The Tribe of Issachar
Issachar was the ninth son of Jacob and the fifth son of Leah. Jacob loved Rachel, the youngest daughter of Laban. Jacob promised to serve Laban seven years for Rachel. (Genesis 29:15-20).
Completing the seven years Jacob expected to marry Rachel, but was tricked to marry Leah, the older daughter. Zilpah was the hand maiden sent with Leah. Jacob worked another seven years to marry Rachel.
Leah had conceived and given Jacob four sons. Rachel had been barren so she gave her handmaiden Bilhah to Jacob to wife. Bilhah conceived and bared Jacob two sons. Leah then gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob to wife. Zilpah conceived and bare Jacob two sons.
The first son of Leah, Reuben, went into the fields in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes and gave them to his mother. Rachel saw this and asked Leah for the mandrakes. In return Rachel would give Jacob to Leah to lie with that night.
Jacob came out of the field in the evening and lay with Leah. God hearkened to Leah, and she conceived Issachar for Jacob. Leah said, “God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.” (Genesis 30:14-18).
The LORD changed Jacob’s name to Israel after he wrestled with God. Jacob was called Israel because he was a prince and has power with God and with men, and prevailed. (Genesis 32:24-32).
Jacob had taken his family to dwell in the land of Canaan. Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob, Israel. Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors. The brothers of Joseph saw their father loved Joseph more that all of them and they hated him. They plotted against Joseph. The brothers were feeding their father’s flock in Shechem (some 60 miles from Hebron where they lived) when Jacob, Israel, sent Joseph to check on them. Joseph couldn’t find his brothers in Shechem and was found by a man wandering in the fields. The man sent Joseph to Dothan to find his brothers. When the brothers saw him coming, they conspired against him to slay him. Reuben, his oldest brother, delivered Joseph out of the hands of his brothers and suggested not to kill him but to let him be cast into a pit in the wilderness. The brothers stripped Joseph out of his coat of many colors and cast Joseph into a pit without water. There was a company of Ishmaelites that came from Gilead with their camels bearing spices, balm, and myrrh on their way to Egypt. It was Judah who suggested selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. It was the Ishmaelites who carried Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, and captain of the guard. The brothers took Joseph’s coat of many colors, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood. They then returned to their father. Jacob, Israel, knew his beloved son had been devoured by an evil beast. Jacob, Israel, rented his clothes and put on sack clothes and mourned for Joseph for many days and could not be comforted. (Genesis 37:1-36).
There was then seven years of famine in all the land of Egypt and over all the face of the earth. Joseph was the governor over the land, and it was his to sell to all the people of the land. When the famine was over all the face of the earth Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians and the other countries that came into Egypt to buy corn. Joseph gathered up all the money that was in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought. All the cattle and all the land, and at last the Egyptians themselves, became the property of Pharaoh. Jacob, Israel, sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy corn. Benjamin was kept behind to protect him from harm. The brothers came from Canaan to buy corn. Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him. He remembered the dreams which he had dreamed of his brothers, and said unto them, they were spies. Three days later to prove they were not spies Joseph directed his brethren to return to their home and bring the youngest brother, Benjamin. Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for their way Simeon was left behind to make sure they came back. Once they all returned with Benjamin Joseph made himself known to all his brothers telling them he was Joseph who they sold into Egypt. Joseph asked if his father was alive and told them to bring him to Egypt. They were afraid but were told to hurry and get his father and tell him his son Joseph is alive. Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. Jacob, Israel, could hardly believe Joseph was alive, and governor over all the land of Egypt. Jacob, Israel went to Egypt to see his son Joseph. Judah was sent ahead to inform Joseph to meet the father at Goshen. Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Jacob, Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. Joseph told Pharaoh, his father, brothers, and their flocks, and herds, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. Joseph presented his family to the Pharaoh and Jacob, Israel, blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses. That is how the Israelites came into the land of Egypt. (Genesis 39-48).
Jacob’s last words to this son Issachar was “Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: He saw the rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of slaves.” (Genesis 49:14-15).
Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death. The blessing given to Issachar was “18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. 19. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.” (Deuteronomy 33:18-19).
Of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites: of Pua, the family of the Punites: of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites: of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. (Numbers 26:23-24). The sons of Issachar were Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimron. (1 Chronicles 7:1).
The children of Issachar were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. (1 Chronicles 12:32). Issachar had four sons that went down with Jacob into Egypt (Genesis 46:13).
On the march in the wilderness of Sinai the tribe of Issachar was on the East side with Judah and Zebulun his brothers, the foremost in the march. (Numbers 2:5; 10:14-15).
When the wandering in the wilderness was over the tribes divided the land. The children of Issachar were the fourth lot. Their border was toward Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, Rabbith, Kishion, Abez, Remeth, Engannim, Enhaddah, Bethpazzez. The coast reached to Tabor, and Shahazimah, Bethshemesh; and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.
The tribe of Issachar is mentioned in Revelation as being sealed twelve thousand. (Revelation 7:7).
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MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. “The Tribe of Issachar.” Becker Bible Studies Library March 2022. https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5164. Retrieved [dateMLA].
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022). “The Tribe of Issachar.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5164. Retrieved: [dateAPA].
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022) “The Tribe of Issachar.” Becker Bible Studies Library (March), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/? =5164 (accessed [dateChi]).
