Listen n Learn. Jacob (Yaiqab) son Joseph (Yosef)........ second in command over Egypt followed by the Pharoah. His two born sons raised in Egypt were Manasseh (oldest) and Ephraim (youngest). The tribe breakdown refers to the two sons of Joseph (Yosef)!!
The Seminole Indians told the Spanish Conqueror (Cortez) when he was in Florida that the "Tribe of Joseph (Yosef) resided in the Carribbean Islands South of Florida, particularly Puerto Rico & Cuba.
Historic fact!!
REUBEN
The mandrakes in Reuben's coat-of-arms are based on the episode related in Gen. 30, where young Reuben brought his mother Leah mandrakes from the field. The biblical phrase on the tab is from Deut. 33:6, "Let Reuben live."
SIMON
Simon was one of the strongest tribes during the wandering in the desert but later became one of the weakest in consequence of losses suffered during the battles for the Promised Land. It was eventually absorbed by mighty Judah. Formerly the city of Shechem was situated within the boundaries of Simon and the gate of the city therefore appears on the tribe's. The biblical phrase on the tab is from Deut. 33:5, "...and the tribes of Israel were gathered together."
LEVI
The Levites "kept the charge of the tabernacles of testimony" (Num. 1:53); they had no territory of their own and were dispersed among the other tribes. Their emblem was the ephod of the High Priest on which were engraved, upon precious stones, the names of all tribes. The biblical phrase on the tab is from Deut. 33:10, "They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law."
JUDAH
The most famous heraldic symbol belongs to the tribe of Judah, which displayed a lion on its shield. This tribe became the most powerful and constituted the Kingdom of Judah. The lion is the symbol of strength and is featured as such in innumerable works throughout the ages. This animal is one those most frequently mentioned in the Bible, appearing about 130 times under 6 different names. The biblical phrase on the tab is from Gen. 49:9, "Judah is a lion's whelp."
DAN
The original area of the tribe of Dan extended from Jaffa southward. Samson was a son of this tribe. As it could not conquer its entire territory, Dan looked to settle elsewhere and the tribe moved north to the source of the Jordan River, captured the city Laish, and settled there. In Jacob's Blessing Dan was promised that he "shall judge his people" (Gen. 49:16), a reference symbolized by the scales of justice on the stamp. The phrase appears on the tab.
NAFTALI
After the conquest of the country, the tribe of Naftali settled in the north where played a central role among the tribes located there. Naftali is represented by a gazelle or running stag. The biblical phrase on the tab is "Naftali is a hind let loose" (Gen. 49:21).
GAD
The tribe of Gad settled in the land of Gilead, east of the Jordan. It did battle against Amon and Moab coming from the south, wandering tribes from the east, and Aram from the north. The emblem resembles a camp in reminiscence of the biblical phrase -on the tab- "Gad, a troop shall overcome him" (Gen. 49:19).
ASHER
The coastal strip from the foot of Mount Carmel up to Sidon was inhabited by Asher, the fertility of whose land was indicated by an olive tree or —as represented on stamps of the Jewish National Fund or in the synagogue of Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany— by ears of corn or fruit. The biblical phrase on the tab is "Out of Asher his bread shall be fat" (Gen. 49:20).
ISSACHAR
Issachar's territory was the plain of Esdraelon, from the sea to the banks of the Jordan. This tribe is frequently mentioned together with Zebulun indicative of their being neighbors and maintaining close relations. The tribe's emblem of sun and stars is derived from the biblical phrase, "And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times" (1 Chron. 12:32), which appears on the tab. Other representations of Issachar reflect the dependence of this tribe on the Phoenicians, in whose products the tribe dealt — as a carrier of loads (see also Menorah stamp), as a donkey (on the Jewish National Fund stamp), or as a laden camel (in the synagogue of Aix-la-Chapelle).
ZEVULUN
Zevulun settled on the country's seaboard and as symbolized by its emblem was engaged in navigation. This idea is conveyed in the biblical phrase, "Zebulun (...) shall be for a haven of ships" (Gen. 49:13).
JOSEPH
Joseph was the principal tribe in central Eretz Israel, which split into Manasseh and Ephraim. The fertility of Joseph's country is symbolized by the sheaf on the stamp. The biblical phrase on the tab reads, "...blessed of the Lord be his land" (Deut. 33:13).
BENJAMIN
The favorite son of Jacob, Benjamin has remained the symbol of the tender youngest child. The tribe of Benjamin, however, was considered particularly warlike and courageous. To this tribe belonged Saul, the first king, and Jonathan, his son. The symbol of the tribe was the wolf, a predatory animal. The biblical phrase on the tab reads, "...in the morning he shall devour the prey" (Gen. 49:27).
Notes:
I disagree to the use of the terms coat-of-arms and heraldic in the article. I believe that heraldry is a well-defined European concept that began more than two millenia after the Tribes of Israel.
There is a confusion about the 12 tribes. Those on the stamps are the sons of Jacob, but there was no tribe of Joseph — only tribes of Menasseh and Ephraiym, his sons. Levi was not regarded as a tribe either because the Levites were the priests and they had no territory of their own.
The Lion of Judah is the origin of the city emblem of Jerusalem that is on the city flag. It is also (in a different design) the emblem of the IDF Central Command which has its HQ in Jerusalem. One of the Command Generals in the 70's had a cage with a live lion there!
Nahum Shereshevsky, 5 May 1998
The emblems of the Tribes are commonly used as decorations in official ceremonies, like the ceremony that closes Memorial Day and opens Independence Day.
Nahum Shereshevsky, 2 June 1998
I scanned stamps of the symbols of the 12 tribes.
Dov Gutterman, 1 June 1999
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Saturday, April 21st 2012 at 9:40PM
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