The Tribe of Simeon
Simeon was the second born son of Leah and Jacob. His mother Leah was hated by Jacob because he wanted to marry her beautiful sister Rachel. His father Jacob was the second son of Rebekah and Isaac.
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 maid sent with Leah. Jacob worked another seven years to marry Rachel. Leah conceived Simeon and said, because the LORD has heard that I was hated, he has therefore given me this son also. (Genesis 29:32-33).
Simeon had a sister Dinah, also the daughter of Leah and Jacob. (Genesis 34:1). Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land and was seen by Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the prince of the country. He took her and lay with her and defiled her. His soul was strongly attracted to her and he loved her and wanted to marry her. Jacob heard Dinah had been defiled he waited until Hamor came to talk to him. Because these people were not circumcised Jacob said if they would consent that every male be circumcised then he would give Dinah to dwell with them, and they could become one people. Hamor had all his men circumcised. The third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. This troubled Jacob who told Simeon and Levi they had made Jacob morally offensive among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites, and Perizzites and he feared for his life. (Genesis 34:1-31).
Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, lived in the land of Canaan. Jacob had a favorite son, Joseph who was greatly loved by his father more than all the other children. This caused hard feelings toward Joseph with the other sons. The other sons plotted to slay Joseph. He was instead sold to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver and eventually Joseph ended up in Egypt. (Genesis 37:12-36).
The ten brothers were reunited with Joseph years later when the whole of the land was suffering from famine. Joseph was the governor over Egypt. Egypt was the only land that had food. Jacob sent his ten sons into Egypt to buy corn. Benjamine, the brother of Joseph, stayed behind. When the brothers were held by Joseph as spies Benjamin and his father were sent for and the family was reunited and the family moved to Egypt. Simeon was kept as a pledge they would all return. (Genesis 42:1-46:1-34).
The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. (Genesis 46:10).
The prophecy concerning Simeon which shall befall him in the last days given by his father Jacob was “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger, they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7).
When the wandering in the wilderness was over, the Tribes of Israel divided the land. The territory came from a portion of the children of Judah and was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore, the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them. They had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, Balah, Azem, Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, Ziklag, Bethmarcaboth, Hazarsusah, Bethlebaoth, Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages, Ain, Remmon, Ether, Ashan; four cities and their villages, all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalathbeer, Ramath of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. (Joshua 19:1-9).
Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death. There was no blessing given to Simeon in Deuteronomy 33.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. “The Tribe of Simeon.” Becker Bible Studies Library March 2022. https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5174. Retrieved [dateMLA].
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022). “The Tribe of Simeon.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5174. Retrieved: [dateAPA].
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022) “The Tribe of Simon.” Becker Bible Studies Library (March), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/? =5174 (accessed [dateChi]).
