Benjamin, Joseph's brother, took no part in the selling of Joseph (Sifre, Deut. 18). The army commanded by Abner for Ishbosheth, Sauls son, consisted mainly of Benjamites and was successful in mounting considerable opposition to the appointment of David as king (2 Sam 2:15ff.). King Saul of the Benjamin Israelite tribe was the first king of Israel. Israels first king, Saul, was a Benjamite and his appointment enhanced the prestige of the tribe. Answer (1 of 3): They didn't. After the death of King Solomon, his sons couldn't agree on the succession and ended up splitting Israel into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. The first was called Belah ("swallow"), because Joseph had disappeared; the second, Becher, because Joseph was his mother's first-born; the third, Ashbel ("capture"), because Joseph was made a captive; the fourth, Gera, because he lived in a foreign land; the fifth, Naaman (grace), on account of Joseph's graceful speech; the sixth, Ei ("my only full brother"); the seventh, Rosh ("the older"); the eighth, Muppim ("double mouth") because Joseph taught Benjamin the things he himself had learned from his father; the ninth, uppim ("whose wedding I have not seen"); and the tenth, Ard, because Joseph was like a rose. The descendants of Benjamin, it is true, did not always show themselves worthy of their ancestor, especially in connection with the incident at Gibeah (Judges xix.). When he was born, Rachel gave him the name of Ben-oni: Then they journeyed from Bethel. At the time of the first census under Moses, the able-bodied men available for war from the tribe of Benjamin was given as 35,400 (Num 1:37) and at the second census, 45,600 (26:41). Generally, Benjamins territory lay between that of Judah on the S and that of the house of Joseph on the north. After his death, he became a symbol of Gods unique relationship with Israel and the redemption that was still to come. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. [28] An unsuccessful attempt of David ben Daniel of the Davidic line to establish an Exilarchate in the Fatimid Caliphate failed and ended with his downfall in 1094. Later, David used his experience as a shepherd to create one of the most powerful portrayals of Gods relationship with his people, foreshadowing the good shepherd Jesus (John 10:11): The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. After Solomon's death, the ten northern tribes rejected the Davidic line, refusing to accept Solomon's son, Rehoboam, and instead chose as king Jeroboam and formed the northern Kingdom of Israel. He attempted to kill David on multiple occasions, and became his constant enemy. Press the attack against the city and destroy it. Say this to encourage Joab. 2 Samuel 11:25. The name "Benjamin" is given various meanings by the Rabbis. 27) is referred to the men of Shiloh who stole their wives (Judges xxi.) [40] In 2020, Roth chose Brando Crawford, a descendant from both grandfathers, to represent the organization internationally. Giving Benjamin the first opportunity to rule fulfills the meaning of the new name given by Jacob. But its also worth noting: God forbid David from building his temple because he had shed blood (1 Chronicles 28:3). 21 [20]). rev2023.3.3.43278. Moses- I think the prophecy in Gen 49:10 does not require that all kings would be of Judah, but that eventually the kingship would be of Judah. The Davidic line or House of David (Hebrew: , romanized:Beit David) refers to the lineage of the Israelite king David through texts in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and through the succeeding centuries. xiv. Kenneth Kitchen dates this conquest to just after 1200 BCE. After the destruction of the northern kingdom, Benjamin was fully absorbed into the southern kingdom. Over the course of his life, David was frequently the vehicle God used to display his compassion and redeem his people. But David also wrote Psalms of praise and thanksgiving, and frequently declared his trust in the Lord in spite of his circumstances. During Sauls reign, Jerusalem was captured, and the Ark of the Covenant was in Judah. Benjamin means "son of the right hand." The elder serving the younger carries the sense of being ruled. Deu. The king then understood that if his own son was seeking his life, it was no surprise if the Benjamites should behave in similar fashion (16:11). It's pretty clear from the exchange that the people's demand for a king was a sinful rejection of God's rule, and that He intended to deal with that sin by giving them a very undesirable king in response. When Saul died, the tribe of Judah anointed David as their king (2 Samuel 2:4), but Abner son of Ner, the commander of Sauls army, made Sauls son Ish-bosheth king over all Israel. Had they waited till David was 17 he would have been king. Once Uriah was dead and Bathsheba had time to mourn him, David married her, and she gave birth to a son. Many times.). As the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for; you might get it. A stone inscription known as the Tel Dan Stele dates from the late ninth or early eighth century BC, and it refers to the House of David. Another inscription from around 840 BC (the Moab Stele), may refer to David as well. The sons were Jonathan, Abinadab, Malchishua, Ish-bosheth, Ishvi, Armani, Irmia, and Mephibosheth. This was why he wasnt with his brothers when Samuel came to anoint the next king (1 Samuel 16:11). The Tel Dan Stele, as aforementioned, remains the only mention of David himself outside the Bible, and the historical reliability of the United Monarchy of Israel is archaeologically weak. Birthplace English Standard Version But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab. David killed bears and lions alike to defend his fathers sheep. In this guide, well cover the basic facts about who he is and what the Bible says about him. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? They see the book as an ideological retrojection from a later period either as early as the reign of Josiah or as late as the Hasmonean period. Josh. The 12 tribes of Israel descended from Jacobs 12 sons, and with the exception of Levi, each tribe controlled a specific territory within the nation of Israel. [29] One of Hasan's descendants Solomon ben Azariah ha-Nasi settled in Aleppo were the family became Dayan's (judges) of the city and thus adopted the surname Dayan. And when the Philistines (and Goliath) invaded, David was torn between his duties as Sauls musician and his responsibilities for tending his fathers sheep (1 Samuel 17:15). After Davids repeated attempts to get Uriah to spend time with his wife, Uriah told him: The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lords men are camped in the open country. The Tribe of Benjamin. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Several passages record his lineage, and they all point out that he was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Boaz and Ruthmaking him the great grandson of this significant couple (1 Chronicles 2:12). Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals. Why did King Saul prophesy w/o clothing all day after pursuing David in 1 Samuel 19:24? According to the Tanakh, King Saul ( Talut) was the son of Kish, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel ( 1 Samuel 9:1-2 ). Buber, Wayesheb, 8).When Benjamin was detained as the alleged thief of the cup, Joseph pretended that Benjamin had been instigated by his brothers. In his confrontation with Goliath, David would care for Yahwehs flockthe people of Israeland once again defend his fathers sheep from harm. There seems to be no truly satisfactory resolution of the problem of the western boundary of Benjamin. And few of My servants are grateful. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. All subsequent kings in both the ancient first united Kingdom of Israel and the later Kingdom of Judah claimed direct descent from King David to validate their claim to the throne in order to rule over the Israelite tribes. Some of the people replied: Prophet Muhammad passed away".[55]. The grandson of Hezekiah ben David through his eldest son David ben Chyzkia, Hiyya al-Daudi, died in 1154 in Castile according to Abraham ibn Daud and is the ancestor of the ibn Yahya family. As part of the Kingdom of Judah, Benjamin escaped the destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in c. 740 BCE. After the death of David's son, King Solomon, the ten northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel rejected the Davidic line, refusing to accept Solomon's son, Rehoboam, and instead chose as king Jeroboam and formed the northern Kingdom of Israel. But then people started to see David as greater than Saul. Here are some of the things we know about David. 11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; But after his encounter with Nathan, David wrote Psalm 51, which reflects his humility and sincere repentance for what hed done. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The "right hand" means prosperity and is associated with authority or power. And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. He also overheard the Israelites talking about what Saul would give to the person who defeated Goliath (1 Samuel 17:23-27). Jacob follows a similar pattern when blessing Joseph's sons when he placed his right hand on Ephraim instead of Manasseh (Genesis 48:14). Berliner, on Gen. xxxv. and Tan., Wayei, 14; so also in the original text of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs [Benjamin ii]; whereas a Christian interpolation refers it to Paul). The tribes lived as a united nation through the reign of King David's son, Solomon. Jewish tradition alludes to two redeemers, both of whom are called mashiach and are involved in ushering in the Messianic age: Mashiach ben David; and Mashiach ben Yosef. The Seder Olam Zutta attributes the office to Zerubbabel, a member of the Davidic line, who is mentioned as one of the leaders of the Jewish community in the 6th century BC, holding the title of Achaemenid Governor of Yehud Medinata. Benjamins position was on the W side of the Tabernacle along with Ephraim and Manasseh, the leader of the tribe at this time being Abidan the son of Gideoni (2:22). The Hasmoneans, who established their own monarchy in Judea in the 2nd century BCE, were not considered connected to the Davidic line nor to the Tribe of Judah. David is the only person referred to this way in the Bible. David was too young. N. Avigad and B. Sass. Years later, when Saul disobeyed God, God rejected him as king (1 Samuel 15:26). 1), "who devours his enemy" (Gen. xlix. Despite his glaring flaws, the David is described as a man after Gods own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). The tribe seems to have met the challenge of this position, becoming known for its skillful archers and slingers. On the N the border passed from the Jordan to a spring E of Jericho and continued in a northwesterly direction to the region of Upper and Lower Bethhoron. A widely spread traditional Christian interpretation relates the non-continuation of the main Davidic line from Solomon to the godlessness of the line of Jehoiachin which started in the early 500s BC, when Jeremiah cursed the main branch of the Solomonic line, by saying that no descendant of "[Je]Coniah" would ever reign on the throne of Israel again (Jeremiah 22:30). [26] The position holder was regarded as a king-in-waiting, residing in Babylonia in the Achaemenid Empire as well as during the classic era. Sauls servants believed a musician would help soothe Saul whenever the spirit came to torment him. 14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king; In the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained with control of the capital city of Jerusalem. According to the Torah, the Tribe of Benjamin (Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}, Modern:Bnyamn, Tiberian:Bnymn) was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. No central government existed, and in times of crisis the people were led by ad hoc leaders known as Judges (see the Book of Judges). He was later succeeded by his son, Solomon. SBL Academia Biblica 12. Then, according to the book of Chronicles, some twenty years after the breakup of the United Monarchy, Abijah, the second king of Judah, defeated Jeroboam of Israel and took back the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. Responding to a growing threat from Philistine incursions, the Israelite tribes formed a strong, centralised monarchy during the eleventh century BC. Benjamin, according to biblical tradition, one of the 12 tribes that constituted the people of Israel, and one of the two tribes (along with Judah) that later became the Jewish people. The Exilarchate in the Sasanian Empire was briefly abolished as a result of revolt by the Mar-Zutra II in the late 5th century CE, with his son Mar-Zutra III being denied the office and relocating to Tiberias, then within the Byzantine Empire. The Blessing of Moses, portrayed in the Bible as a prophecy by Moses about the future situation of the twelve tribes, describes Benjamin as "dwelling between YHWH's shoulders", in reference to its location between the leading tribe of the Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim), and the leading tribe (Judah) of the Kingdom of Judah.[22]. The Bible doesnt explicitly say when David lived, but many scholars believe he existed around 1,000 BC. When David returned to Jerusalem an all too obvious favorite of Judah, one Sheba, a Benjamite, raised a revolt (20:1ff.). xlii. From this point on, Davids duties were divided between watching his fathers sheep and playing music for the king. Saul married Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz and had four sons and two daughters. [18], The origins of the dynasty, on the other hand, are shrouded in mystery. However, it must be noticed that other authorities interpret the data in such a way that the western boundary runs more or less due N of Kiriath-jearim, sharing that border with the tribe of Dan. Exilarchs continued to be appointed until the 11th century, with some members of the Davidic line dispersing across the Islamic world. Its a story of faith. The Tribe of Benjamin, located to the north of Judah but to the south of the Kingdom of Israel, is significant in biblical narratives as a source of various Israelite leaders, including the first Israelite king, Saul, as well as earlier tribal leaders in the period of the Judges. King David saw the angel and immediately confessed his sin to Gd, at which point Gd, via the Prophet Gad, commanded him to build an altar on the site. Samuel thought he would know whom God had chosen by their appearance, and assumed the oldest, Eliab, was clearly the chosen one: When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, Surely the Lords anointed stands here before the Lord. 1 Samuel 16:6. [13] The Babylonian Talmud names three of these cities, all of which were formerly enclosed by a wall, and belonged to the tribe of Benjamin: Lydda (Lod), Ono (Kafr 'Ana),[14][15] and Gei Ha-arashim. [a], The earliest unambiguously[b] attested king from the Davidic line is Uzziah, who reigned in the 8th century BCE, about 75years after Ahaziah, who is named on bullae seals belonging to his servants Abijah and Shubnayahu.