Learn about Benjamin, Jacob and Rachel, the Tribe of Benjamin, the Tribe of Benjamin symbol, the history of the tribe, and the Tribe of Benjamin today.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Tribe of Benjamin in the Bible | Overview, History & Symbol
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Benjamin important in the Bible?
Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob's 12 sons and was Jacob's second favorite son (after Joseph) because his mother, Rachel, was Jacob's favorite wife. Benjamin became the ancestor of a warrior tribe, which united with the Tribe of Judah that controlled the kingship and major religious and political city of Jerusalem.
What was the tribe of Benjamin known for?
The tribe is best known for its warrior-like people who were skilled in archery, slinging rocks, and left-handed fighting. The tribe also controlled the major city of Jerusalem early in Jewish history and produced the first king, Saul, of the United Kingdom of Israel. Later, the Benjamites united with the Judahites to control the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and most modern-day Jews are descended from one of these tribes.
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ShowAmid the stories of Joseph, Judah, and other sons of Jacob, Benjamin's tale in the Hebrew Bible is often overlooked. Some scholars believe this is intentional, an effort by the biblical authors to center the narrative around Judah, the tribe of the kingship that held most of the power. Benjamin first appears in Genesis in the Hebrew Bible as the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel and the youngest of all of Jacob's 12 sons. Jacob, whose name is later changed to Israel, marries two sisters and takes each of their handmaids as concubines. While he was tricked into marrying the oldest sister, Leah, the younger sister, Rachel, was the one he wanted to marry and became his favorite wife.
Despite Rachel's repeated issues with conception, she eventually gave birth to two sons. The first, Joseph, was Jacob's favorite child, leading Jacob's other sons to fake his death and sell him into Egyptian slavery. The second of Rachel's sons was Benjamin. She was ill during her pregnancy with Benjamin, perhaps because of her advanced age, and died while giving birth to him. Because of her distress, she wanted to name her son ''Ben-oni,'' meaning ''son of sorrow.'' Jacob, wanting to ensure his son was not fated with an ill omen, chose the name ''Ben Yamin,'' (Anglicized as ''Benjamin''), which means ''son of the South'' or ''son of the right hand.'' Although Jacob's favorite son was Joseph, it was fairly evident that his second favorite son was Benjamin--probably because they were the two sons of his favorite wife.
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The Book of Genesis ends with Jacob blessing his 12 sons from his death bed, each becoming the head of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. After the Israelites conquered the area, each of the 12 tribes was granted an area of land in Canaan, the region on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Benjamin is granted the region stretching from the Jordan River in the east right above the Dead Sea to the city of Bethel in the northwest and Jerusalem in the south.
The Benjamite territory contained major significant cities, such as Jericho and Jerusalem. The region was an ideal space for religious, trade, and agricultural purposes. Jerusalem was the holy city that, according to the Jewish tradition, was where the Jewish god Yahweh spared Isaac from being sacrificed by his father; it later became the site of the Temple and the location of the king's palace. Though Benjamite territory was small, it was located between two of the largest territories: Ephraim, to the north, and Judah, to the south. As the tribe of the later kingship, Judah was a vast and prosperous territory that contained many of the significant cities and events of the Bible. The Tribe of Benjamin's location bordering these areas as well as directly on the Jordan River and Dead Sea gave Benjamites vast opportunity for trade. The waterways made this territory ideal for agriculture on the eastern edge, and the mountains that cut through the middle of the region provided protection from enemies.
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History of the Tribe of Benjamin
Though the Tribe of Judah became the later tribe of the kingship's bloodline, the Benjamites produced the first king of Israel, Saul. Saul was a Benjamite who was anointed by the prophet Samuel to lead the Israelites as their first king. Though Saul was portrayed negatively in the Hebrew Bible, he expanded the Israelite territory significantly, conquered many regions, and made alliances with other regions. After Saul's suicide during battle, David from the tribe of Judah was crowned king, and his lineage ruled the area until it was conquered. After the reign of David's son Solomon, the kingdom was divided into a Northern Kingdom of Israel and a Southern Kingdom of Judah. While the northern kingdom had more territory and 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel, the southern kingdom contained the key city of Jerusalem and the two tribes that had ruled: Judah and Benjamin.
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Tribe of Benjamin Symbol
The Hebrew Bible describes the Benjamites as capable warriors with a variety of fighting skills. These included archery, slinging rocks, and fighting left-handed, which would set the enemy off-balance as most people fought right-handed. Though they had a warring nature, some members of the tribe also committed heinous acts against a Levite man and his concubine, leading the other tribes to attack the Tribe of Benjamin before reparations were made. This focus on war and violence is mentioned in Jacob's blessing on his son Benjamin in Genesis 49:27, which describes him as ''a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil'' (NRSV). Because of this description, the Benjamites are often symbolized by a wolf, which some religious followers believe is the spiritual meaning of the Tribe of Benjamin.
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Tribe of Benjamin in the Bible | Overview, History & Symbol
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