Week 13 Judges 1
The book of Judges opens with the people asking the Lord which tribe should be first to go into battle. The answer is: Judah, for I have given them victory over the land. That might be why the Judah tribe is featured in chapter 1 (it’s not like no one else is mentioned…but the spotlight seems to be on them).
So Judah (tag-teaming with Simeon) begins consolidating territory. They’re spot-lighted in the first 21-verses (it’s confusing at first because some of Caleb’s story seems to clutter things up. But even though in reality Caleb is a Kenite he had become a kind of naturalized Judahite – he had been Judah’s choice to spy-out Canaan in Numbers 13 – and his land allotment was inside Judah-territory).
Anyway after featuring the Judah clan in 1:2-21 ‘Joseph’ appears. There is no tribe-of-Joseph…only the tribes of his two sons – Manasseh & Ephraim. They get about 8-verses.
Even though it looks like Judah (+Simeon) and Ephraim & Manasseh get top-billing in chapter 1 there are honourable-mentions: Benjamin Zebulun Asher Naphtali & Dan.
So the nine tribes I found in chapter 1 were Judah Simeon Ephraim Manasseh Benjamin Zebulun Asher Naphtali Dan.
There’s no mention of Issachar.
No mention of Reuben Gad & ½-Manasseh (they were already set up across the river).
No mention of Levi (for obvious reasons).
I wonder if there’s anything to make of it but I’m finished for today and so I’m left wondering.
Note: quote from Judges 1:2 (NLT)