Week 5 Joshua 18-19
A couple of weeks ago I was looking at Genesis 49 – it was the blessings / forecasts that Jacob gave to his sons. At that point I wanted to see what biographical data I could find about each of the boys and then look for logical connections from there to each boy’s unique ‘blessing’. Reuben cooperated. So did Simeon Levi and Judah.
It was a different story when it came to Zebulun Issachar Dan Gad Asher & Naphtali. Not only were their blessings pretty cryptic but I couldn’t find any biographical data on them. So the exercise fell flat. In the end I lumped them together and called them ‘the shadowy sextet’. Then I found that Benjamin was pretty inconspicuous too. So I ended up packaging him in with his other six semi-anonymous brothers.
Anyway…now I land on the land distribution chapters in Joshua and see that Benjamin Simeon Zebulun Issachar Asher Naphtali & Dan are grouped in a consecutive list. 66-verses in two chapters. Each tribe averaging about 9.5 verses. By contrast the other brothers each had pretty much a whole chapter to himself.
When reading Genesis 49 I came away with the feeling that Benjamin Zebulun Issachar Dan Gad Asher & Naphtali were second-tier sons. And in a quick read through Joshua 18-19 I have no reason to think differently.
Looks like some boys – specifically Judah Joseph (Ephraim-Manasseh) & Levi – were going to shape-up better than the others.
Note: see previous posts 12-blessings; Reuben; Simeon & Levi; Judah; the-shadowy-sextet; Benjamin and Joseph January 6-16 2026.