Abraham ▶ Isaac ▶ Jacob
Jacob is renamed Israel in Genesis 32:28.
Jacob (Israel) has 12 sons (via 4 women). The family ends up in Egypt (due to Joseph ending up in Egypt and his success there). After many generations, the family of Israel (aka, the Israelites or the Hebrews) are enslaved in Egypt by Pharaoh.
God calls Moses, in Exodus, to deliver his people from Egypt. While “wandering” in the wilderness for 40 years, God gives the Israelites/Hebrews many laws and commandments and turns them into a nation. The nation is based on the 12 tribes.
The 12 tries of Israel are basically the 12 sons of Israel, with two exceptions–and addition of 2 and a subtraction of 2.
- Jacob’s son Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Two of the 12 tribes of Israel are Manasseh and Ephraim, and there is no “Tribe of Joseph.” This the addition of 2 and subtraction of 1.
- Jacob’s son Levi and his family became the priests and therefore were not given land and were not considered a tribe. This is other subtraction of 1.
I found an excellent diagram of this Patriarchal Lineage, listing the 12 sons and the 12 tribes.
