children/

Conquering the Land of Canaan. God brought judgment upon the wicked people in the land of Canaan.
He told the Israelites to completely destroy them and their neighbors. Joshua was the man chosen to fulfill
God's command. He led the Israelites to the Jordan River, and the river parted for them and they crossed
with all the people and all their flocks and possessions. Joshua was the great commander, and they first
attacked the city of Jericho(Joshua 6). Then they conquered Ai (Joshua 8). They would've destroyed
Gibeon next but the Gibeonites were shrewd and deceive the Israelites into allying with them (Joshua 9).
This was very strategic for it gave them the whole Western portion of the land as a rallying point to defeat
the rest. Next they attacked the South and defeated Lachish, Eglon, and Hebron (Joshua 11). After this
they moved to the north into the area of the Galilee region and conquered the powerful city of Hazor with
their mighty chariots and took a very large territory. (Joshua 11). The conquest of the land continued but
not all the land was conquered, and the wicked nations that were not conquered became a thorn in Israel
side in their history. Once the Israelites conquered enough land they divided it among the tribes of Israel.

In the Promised Land

The Israelites entered the Promised Land and conquered the previous inhabitants of Canaan. The land was
allocated to the people according to their tribes. The tribe of Levi was given priestly duties as well as taking
care of the Ark of the Covenant. During this time, the Israelites did not have a defined system of
government, and their cases were heard by judges who were guided by God. The Israelites were not happy
with this form of leadership and opted for a monarchical government. The first king was Saul from the tribe
of Benjamin. King David took over leadership after the death of Saul and is referred to as the founder of
Israel for his exemplary leadership and military skills. King Solomon inherited the kingdom from his father
David and was notable for his wisdom and the building of the temple. He introduced forced labor in Israel
exempting the tribes of Judah and Benjamin thus leading to the splitting of the kingdom into the Northern
and Southern kingdoms after his death. The northern 10 tribes seceded from the house of David and
formed the kingdom of Israel, while the southern two tribes, Judah and Benjamin (joined by the priestly tribe
of Levi), formed the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel was called “Israel” because
it was led by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh who bore the name of “Israel” (Genesis 48:16). The
southern kingdom was led by the tribe of Judah.

https://davidjeremiah.blog/the-promised-land-of-israel/

The Divided Kingdom

After the division of the kingdom into Judah in the south and Israel in the north, the divided Israelites led
separate lives, with intermittent bloody wars being waged between them. However, they maintained their
religious heritage in observance of their traditions. The northern kingdom of Israel went into captivity in 722
B.C by the Assyrians because of sin and rebellion toward God. Judah was taken into captivity by the
Babylonians between 604 and 586 B.C.

Just before the fall of Israel, the prophet Amos noted that the northern 10 tribes were known by the name
“house of Isaac” (Amos 7:16)—just as the prophecies of Genesis 21:12 and 48:16 had predicted. The
name of “Isaac” followed the 10 tribes wherever they went in their exile and later migrations.

God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

God promised Abraham that his descendants would be numerous (Genesis 13:16; 17:2; 22:17) and would
eventually become “many nations” (Genesis 17:4-5). He also promised Abraham that his descendants
would “possess the gate of their enemies” (Genesis 22:17) and be “blessed” mightily by God (verses 16-
18).

God also said that his descendants would be identified throughout history by the name of Abraham’s son,
“Isaac” (Genesis 21:12). The blessings given to Abraham and Isaac were called the “birthright” blessings
because they were passed on to successive generations as a right of their birth.

The “birthright” blessings given to Abraham were passed on to Isaac, who married Rebekah. Millions of
people would descend from Isaac and Rebekah over time. In fact, they would eventually number in the
billions throughout the generations of humanity on the earth.
The blessing of numerous descendants who would possess the gates of their enemies was a continuation
of the blessing God had promised Abraham that He would fulfill in Isaac (Genesis 17:17-19, 21). However,
Abraham had a previous son, Ishmael, by Hagar, and Ishmael’s descendants were also prophesied to
become numerous and constitute a “great nation” that would feature “twelve princes” (verse 20).Genesis
24:60 prophesied that Isaac’s descendants would number in the multiple millions over time.

Isaac passed his “birthright” blessings on to his son, Jacob, even though the oldest son, Esau, would
normally have received them. Genesis 25:30-34 informs us that Esau “sold” his birthright to Jacob for some
red stew. Then when their father, Isaac, officially passed on the birthright, Jacob deceived his father into
believing he was his brother. In essence, Jacob “stole” the birthright through deception (Genesis 27).

One of the blessings Jacob received from Isaac was that other nations would bow down to the nations that
would descend from Jacob (Genesis 27:29). Clearly, for this prophecy to be fulfilled, Jacob’s descendants
would have to become great nations and empires. This same blessing also promised that God would bless
the nations that blessed Jacob’s descendants and would curse the nations that cursed Jacob’s
descendants.

God reiterated Abraham’s blessings to Jacob in Genesis 28:10-15 by saying Jacob’s descendants would
be as numerous as “the dust of the earth” and they would eventually spread to all four corners of the earth
from the region of the Promised Land. Jacob’s name was later changed to “Israel” (Genesis 32:28), and he
had 12 sons who became the “12 tribes of Israel.”

The Tribes Portions. The territories allotted to the tribes were chosen from the drawing of lots, and these
were the territories from North to South:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-twelve-tribes/

Asher. The tribe of Asher was given the land along the northern coast with all of its lush green plains, a 12
mile wide strip stretching from the Leontes River north of the famous Phoenician city of Tyre to the upper
parts of the Plain of Sharon below the foot of Mount Carmel. Some of the cities were Tyre and Dor, and
Mount Carmel was also within its region.

Naphtali. The tribe of Naphtali was given the land next to the northern portion of Asher with all of its fertile
hills. Running from the Leontes River in the North down to Mount Tabor and then eastward to the upper
Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee (Chinnereth). Some of the cities were Hazor and Hammath.

Zebulun. The tribe of Zebulun was given the portion of land to the south of Asher and Naphtali.

Issachar. The tribe of Issachar was given the area just to the east of Zebulun and south of Naphtali.

Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh was given a very large area of land to the south and bordering Asher,
Zebulun and Issachar. It stretched from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the Jordan River on the east.
The beautiful plain of Sharon famous for its "lily of the valleys" and roses "Rose of Sharon"was within the
boundaries of Manasseh.
Ephraim. The tribe of Ephraim was allotted the area south of Manasseh and stretching from the Jordan
River on the east almost to the hills before the Mediterranean Sea on the west.

Dan. The tribe of Dan was given a small portion of land to the west and south of Ephraim. Its western
border was the Mediterranean Sea. During that time Dan was not able to defeat the people on the coastal
plains, which was the main portion of the land given to them, and since the hills were not big enough to
contain them many of them went to the northern portion of the Jordan River and defeated the city of Laish.
They changed its name to Dan and dwelt in this area.

Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was allotted a small portion of land to the south of Ephraim. Its eastern
border was the Jordan River.

Judah. The tribe of Judah was allotted a very large portion of land below Dan and Benjamin. It extended
from the Mediterranean Sea at the Vale of Sorek eastward through Jerusalem and over to the western
coast of the Dead Sea (Salt Sea). the southern boundary was the Wilderness of Paran. The entire territory
was beautiful, and it was great for farming from the rich coastal plain for grain, to the fertile hills
(Shephelah) for olives and grapes, and the mountains which descended quickly down to the Dead Sea.

Simeon. The tribe of Simeon was very small and lived within the southern portion of Judah, in the South
country "Negev" sharing with Judah the cities in the most southern portion of the land.

The Levites. The portion allotted to the Levites (Descendants of Levi) was the right to 48 cities that were
scattered throughout the lands within all the tribal portions. The Levites were set aside as the priestly tribe,
they were servants of the LORD to instruct the people in the things of God. They were also in charge of the
Tabernacle, it's holy vessels, and the Ark of the Covenant.

Joshua. Joshua was rewarded by the Levites for his leadership and given a city of his own, it was called
Timnath-serah which was a small insignificant place located in the hills of Ephraim. It was not until after the
tribes received their portions that Joshua accepted his. It was here at Timnath-serah that the great leader
Joshua died at 110 years old.

Shiloh. Shiloh was the place where lots were drawn and the land was divided among the tribes of Israel.
Before Joshua died he chose the city of Shiloh to be a center for the worship of the LORD. it was here that
the first city was built, the Tabernacle was erected, and the Ark of the Covenant was brought.