No 22

(The tribes of Zebulon & Issachar)

Zebulon“Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.” (Gen 49:13). He was Leah’s sixth born (Gen 30:19,20) and when she gave birth to Zebulon, she said the following statement “now will my husband dwell with me” ; his name means dwelling. Jacob’s blessing for Zebulon’s descendants was that they were to be maritime traders. Their land allotment was between the Mediterranean sea and the sea of Galilee (Josh 19:10-16). Through their land was one of the greatest caravan trading routes in history that reached from Damascus and went south to Egypt; the name of the route is Via Maris (The way of the sea). The tribe of Zebulon was also known for its courage and they, along with other tribes, were commended for their willingness to volunteer for battle. In Judges 5:18 we read “The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the heights of the field.”

Issachar “Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens; And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.” (Gen 49:14,15). He was Leah’s fifth born (Gen 30: 17,18) and when she gave birth to Issachar she uttered these words “God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband.” In modern times, to call someone an ass, would be derogatory but in ancient Israel, donkeys were most valuable animals of service. The “two burdens” that Jacob refers to in Issachar’s blessing are most probably two mountain ranges that are located in this tribe’s allotment of land – Mount Tabor in the north and Mount Gilboa in the south. The second part of Jacob’s statement concerning Issachar talks about bowing his shoulder and becoming a servant. Some commentators have said that this statement is more of a curse than a blessing; Scripture, however disagrees. As a matter of fact, every time that the tribe of Issachar is mentioned, it is always complementary – Judges 5:15; 1 Chron 7:1-5; 1 Chron 12:32. Both these sons of Jacob are examples of what Christians should be like – defenders of the Word and burden bearers.