Initially, David was king over the Tribe of Judah only and ruled from Hebron, but after seven and a half years, the other Israelite tribes, who found themselves leaderless after the death of Ish-bosheth, chose him to be their king as well.[25]. The Tribe of Benjamin. . Conclusion (Dont worry, its been done. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 4 and 3 respectively; Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200539 B.C.E. 15 Led in with joy and gladness, But the Bible doesnt explicitly tell us what Samuel meant by this. In fact, David cites his experience as a shepherd to convince Saul why he can defeat Goliath: Your servant has been keeping his fathers sheep. SBL Academia Biblica 12. Benjamin is given special mention as an entity separate from Israel when Abner is negotiating the kingship with David (3:17ff.). One Christian interpretation of the Davidic line counts the line as continuing to Jesus son of Joseph, according to the genealogies which are written in Matthew 1:1-16 descendants of Solomon and Luke 3:23-38 descendants of Nathan son of David through the line of Mary. And it just so happened that David was a talented musician. Jerusalem was chosen by King David to be the capital mainly because the city, although part of the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, had not yet been conquered by the Israelites, and was not tied specifically to any of the twelve tribes. This time, the Lord would rescue him from a foe that Saul and his entire army were terrified of (1 Samuel 17:11). After the death of Saul, the tribe of Benjamin remained faithful to his house. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. 1 Samuel 16:23. Many years before Samuel anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, Samuel anointed Saul, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul (1 Samuel 10:16). Here are the 73 Psalms attributed to David, according to Jewish (and Protestant) tradition: Most of the Psalms David wrote are laments, giving us intimate portraits of his darkest moments. In this guide, well cover the basic facts about who he is and what the Bible says about him. Several passages in the Bible describe tribe of Benjamin as being pugnacious,[7] for example in the Song of Deborah, and in descriptions where they are described as being taught to fight left handed, so as to be able to wrong foot their enemies (Judges 3:1521, 20:16, 1 Chronicles 12:2) and where they are portrayed as being brave and skilled archers (1 Chronicles 8:40, 2 Chronicles 14:8). [44][45][46] The Messiah is often referred to as "King Messiah", or, in Hebrew, (melekh mashiach), and, in Aramaic, malka meshia. 2. Since Benjamin is the youngest, his tribe should be given the first opportunity to rule. But God told Samuel that he doesnt use the same factors as people when it comes to choosing kings: Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. It is a good question, and I do not know the answer. Benjamin was not granted to his parents until after Rachel had prayed and fasted for a second son a long time (Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, l.c. [20] Ephron is believed to be the Ophrah that was also allocated to the Tribe of Benjamin by Joshua. honor him, for he is your lord. So he sent Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem, telling him I have chosen one of his sons to be king (1 Samuel 16:1). Does a summoned creature play immediately after being summoned by a ready action? Judahs territory included the city of Jerusalem. After Saul died, all the tribes other than Judah remained loyal to the House of Saul and to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son and successor to the throne of Israel, but war ensued between the House of Saul and the House of David. In Genesis 38, Tamar tricks Judah into sleeping with her. The first king of this new entity was Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:12), which at the time was the smallest of the tribes. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lords, and he will give all of you into our hands.. Then, according to the book of Chronicles, some twenty years after the breakup of the United Monarchy, Abijah, the second king of Judah, defeated Jeroboam of Israel and took back the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. ; "Sefer ha-Yashar," Wayishla, ib. In the Bible, anointed one and messiah are synonymous. In the Samaritan Pentateuch the name appears as Binyamm (Hebrew: ). Gottheil, Richard, et al. One of Hasan's descendants Solomon ben Azariah ha-Nasi settled in Aleppo were the family became Dayan's (judges) of the city and thus adopted the surname Dayan. In Acts 13:22, Paul appears to give an explanation: After removing Saul, he made David their king. After Davids repeated attempts to get Uriah to spend time with his wife, Uriah told him: The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lords men are camped in the open country. those brought to be with her. [18], The origins of the dynasty, on the other hand, are shrouded in mystery. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. According to the Torah, the Tribe of Benjamin (Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}, Modern:Bnyamn, Tiberian:Bnymn) was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Bibliography W. F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity (1957), passim; M. Noth, History of Israel (1958) 73f., 146, 233; GTT (1959), 164ff. 1), "who devours his enemy" (Gen. xlix. The biblical authors present slightly different representations of Davids immediate family: he was either Jesses seventh son, or his eighth (1 Chronicles 2:1314, 1 Samuel 16:1011). However the question of the western border is settled, Benjamite territory was strategically located for warfare, the main highway from N to S passing through it. But it didnt work out that way. According to some, is equivalent to ("son of days"), because Benjamin was born to his father in his old age (Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, Benjamin i. ; Midrash Lea-ob; and Rashi, ed. There are three reasons to justify giving the tribe of Benjamin the first opportunity to rule: The Elder-Younger Relationship the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. How many wives David had? But he was a strong . In the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained with control of the capital city of Jerusalem. The stele is dated to circa 840 BCE; however, the name of the Davidic king is not totally preserved, as much of the stele has not survived since the 9th century BCE. For God said: "If theythe Israelitesbuild me a Temple in some other place and seek my mercy, I can show them as little mercy as they showed their brother Joseph." Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1997, nos. The Stepped Stone Structure and Large Stone Structure in Jerusalem, assuming Eilat Mazar's contested stratigraphic dating of the structures to the Iron Age I is accurate, show that Jerusalem was at least somewhat populated in King David's time, and lends some credence to the biblical claim that Jerusalem was originally a Canaanite fortress; however, Jerusalem seems to have been barely developed until long after David's death,[19] bringing into question the possibility that it could have been the imperial capital described in the Bible. In the 11th-15th century, families that descended from the Exilarchs that lived in the South of France (Narbonne and Provence) and in northern Iberian peninsula (Barcelona, Aragon and Castile) received the title "Nasi" in the communities and were called "free men". Instead, Jacob, his father, preferred to call him Benjamin, which can be read in Hebrew as meaning, "son of my right [hand]" (Genesis 35:16-18). her virgin companions follow her ", "Recent decades, for example, have seen a remarkable reevaluation of evidence concerning the conquest of the land of Canaan by Joshua. The Hebrew text of the Bible passage (Gen 49:10) you try to understand implies that: 1) the tribe of Judah, starting from a crucial moment, would receive (from God) the honor to have kings on the throne of Jerusalem (until the latter existed! Because of this, some people have assumed that Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah. [43], In Jewish eschatology, the term mashiach, or "Messiah", came to refer to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line, who is expected to be anointed with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age. The tribes lived as a united nation through the reign of King David's son, Solomon. ; compare Heilprin, "Seder ha-Dorot," i. 52, ed. Because the stele coincides the death of the Davidic king with the death of [Jeho]ram, the king of the Kingdom of Samaria, scholars have reconstructed the second slain king as Ahaziah of Judah, the only king contemporary to Jehoram with a name ending in -yah. Benjamin was the only son born in Canaan and choosing the first king from Benjamin is a way to recognize that distinction. During the Hasmonean period the Davidic line was largely excluded from the royal house in Judea, but some members had risen to prominence as religious and communal leaders. As Benjamins contribution to the team of spies sent into Canaan, Palti the son of Raphu served (13:9). Psalm 7 is the only Biblical mention of this later Cush, who was from the tribe of Benjamin. R. xiv. The erection of the Temple on Benjamitic ground is explained in several ways. Forget your people and your fathers house. rev2023.3.3.43278. Thus Ehud the Benjamite, Israels second deliverer in the period of the Judges, was remembered for being left-handed (Judg 3:15). David is the only person referred to this way in the Bible. Ta'anit iv. How is Jesus " " (Luke 1:32 NAS28) different from a prophet (, Luke 1:76 NAS28)? While modern readers tend to focus on Jesus birth in a manger, its important to consider the implications that this manger was in Bethlehema town the Jewish people associated with one of the biggest announcements in their history, where their most important king had his humble beginnings. Bright, History of Israel (1960), 142, 189, 213-216; F. F. Bruce, Israel and the Nations (1963), passim. All subsequent kings in both the ancient first united Kingdom of Israel and the later Kingdom of Judah claimed direct descent from King David to validate their claim to the throne in order to rule over the Israelite tribes. There are conflicting accounts of the fate of the Exilarch family in the 11th century; according to one version Hezekiah ben David, who was the last Exilarch and also the last Gaon, was imprisoned and tortured to death. The Lord told David the reason for the scarcity: "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death" ( 2 Samuel 21:1 ). King Saul of the Benjamin Israelite tribe was the first king of Israel. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, Do not fear, for you have another son. And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. English Standard Version But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab. Despite his glaring flaws, the David is described as a man after Gods own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). The Israelite and Philistine armies lined up on opposing hills, Goliath taunted the Israelites and challenged them to decide the battle with a duel: him against one of them (1 Samuel 17:8-11). R., lntroduction, 33). The tribe descended from Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob. Referring to the start (morning) and the end (evening) of the state-history of Israel, we read there: Benjamin as a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty. (Darby). Must Acts 13:21 mean that Saul reigned 40 years? Hezekiah, Ahaz's son, is attested to by numerous royal seals[10][11] and Sennacherib's Annals;[12] Manasseh is recorded giving tribute to Esarhaddon;[13] Josiah has no relics explicitly naming him; however, seals belonging to his son Eliashib[14] and officials Nathan-melech[15][16] and Asaiah[17] have been discovered; and the kings Jehoahaz II, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah are never explicitly named in historical records but are instead alluded to; however, Jeconiah is mentioned by name in Babylonian documents detailing the rations he and his sons were given while held prisoner during the Babylonian captivity. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. The prophecy of Ahijah, who divided his new garment into twelve pieces and gave ten to Jeroboam with the explanation that he would rule over ten tribes, allows the possibility that Benjamin remained with Judah. Jacob's Naming When he was born, Rachel gave him the name of Ben-oni: Then they journeyed from Bethel. Mari texts but that seems, on the whole, to be unlikely. 8), and not until Jacob was one hundred years old (Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, ib. When David was anointed, the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, and an evil spirit began to torment him (1 Samuel 16:14). ; J. There were two Benjamin gates in the city of Jerusalem, one in the Temple (Jer 20:2) and the other perhaps to be identified with the sheep gate in the N wall of the city (37:13; Zech 14:10). the larger division of the tribe of Benjamin, to which the house of Saul, a much smaller subdivision of the family, belonged (see note on 2 Samuel 14:7). Joshua 18:21-27 gives a list of the many cities and towns contained within the territory of Benjamin and, included among them are Jebus (=Jerusalem) and Jericho. 10 Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: The Bible doesnt explicitly say when David lived, but many scholars believe he existed around 1,000 BC. Davids line ruled in Jerusalem for about 400 years, until King Nebuchadnezzar captured the city and broke the line of kings. The tribe was descended from Benjamin, the youngest son of the patriarch Jacob (later given the name Israel) and his wife Rachel. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The Blessing of Moses, portrayed in the Bible as a prophecy by Moses about the future situation of the twelve tribes, describes Benjamin as "dwelling between YHWH's shoulders", in reference to its location between the leading tribe of the Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim), and the leading tribe (Judah) of the Kingdom of Judah.[22]. The text refers several times to the Benjaminite warriors as "men of valour"[2] despite their defeat. He also supports his own Jewish credentials by reference to his descent from the tribe of Benjamin (Rom 11:1; Phil 3:5). When David was crowned kingDavid was from the tribe of Judah (one of Leah's tribes)the Benjamites rebelled (2 Samuel 2-3). Later rabbinical authorities grant the office of exilarch to family members that traced its patrilineal[26] descent from David, King of Israel. Responding to a growing threat from Philistine incursions, the Israelite tribes formed a strong, centralised monarchy during the eleventh century BC. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The kingdom fell to the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587/6 BCE. 22:24, 28), and therefore of the royal line of David. Some passages support this (1 Kings 12:20) while others state explicitly that Benjamin remained with Judah (12:21, 23; 2 Chron 11:10, 12, 23; 14:8; 15:2, 9, etc.). He had hurried from Bahurim to meet David. In the same chapter, to the verse 27, God (through Jacob) prophecied about the remarkable actions related to the people of Israel characterizing the tribe of Benjamin. [7] Uzziah may also be mentioned in the annals of Tiglath-Pileser III; however, the texts are largely fragmentary. Samuel thought he would know whom God had chosen by their appearance, and assumed the oldest, Eliab, was clearly the chosen one: When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, Surely the Lords anointed stands here before the Lord. 1 Samuel 16:6. He was betrayed by a woman of Abel of Beth-maachah and was slain. Leghorn, p. 56b). Nathan told a story about a rich man who stole a prized lamb from a poor man. Lawrence J. Mykytiuk. Deu. Very little is conclusively known about the House of David. David was from the tribe of Judah The 12 tribes of Israel descended from Jacob's 12 sons, and with the exception of Levi, each tribe controlled a specific territory within the nation of Israel. tribe of Judah David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, a farmer and sheep breeder of the Israelite tribe of Judah. The Tribe of Benjamin, located to the north of Judah but to the south of the Kingdom of Israel, is significant in biblical narratives as a source of various Israelite leaders, including the first Israelite king, Saul, as well as earlier tribal leaders in the period of the Judges. [10][11][12], The Bible recounts that Joshua assigned to Benjamin the territory between that of Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south, with the Jordan River as the eastern border, and included many historically important cities, such as Bethel, Gibeah, and encroached on the northern hills of Jerusalem. Though Joshua allocated Bethel to Benjamin, by the time of the prophetess Deborah, Bethel is described as being in the land of the Tribe of Ephraim (Judges 4:5). When, at the Red Sea, all the other tribes stood in desperation only the tribe of Benjamin trusted in God and leaped into the sea (Mekilta, Beshalla, Wayira 5; Sotah 36b).[23]. Almost the entire tribe of Benjamin was wiped out by the other Israelite tribes. The tribe of Benjamin continued to oppose David being named as king. A stone inscription known as the Tel Dan Stele dates from the late ninth or early eighth century BC, and it refers to the House of David. Another inscription from around 840 BC (the Moab Stele), may refer to David as well. Since Jacob had blessed Judah and prophesied that (Genesis 49:10): The scepter will not turn aside from Judah until Shiloh comes, and to him the obedience of the people will belong. Neh 11:4, 7, 31; 2 Macc 3:4). Warriors from the tribe of Benjamin might have been trained to be equally or more effective with their left hands. Far from trigger a contradiction, these passages harmonize themselves and confirm us for the nth time that the Bible is fully trustworthy. And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Perhaps the meaning was understood that Benjamin's King was never meant to continue as it is said: A wolf not a lion the biblical royal ensign, In the evening he divides or shares his spoil or gain (the kingdom of Israel), The beloved dwell in safety by Benjamin (David of Judah? Over the course of his life, David was frequently the vehicle God used to display his compassion and redeem his people. Israels first king, Saul, was a Benjamite and his appointment enhanced the prestige of the tribe. ), Seemingly Benjamin will be covered with the beloved, The beloved will bear Benjamin between of with his shoulders, All in all this is prophetically the relationship between the everlasting royal house of David via Judah as the beloved in relationship as it happened with Benjamin as a tribe. And few of My servants are grateful. After Solomon died, the Israelites divided into two separate kingdoms, each with its own king. Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology, How do you get out of a corner when plotting yourself into a corner. At the time of the first census under Moses, the able-bodied men available for war from the tribe of Benjamin was given as 35,400 (Num 1:37) and at the second census, 45,600 (26:41). His comparison to the ravening wolf (Cant. Buber, Wayesheb, 8).When Benjamin was detained as the alleged thief of the cup, Joseph pretended that Benjamin had been instigated by his brothers. Hes also mentioned in several other books, and nearly half of the Psalms are attributed to him. 12 The city of Tyre will come with a gift,[d] Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Since about the 11th or 12th century, with the demise of the dynasty of Resh Galuta, the leaders of the Babylonian Jewish community who claimed descent from King David, there has been nobody with a real claim of descent from King David. The Norwegians, the advanced Benjamin, made the Oslo Accords of 1993. Join our email list, and well send you some of our best free resourcesplus well tell you whenever we make something new. In addition, Mormon eschatology includes multiple references to other prophesied Davidic figures,[52] including one by the name of David who would come in the last days to inherit the throne and kingdom of David.[53]. He reigned from Gibeah for 38 years (1 Samuel 8:31). The Hasmoneans, also known as the Maccabees, established their own monarchy in Judea following their revolt against the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty. [31] Meir Perels traced the ancestry of Judah Loew ben Bezalel to the Hai Gaon through Judah Loew's alleged great-great-grandfather Judah Leib the Elder and therefore also from the Davidic dynasty; however, this claim is widely disputed, by many scholars such as Otto Muneles. As the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for; you might get it. Wait There Were How Many Herods?! b.c. He was defying God himself on Gods own turf. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Some have thought that the origin of the tribe is to be found in the Binu (or Maru) yamina of the 18th cent. Buber, Wayiggash, 7; the meanings of the names are also given in Soah 36b; Gen. R. xciv.