Finnish-Ugric people. Finno-Ugric peoples
The tribes of Israel are considered to be the tribes of the descendants of the 12 sons of the patriarch Jacob, who formed the Israeli people. This is what the Holy Scripture says.
Tribe of Reuben
Reuben is the first son of Patriarch Jacob and his wife Leah. Primogeniture determines his leading position in the ancient confederation of Israelite tribes. Reuben is noted first in the list of those sons of Israel who came out of Egypt.
The Ruvinites lived on the plateaus of Gil'ad and further south until the conquest of these lands by the Assyrian army in 733-732. BC e. The words from Moses’ dying prayer sound like a prophecy: Reuben will not die, even if few of his people remain. ABOUT future fate nothing is known about the Ruvinites. There is an assumption that the Afghan Rabbani are descendants of this tribe.
Knee Simeonovo
Simeon (Shimon) is also the son of Jacob and Leah. According to one version, his name comes from his mother’s words at his birth that the Lord heard (shama) that she was unloved and gave her a son. The second version says that in Hebrew in biblical times the word "shimon" meant the name of a wild animal, possibly a hyena.
Simeon had 6 sons, who laid the foundation for the family branches. The Shimonites were shepherds without a strong political organization. Having united with the numerous and influential tribe of Judah to accelerate the conquest of the country, they were then absorbed by it. Individual clans still existed independently, looking for convenient pastures for livestock.
The representative of this tribe is Judith. The descendants of Shimon were also numerous scribes of the Torah. According to legend, the Shinmari Pashtun tribe originates from Shimon.
Tribe of Levi
Levi is the third son of Jacob and Leah. His descendants are called Levites. They were divided into 2 degrees. The first were the priests (kohanim), who considered themselves descendants of Aaron. The second is representatives of the tribe of Levi, not related to the descendants of Aaron.
The Levites sang psalms, were musicians, maintained order during worship, healed lepers, formed an honorary temple guard, and led the ritual of sacrifice. As a rule, they taught the people the law of the Torah and were chroniclers.
At first, the tribe of Levi was the only one that did not have its own inheritance, but lived among other tribes. However, later they received land plots near the cities, which supported the priesthood with donations, which after the death of Solomon led to the rebellion of the 10 northern tribes and the expulsion of all Levites from the kingdom of Israel.
Tribe of Judah
The fourth son of Jacob and Leah, named Judah, is considered the ancestor of the next tribe. After his marriage to the daughter of the Canaanite (Phoenician) Shui Bat-Shua, his family continues with three sons, which indicates a mixture of these clans. Subsequently, other clans branched out and joined the tribe of Judah.
For the first time in biblical traditions this group mentioned after the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Some legends tell that the descendants of Judah were the first to enter the Red Sea.
It should be noted that in Judaism, primacy in almost everything is given to representatives of a given tribe. Elisheba is considered the foremother of all clergy, Bezalel is the builder of the Tabernacle, Othniel ben Knaz is the first judge, Solomon is the builder of the first Temple of Jerusalem. And all pious kings trace their origins to the tribe of Judah. Modern Jews are largely considered to be descendants of Judah.
Tribe of Dan
Dan is the son of Jacob and Rachel's maid Bilhah, who became his wife. From him came a tribe that numbered 62,700 representatives during the period of the exodus of Jews from Egypt. After the conquest of Canaan, this tribe was given a fertile small area in the Jaffa region on the Mediterranean coast. Samson, a hero who bravely fought the Philistines, is considered a descendant of Dan. During the time of Moses, the tribe of Dan was very numerous.
The Danites early had to look for a new territory to resettle. The attention of the ambassadors who went to look for land was focused on the area near the city of Laisha. There is also a version that the ancient Greek Danaans came from this Jewish family. According to Christian mythology, it is from this one of the lost tribes of Israel that the Antichrist will emerge.
Tribe of Naphtali
Naphtali is Dan's brother, also born from Rachel's maidservant Bilha (Bilha). His tribe was divided into 4 clans, which originated from the sons of Naphtali.
The territory where the Naphthalites lived was considered important both from a geographical and military point of view. She was distinguished by amazing fertility. Even in the Bible, the entire Galilee is called “the land of Naphtali.” The artist Hiram-Abi, whose father was a Tyrian, came from the tribe of Naphtali on his mother’s side, which indicates a mixture of tribes.
Jesus Christ spent a lot of time in the lands of the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. This knee is among the missing.
Knee of Gadovo
Gad is the seventh son of Jacob, whose mother was Leah's maid Zilpah. His name translated from Hebrew means “luck” or “army”, and it goes back to the Phoenician deity Gad. The Gadites occupied a certain part of Gilead and almost the entire Jordan Valley.
They were a warlike and brave tribe. During the period of wandering in the desert, the tribe had a significant number of warriors - more than 40 thousand. IN early times the Gadites led their history constant wars. And subsequently the warriors of the tribe of Gad accepted Active participation along with other Israelite tribes in the conquest of Canaan. A descendant of Gad was the Israeli judge Yiftach. After being captured by the Assyrians, the fate of the representatives of this tribe is not known, so it is considered missing.
Tribe of Asir
Asir – brother Gad, born of Jacob and Leah's maid Zilpah. Perhaps the name Asir (Asher) comes from the word “happy,” reminiscent of the ethnic name of the Assyrians, or from the deity Asherah. Subsequently, this tribe was divided into five branches and had tens of thousands of people who carried weapons. The banner of Asher, whose color resembles burning olive oil, depicts an olive tree.
The descendants of the tribe of Asher lived on fertile lands that coincide with the territory of modern Lebanon. They coexisted quite peacefully with their neighbors. The cities of Sidon and Tire, from which Carthage and other Phoenician colonies in Spain and Africa were later founded, were part of Asir's allotment.
During the time of David and Hezikiah, representatives of this tribe enjoyed good fame. From him came the prophetess Anna, who glorified the Almighty for the birth of Jesus Christ. David's army included 40,000 warriors from the tribe of Asherah.
Tribe of Issachar
Issachar, born in Mesopotamia, was the ninth son of Jacob and the fifth of his wife Leah. His name is interpreted as going back to the name Egyptian god Sokar'a. The four sons of Issachar later became the founders of 4 clans of Issacharites, who preferred a settled, quiet life. In the blessing of Moses they are shown as a peaceful tribe. However, at a time when it was necessary to protect native land, the Issacharites showed courage and patriotism.
Representatives of this tribe combined wealth with science. No wonder many of them were scientists and sages. Their destiny was the plateau of the Lower Galilee, as well as parts of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys up to Mount Tabor. The blue-black banner with the image of the Sun and Moon symbolized the interest of the descendants of Issachar in astronomy and calendar calculations.
Tribe of Zebulun
Zebulun is the tenth son of Jacob, whose mother was Leah. His tribe had three branches, which went back to his three heirs. This tribe is often mentioned along with the tribes of Issachar and Naphtali. According to Talmudic legend, they lived together in harmony, studying the Torah together and delving into divine wisdom.
The Zebulonites lived in the southern part of the Lower Galilee and the northwestern territory of the Jezreel Valley, which were distinguished by fertility and the presence of rich water resources. Therefore, they grew rich harvests of bread, figs, grapes, and had fat oxen and sheep. The descendants of Zebulun took part in the wars of the era of the Judges of Israel, distinguished by bravery and courage. The prophet Jonah is considered a representative of this tribe.
Due to the unknown fate of the Zebulunites captured by the Assyrians, the tribe is among the missing.
Tribe of Joseph
Joseph, called the Beautiful, is the 11th son of Jacob and the first of Rachel. His two sons, the elder Menashshe and the younger Ephraim, became the founders of independent tribes. Therefore, the concept of the Family of Joseph (Beit Yosef) is more often used. The lands of Joseph's tribe were adjacent to the Jordan River. The cities of Nablus and Shiloh were also located on them. The ancestral symbols were a sheaf of wheat, a bull, an onyx, a unicorn, vine, palm tree
The Josephites were captured by the Assyrians and are therefore considered the lost tribe. Israelis in Britain believe that the descendants of the tribe of Joseph live in the USA and Great Britain.
Tribe Veniaminovo
Benjamin (Binyamin) is the youngest son of Jacob. His mother is Rachel. The tribe was considered the youngest, therefore it had the smallest territory: from mountainous region, where representatives of the tribe of Ephraim lived, to the mountainous region inhabited by the descendants of Yehuda. However, their lands were famous for their fertility, and their nature for its healthy climate.
The tribe of Benjamin was quite warlike. There were Veniaminites brave warriors and well-aimed slingers. Jacob's blessing compares the founder of the tribe to a ravenous wolf. Perhaps that is why this particular animal was embroidered on the flag of the tribe.
The Spanish religious philosopher Abraham Bibago believes that Aristotle came from the tribe of Benjamin. It is believed that the Apostle Paul was a descendant of Benjamin.
At present, awareness of tribal involvement is preserved only among the Levites. Some of them, priests (kohanim), keep the memory of their origin from the family of Aaron.
The tribes of Israel, or the tribes of Israel, is the name given to the descendants of the sons of Jacob, of whom he had twelve and who, according to Holy Scripture formed the people of Israel.
In the Bible, when first listing all the tribes of Israel, we can read 12 names of the sons of Jacob. A little later, the Bible tells that there were thirteen tribes of Israel. Where did this figure come from? Jacob, instead of Joseph, made Joseph's sons Ephraim and Mennashe the ancestors of independent Israeli tribes, therefore, the number increased from 12 to 13 tribes of Israel.
Almost all lists of the tribes of Israel in the Bible list the names of the 13 tribes, but this point is always specified, since the tribe of Levi is excluded as dedicated to God and serving him. The tribe of Levi is not counted in the number of combat-ready men, its place is not indicated in the order of listing the tribes during the transition to Canaan, the tribe of Levi does not receive a place and share in the Promised Land, you can list a lot of events in the Bible, where not a word is said about the thirteenth tribe of Israel.
Therefore, deprived land plot the tribe of Levi is practically not included in the total count of the Israelite tribes, and its selection from the total number of the main tribes of Israel, to perform those functions that are only allowed to it, recreates the original number of Israelite tribes - twelve. Precepts that refer to the number of tribes without listing their names also speak of the number 12 as a traditional number.
It says that each of the twelve tribes of Israel received their own land allotment in the Promised Land. In 928 BC, when he died wise Solomon, single state– The kingdom of Israel was divided into two: the southern kingdom became known as Judah (the territories that belonged to the tribes of Benjamin and Judah), and the northern kingdom was called Israel (the lands where the remaining 10 tribes lived). The divided state lost its power and strength. The Assyrians captured the kingdom of Israel, and most of its population were taken captive and settled in small groups in different parts and regions of a huge power. Since then, the history and fate of the ten tribes of Israel have been unknown. Most of the remaining Israelis, descendants of the ten tribes of Israel, gradually assimilated with the peoples in whose neighborhood they lived.
When did the Second Temple period begin? most of Jews apparently could no longer prove which tribe of Israel she belonged to.
According to the New Testament, John the Baptist belonged to a priestly family, and the prophetess Anna, mentioned in the New Testament, belonged to the tribe of Asherah, the Apostle Paul was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin.
It must be said that the number of apostles in the Christian church - twelve, also has symbolic meaning, and as Bible experts say, it is connected with the number of sons of Jacob and, accordingly, with the number of tribes of Israel.
Today, the awareness of which tribe they belong to is preserved only among the great-grandsons of the tribe of Levi, the very thirteenth. The descendants of the tribe of Levi, the Kohanim, even preserved the memory that they descended from the family of Aaron.
Ethnic groups of Jews claim to be direct descendants of the ten tribes of Israel that once disappeared. They consider themselves to be the descendants of the Israeli tribes of Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahim Jews, Krymchaks, Yemenite Jews, as well as others.
Sub name ethnic group Jews "Ashkenazi" comes from the medieval Semitic name for Germany during the Middle Ages. Ashkenaz is what the Semites called this state. This place was perceived as the place where the descendants of one of the tribes of Israel settled - the descendants of Askenaz, who was the grandson of Japheth. IN modern world Ashkenazim are the majority of Jews in America and Europe, as well as half of Israeli Jews. Ashkenazim are always opposed to the subethnic group of Jews - Sephardim. In modern Israel, Ashkenazis speak the so-called Ashkenazi dialect, that is, a dialect. The difference between the Ashkenazi version and modern Hebrew is in the pronunciation of some letters, in particular in the pronunciation of consonants and vowels. The Ashkenazi dialect is used in oral speech for reciting prayers in Ashkenazi synagogues.
As for the Sephardim, another group that considers itself descendants of the tribes of Israel, their formation as a separate ethnic group occurred on the Iberian Peninsula from those Jews who migrated in a stream to the Roman Empire. The everyday language of Sephardim is the historical language of Ladino. This language is similar in pronunciation to Spanish.
In addition, today, in the modern world, many small tribes claim descent from the ten tribes of Israel. It must be said that not all applicants undergo genetic testing for haplogroup. These tribes include a small tribe located in the southern latitudes of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh - the Bnei Ephraim. This tribe considers itself to be the ancient descendants of the tribe of Ephraim. It communicates in Telugu. In the same India, in the state of Manipur and the state of Mizoram, there lives another small tribe that considers itself to be the descendants of one of the ten tribes of Israel - Minasseh. A small group of Jews who live in Bombay and other big cities India and Pakistan, also considers itself to be the descendants of the ancient tribes of Israel. One of the tribes living in Africa in Zimbabwe, according to DNA analysis carried out by London scientists, suggests that representatives of the Lemba tribe have Jewish roots. It is the results of research that allow scientists to claim that representatives of the Lemba tribe belong to the ancient tribe of Cohens. Ethiopian Jews who call themselves Falasha consider themselves descendants of Dan. Jews living in Bukhara, Persian Jews, consider themselves to be the tribe of Ephraim. A group of Jews living in Nigeria and calling themselves Ingbo, consider themselves to be descendants of Ephraim, Manasseh, Gad, Levi and Zebulun. A small tribe of Samaritans who live in the cities of Holon and Nablus consider themselves to be among the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, those tribes that were not exiled, but have existed in these places since biblical times. Georgian Jews claim descent from the tribe of Issachar.
Here are their names: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Yosef, Binyamin.
Have you recalculated? Twelve? But not everything is as simple with arithmetic as it seems. Yosef's sons, Menashe and Ephraim, made rapid careers. Jacob adopted his grandchildren and “appointed” the ancestors of two independent tribes instead of their father. Thus, there were thirteen knees. Probably in order to preserve what is sacred for many Middle Eastern ( but not only) cultures, the number 12 is intact, one of the tribes - Levi - began to be kept “in mind”. The Bible explains this by saying that the descendants of Levi were assigned to serve in the tabernacle, and therefore, unlike the other tribes, they did not receive an inheritance in the Promised Land.
2. After the death of King Solomon (about 928 BC), the Jewish state was divided into two: Judah and Israel. The tribes of Yehuda and Benjamin ended up in Judah, and the remaining ten tribes made up the population of Israel. In 721 BC. The Assyrian king Sargon II captured the capital of the Kingdom of Israel Samaria and drove its inhabitants into captivity. From that moment on, ten of the twelve tribes of Israel disappeared from the historical scene. Tragic fate the lost tribes are explained both in the Bible and in later tradition as just retribution for sins. However, the hope for their return has not died for almost three thousand years. One, two, three, four, five... let's go look.
3. Some ancient authors showed an enviable knowledge of the fate of the lost tribes and argued that the exile contributed to their correction. Thus, the apocryphal Book of Ezra mentions that they live beyond the Euphrates River in the country of Arsareph, strictly observing the Law.
The Jewish historian Josephus writes in Antiquities of the Jews that “ten tribes still live beyond the Euphrates and are so numerous that they cannot be numbered.” And the Roman writer Pliny the Elder reports that the Sambation River with its rapid flow prevents the lost tribes from returning from exile. On Saturday, the riverbed dries up, “but you cannot cross it, so as not to violate the Law on the Sabbath, when it is forbidden to travel long distances, and when you try to cross it on Saturday, the river begins to boil with a terrible noise. Therefore, the ten tribes of Israel cannot be reunited with the two tribes; only with the coming of the Messiah will this become possible.”
4. The sages of the Mishnah and Talmud, who, as is known, rarely show unanimity on any issue, did not betray themselves in in this case. “Just as this day passes and does not return, so the tribes of Israel have gone and will not return,” argued Rabbi Akiva. “It gets dark and it gets light. So are the ten tribes: at first they were in darkness, but then there will be light for them,” Rabbi Eliezer objected to him. The ten tribes “will not return if their deeds are the same as on that day (i.e., before their exile), but they will return if their deeds (now) are not the same,” summarized Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda.
5. The Jewish “Baron Munchausen” Eldad Danit (IX century), in his book replete with amazing details, tells that he himself comes from the tribe of Dan, and next to the Danites in the “Golden Country” near the Red Sea, other lost people “live in peace and harmony” tribes - Naphtali, Gad and Asherah:
“There they found themselves good land, fertile, spacious, replete with gardens, parks, fields and vineyards. And the Kushites began to pay tribute to the newcomers, because they were afraid of them. The named tribes had gold in abundance; very, very many sheep, cattle, camels, horses and donkeys; they sow, reap and live in tents, roam from border to border. They have as many children as there is sand on the seashore, and all the men are very warlike...”
The descendants of the lost tribe of Issachar, Eldad wrote, live “in the mountains, on the seashore, at the end of the Persian and Median lands; They live peacefully, calmly and carelessly, engage in cattle breeding, speak the sacred language and study the Torah.” To the south of the tribe of Issachar, the tribe of Zebulun is located in tents: “between them there is peace, love, brotherhood and friendship.” And the tribe of Ephraim and half the tribe of Menashe live in South Arabia, near Mecca - they are “very strong and warlike, so that one is able to defeat a thousand people.” And the tribe of Shimon and half the tribe of Menashe “dwell in the country kuzarim(Khazar)‚ at a distance of six months' journey from Jerusalem; they are innumerable and take tribute from 25 kingdoms. The Ishmaelites pay them tribute because of their fearsome appearance and bravery.”
6. Having learned about the existence of a “Jewish” state in distant Khazaria, a high-ranking official at the court of the Arab caliphs in Spain, Hasdai ibn Shaprut (10th century), was incredibly inspired:
“Through this we raised our heads, our spirit came to life and our hands became stronger. The kingdom of my master has become for us (a justification) to open our mouths boldly. Oh, if only I received this news great strength, since thanks to her our elevation will increase. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who did not deprive us of an intercessor and did not abolish the torch and the kingdom from the tribes of Israel!
Formed, according to tradition, the Israeli people.
When first listing the tribes, the Bible calls them by the names of the 12 sons of Jacob (Gen. 49:28), although he had already adopted, according to the sequence of the biblical narrative (but, apparently, not historical chronology), Ephraim and Menashshe and elevated them to the ancestors of two tribes instead of them father Joseph (Gen. 48:5; cf. Ib. 14:4), which increased the number of tribes to 13. Most lists of the tribes of Israel in the Bible tend to give the names of all 13 tribes, but always with the caveat that excludes the tribe of Levi as dedicated to serving the cult. Thus, it is not included in the count of combat-ready men (Num. 1:47), its place in the order of the tribes during transitions on the way to Canaan is not indicated (ibid., 2:33); it does not receive an inheritance in the Promised Land and in Transjordan (ibid., 26:57, 62, etc.). The tribe of Levi, deprived of its land allotment, actually does not count towards the general count, and its separation from the community of tribes to perform only the functions permitted to it restores the original number of 12 tribes of Israel. Precepts concerning the number of tribes without listing them also indicate 12 as their traditional number (Ex. 28:9–12, 21).
In the division of the Israelites into 12 tribes, biblical criticism sees a later genealogical construction designed to explain the common history of the Israeli tribes by their blood connection. According to one point of view, the union of the Israelite tribes already existed during the period of wanderings in Sinai, but the conquest of Canaan was carried out by them separately and in different time. According to another hypothesis, the unification of the tribes arose at the end of the era of the Judges (see the book of Judges of Israel) - the beginning of the era of the monarchy, but the consciousness of national unity, based on ethnic closeness and commonality of history, faith and cult, arose even before the penetration of the Israelites into Canaan. The tradition according to which the 12 tribes of Israel were defined as a people already in the era of the enslavement of the Israelites, newcomers from the Land of Canaan, and their descendants in Egypt, is considered historically unfounded.
The number 12, adopted in the Bible for the tribes of Israel, has a sacred-mythological character in many archaic traditions (especially the Middle East) and belongs to the most common numerical patterns in mythopoetic cultures, often also accepted in the Bible for other tribal genealogies (cf. Gen. 22 :20–24; 25:13–16). Unions of 12 (or 6) tribes are also known among other peoples (in Asia Minor, Italy and Greece) and are called amphictyony in science. They usually formed around a common cult center and had a stable numerical structure. Thus, if one of the tribes left the union or was absorbed by another tribe, the number 12 was maintained either by dividing one of the tribes into two, or by admitting a new tribe into the union. The use of a similar method is noticeable in the Bible. When, for example, the descendants or tribe of Levi are considered as one of the 12 tribes of Israel, the line of Joseph is considered one tribe (Gen. 46:8–25; 49:1–27), but when Levi is not mentioned, the descendants of Joseph are considered as two separate tribes (Num. 26:5–51). To maintain the twelve-member structure, the tribe of Shim'on is listed as a separate tribe even after it was absorbed into the tribe of Jehuda (IbN. 19:1), while the tribe of Menashshe continues to be considered one tribe after its actual split into two separate clans.
A textual analysis of the parts of the Pentateuch related to the formation of the tribes of Israel reveals a contrast between two groups of tribes, whose ancestors were the two wives of Jacob and their maidservants: on the one hand, Reuven, Shim'on, Levi and Jeh uda (the eldest sons of Leah), as well as Joseph and Benjamin (sons of Rachel), and on the other - Issachar and Zebulun ( younger sons Leah), Dan and Naphtali (sons of Bilch and Rachel's handmaids), Gad and Asher (sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden). Texts believed to be older suggest that the tribes descended from the six sons of the first group formed the original core of the group that became known as the tribes of Israel. According to one theory, the division of Jacob's sons into groups according to their seniority and the emphasis on descent from different mothers (Gen. 29:32–30:24; 35:16–18) seems to indicate the later inclusion of some tribes into the community or to their later penetration into Canaan, and, possibly, to the fact that already at an early stage there were differences in the status of the tribes within the community. Perhaps in favor of the hypothesis that the people of Israel originally consisted of a smaller number of tribes, says the Song of Deborah (Judges 5), dating back to the 12th century. BC e., in which only nine tribes of Israel are named, but from which it follows that only six and a half tribes took part in the war against Yabin, king of Hazor, led by Deborah. Most scholars reject the theory, which, citing pagan or mythological elements in the names of sons from maidservants (Gad - deity of happiness; cf. Isa. 65:11; Asher - men's uniform from Asherah; Dan - from the ancient Greek mythological Danai), claims that the tribes that arose from them were in fact of foreign origin.
The tribes were autonomous communities governed according to a traditional patriarchal-tribal structure. They consisted of clans or clans ( mishpahot), divided into families ( Battey Av). At the head of the tribe was a prince ( nasi, rosh matte), at the head of the clan is an elder ( zaken, alluf). From time to time, the heads of tribes and clans were convened, apparently, to administer justice, manage the affairs of the tribes, etc. (Num. 11:16; Exod. 18:21–26; Deut. 1:15–16, etc.). From the Bible's narratives about the anointing of David as king and the refusal of the northern tribes to recognize the rule of Reha'am (II Sam. 2:4; I Ts. 12:1, 16), we can conclude that early stages In the monarchy, the leaders of the tribes and clans elected and eliminated kings. One of the main responsibilities of the heads of tribal associations was to preserve the land plots of individual families within the tribe in accordance with the laws of inheritance, which prohibited, among other things, the marriage of heir daughters to members of another tribe (Num. 27:8–11; 36:7– 9). Along with the tribal ones, intertribal institutions probably existed at the central sanctuaries, but information about them is extremely scarce. During the period of wanderings in the desert, the Israelites were led by tribal princes and elders who helped Moses (Ex. 19:7; Num. 11:16–17; Deut. 27:1, etc.). Meetings of the leaders and elders of the Israelite tribes were convened during the settlement of Canaan, as well as during the era of the Judges (Ibn. 22:30; 24:1; I Sam. 8:4). However, in this era, the consciousness of national-religious unity and inter-tribal ties of the Israelite tribes weakened so much that they could not unite to achieve common military-political goals and even openly fought with each other (Judges 8:1-17; 12:1-6 ). It was only towards the end of the era of the Judges, when the Israelites were under military pressure in the west from the Philistines, and in the east from the peoples beyond Jordan, or when the blatant lawless act of the people of one tribe caused the indignation of all the others (see Benjamin and Gibe'a), they united to conduct joint military or punitive actions (I Sam. 11:7; Judges 19–20). Enmity was also forgotten when a tribe was in danger of extinction (Judges 21:13–23).
The monarchy, opposing the traditional separatist communal-tribal way of life of the tribes, sought to weaken tribal consciousness by introducing the idea of a single kingdom ruled by God's chosen king. David, apparently, was still forced to organize the army and administration, according to the traditional division of the people into 12 tribes (I Chron. 12:27), but his preference for the tribe of Jehuda caused a number of riots in the country. Solomon installed 12 “rulers” over the people (I Ts. 4:7), establishing the boundaries of the territories under their control regardless of the boundaries of the allotments of the tribes of Israel. With the removal of the ten tribes to Assyria (see.
