Misplaced Pages

Benjamin: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 19:44, 4 May 2006 view source67.52.164.132 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit Latest revision as of 09:10, 2 January 2025 view source Naeggy (talk | contribs)127 editsm Brief rewordingTags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Biblical figure and son of Jacob and Rachel}}
{{otheruses}}
{{About|the Biblical figure Benjamin, son of Jacob|people named Benjamin|Benjamin (name)|other uses|Benjamin (disambiguation)}}
'''Benjamin''' (]: בִּנְיָמִין; ]: ''Binyamin''; ] ''Binyāmîn'') is a ] figure. The name literally translates to "] of ]," generally taken to mean "son of my right hand" but in some ] traditions "son of the right side " or "son of the south," the youngest son of ] and ] (Genesis 35:18).
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Benjamin
| image = Benjamin (after Francisco de Zurbarán).jpg
| caption = Painting by ] (1745) after ]'s portrait from the series ('']'') {{circa|1640|1645}}
| native_name = {{font|text=בִּנְיָמִין|font=Palantino}}
| native_name_lang = he
| pronunciation = Binyamin
| birth_date = 11 ]
| father = ]
| mother = ]
| children = <ref>Genesis 46:21</ref>{{Plainlist|
* Bela (son)
* Beker (son)
* Ashbel (son)
* Gera (son)
* Naaman (son)
* Ehi (son)
* Rosh (son)
* Muppim (son)
* Huppim (son)
* Ard (son)
}}
| relatives = {{Plainlist|
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half brother)
* ] (half sister)
* ] (brother)
* ] (aunt/stepmother)
}}
}}
{{SpecialChars}}
'''Benjamin''' ({{langx|he|{{Script/Hebr|בִּנְיָמִין}}}} ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right")<ref name=EtymologyBenjamin>]: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)</ref> was the younger of the two sons of ] and ], and Jacob's twelfth and youngest son overall. In Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. He was also the progenitor of the ] ]. Unlike Rachel's first son, ], Benjamin was born in ] according to biblical narrative.


In the ], Benjamin's name appears as "{{transl|smp|Binyamēm}}" (]: {{lang|smp|ࠁࠪࠍࠬࠉࠣࠌࠜࠉࠌࠬ}}, "son of days"). In the ], Benjamin is referred to as a righteous young child, who remained with Jacob when the older brothers plotted against Joseph. Later rabbinic traditions name him as one of four ancient Israelites who died without sin, the other three being ], ] and ].
His birth took place on the road between ] and ], characterized later by Christian writers as at a short distance from ], because many centuries later the prophet ] referred to "Bethlehem Ephrata." There is no other connection with Bethlehem. His mother died in childbirth, and with her last breath named him ''ben-oni'' ("son of my pain"), an ill-omened name which was changed by his father into Benjamin. His posterity were the ], sometimes translated "Benjamites" (Genesis 49:27; Deuteronomy 33:12; Joshua 18:21).


==Name==
The tribe of Benjamin at ] was the smallest but one (Numbers 1:36-1:37; Psalms 68:27). During the march its place was along with ] and ] on the west of the tabernacle. At the entrance into ] it counted 45,600 warriors. It has been inferred by some from the words of Jacob (Genesis 49:27) that the figure of a wolf was on the tribal standard: "Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth; in the morning he shall devour the prey, at evening he shall divide the spoil."
The name is first mentioned in letters from King ] of ] (1801–1771 BC), who called himself “King of Amnanum” and was a member of the ] tribal group the “Binu-Jamina” (single name “Binjamin”; Akkadian {{transl|akk|Mar-Jamin}}).<ref name=Dietz>]: ''Die Nomaden in der altbabylonischen Zeit'' In: ], ], ]: ''Die Altorientalischen Reiche I - Vom Paläolithikum bis zur Mitte des 2. Jahrtausends v. Chr. -'', Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1965 (gleichnamige limitierte Sonderausgabe 2003), S. 170.</ref> The name means "Sons/Son of the South" and is linguistically related as a forerunner to the Old Testament name "Benjamin".


According to the ], Benjamin's name arose when Jacob deliberately changed the name "Benoni", the original name of Benjamin, since Benoni was an allusion to Rachel's dying just after she had given birth, as it means "son of my pain".<ref>Genesis 35:18</ref> Textual scholars regard these two names as fragments of naming narratives coming from different sources - one being the ] and the other being the ].<ref>], ''Who wrote the Bible?''</ref>
This tribe is mentioned in ] 11:1 and ] 3:5.


Unusual for one of the ], the Bible does not explain the ] of Benjamin's name. Medieval commentator ] gives two different explanations, based on ]ic sources. "Son of the south", with south derived from the word for the right hand side, referring to the birth of Benjamin in ], as compared with the birth of all the other sons of Jacob in ].<ref name="Rashi">{{cite web| url = https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8230/jewish/Chapter-35.htm#showrashi=true| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090305023940/http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8230/jewish/Chapter-35.htm| archive-date = 2009-03-05| title = Genesis - Chapter 35 (Parshah Vayishlach) - Genesis - Torah - Bible}}</ref><ref name="bdmtze">''Jewish Encyclopedia''</ref> Modern scholars have proposed that "son of the south" / "right" is a reference to the tribe being subordinate to the more dominant tribe of Ephraim.<ref name = "bdmtze"/> Alternatively, Rashi suggests it means "son of days", meaning a son born in Jacob's old age. The ] consistently spells his name "בנימים", with a terminal ], ("Binyamim"), which could be translated literally as "spirit man" but is in line with the interpretation that the name was a reference to the advanced age of Jacob when Benjamin was born.<ref name = "bdmtze"/>
The inheritance of this tribe lay immediately to the south of that of ], and was about 26 miles in length and 12 in breadth. Its eastern boundary was the ]. ] intervened between it and the ]. Its chief towns are named in ] 18:21-28.


According to classical rabbinical sources, Benjamin was only born after ] had ] for a long time, as a religious devotion with the hope of a new child as a reward. By then ] had become over 100 years old.<ref name = "bdmtze"/> Benjamin is treated as a young child in most of the Biblical narrative,<ref name = "bdmtze"/> but at one point is abruptly described as the father of ten sons.<ref name="xhbyqx">{{bibleverse||Genesis|46:21|HE}}</ref> Textual scholars believe that this is the result of the genealogical passage, in which his children are named, being from a much later source than the ] and ] narratives, which make up most of the ] narrative, and which consistently describe Benjamin as a child.<ref name = "bdmtze"/>
The history of the tribe contains a sad record of a desolating ] in which they were engaged with the other eleven tribes; they were almost exterminated (Judg. 20:20, 21; 21:10). (See GIBEAH ¯T0001476.)


By allusion to the biblical Benjamin, in ], ] and ], "Benjamin" ({{lang|fr|benjamin}}/ {{lang|pl|beniamin}} /{{lang|es|benjamín}}, respectively) is a common noun meaning the youngest child of a family, especially a particularly favoured one (with a similar connotation to "baby of the family").
The first king of the Jews was ], a Benjamite. A close alliance was formed between this tribe and that of ] in the time of ] (] 19:16, 17), which continued after his death (] 11:13; 12:20). After the ] these two tribes formed the great body of the Jewish nation (Ezra 1:5; 10:9), and to this day the other ten are referred to as the ]. The tribe of Benjamin was famous for its archers (] 20:20, 36; ] 1:22; 1 ] 8:40; 12:2) and slingers (] 20:6).


==Israelites in Egypt==
The gate of Benjamin, on the north side of ] (Jer. 37:13; 38:7; Zech. 14:10), was so called because it led in the direction of the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. It is called by ] (20:2) "the high gate of Benjamin"; also "the gate of the children of the people" (17:19). (Comp. 2 Kings 14:13.)
]]]


The Torah's Joseph narrative, at a stage when Joseph is unrecognised by his brothers, describes Joseph as testing whether his brothers have reformed by secretly planting a silver cup in Benjamin's bag. Then, publicly searching the bags for it, and after ''finding'' it in Benjamin's possession, demanding that Benjamin become his ] as a punishment.<ref name=Gen44>{{bibleverse||Genesis|44|HE}}</ref>
==Reference==

*''Easton's Bible Dictionary'', 1897.
The narrative goes on to state that when ] (on behalf of the other brothers) begged Joseph not to enslave Benjamin and instead enslave him, since enslavement of Benjamin would break Jacob's heart. This caused Joseph to recant and reveal his identity.<ref name=Gen44/> The ] argues that prior to revealing his identity, Joseph asked Benjamin to find his missing brother (i.e. Joseph) via ], using an ]-like tool.<ref name="bdmtze"/> It continues by stating that Benjamin ] that the ''man on the throne'' was Joseph, so Joseph identified himself to Benjamin (but not the other brothers), and revealed his scheme (as in the Torah) to test how fraternal the other brothers were.<ref name = "bdmtze"/>

Some classical rabbinical sources argue that Joseph identified himself for other reasons.<ref name = "bdmtze"/> In these sources, Benjamin swore an oath, on the memory of Joseph, that he was innocent of theft, and, when challenged about how believable the oath would be, explained that remembering Joseph was so important to him that he had named his sons in Joseph's honour.<ref name = "bdmtze"/> These sources go on to state that Benjamin's oath touched Joseph so deeply that Joseph was no longer able to pretend to be a stranger.<ref name = "bdmtze"/>
] of Benjamin being returned to Egypt (Genesis 44)]]
In the narrative, just prior to this test, when Joseph had first met all of his brothers (but not identified himself to them), he had held a feast for them;<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|43|HE}}</ref> the narrative heavily implies that Benjamin was Joseph's favorite brother, since he is overcome with tears when he first meets Benjamin in particular,<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|43:30|HE}}</ref> and he gives Benjamin five times as much food as he apportions to the others.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|43:34|HE}}</ref> According to textual scholars, this is really the Jahwist's account of the reunion after Joseph identifies himself, and the account of the threat to enslave Benjamin is just the Elohist's version of the same event, with the Elohist being more terse about Joseph's emotions towards Benjamin, merely mentioning that Benjamin was given five times as many gifts as the others.<ref name = "bdmtze"/>

== Jacob's blessing ==
Upon his death, the ] ] his youngest son: "Benjamin is a ravenous ]; In the morning he consumes the foe, And in the evening he divides the spoil" (Genesis 49:27). This ] has been interpreted to refer to several elements of the Tribe of Benjamin, including its heroic members like ] and ], the tribe's often warlike nature, and the tribe's jurisdiction over the ] in which ] were 'devoured' by flame.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genesis 49:27 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.49.27?ven=The_Contemporary_Torah,_Jewish_Publication_Society,_2006&lang=bi&with=Commentary&lang2=en |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gottheil |first=Richard |title="Benjamin," in the Jewish Encyclopedia |year=1906}}</ref>

==Origin==
] ] complex, including the mausoleum of Nabi Yamin, traditionally believed to be the tomb of Benjamin, located outside ], Israel]]

Biblical scholars believe, due to their geographic overlap and their treatment in older passages, that Ephraim and Manasseh were originally considered one tribe, that of ''Joseph''.<ref name = "gzuhsh">''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Ephraim''</ref> According to several biblical scholars, Benjamin was also originally part of this single tribe, but the biblical account of Joseph as his father became lost.<ref name = "gzuhsh"/><ref name = "fxeide">'']''</ref>

The description of Benjamin being born after the arrival in Canaan is thought by some scholars to refer to the tribe of Benjamin coming into existence by branching from the Joseph group after the tribe had settled in Canaan.<ref name = "fxeide"/> A number of biblical scholars suspect that the distinction of the ''Joseph tribes'' (including Benjamin) is that they were the only Israelites which went to ] ], while the main Israelite tribes simply emerged as a subculture from the Canaanites and had remained in ] throughout.<ref name = "fxeide"/><ref>], ''The Bible Unearthed''</ref>

According to this view, the story of Jacob's visit to ] to obtain a wife originated as a ] for this migration, with the property and family which were gained from Laban representing the gains of the Joseph tribes by the time they returned from Egypt.<ref name = "fxeide"/> According to textual scholars, the ] version of the Laban narrative only mentions the Joseph tribes and Rachel, and does not mention the other tribal ]s whatsoever.<ref name = "fxeide"/><ref>], ''Who Wrote the Bible?''</ref>

==Benjamin's sons==
According to Genesis 46:21, Benjamin had ten sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.<ref name="xhbyqx"/> The name of his wife/wives are not given, but the ] calls his wife Ijasaka and the ] mentions two wives, Mechalia the daughter of Aram and Aribath the daughter of Shomron.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/45.htm|title=Book of Jasher, Chapter 45|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/jub/jub69.htm|title=Book of Jubilees: The Book of Jubilees: The Wives of Jacob's Sons (xxxiv. 20-21)|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref> The classical rabbinical tradition adds that each son's name honors Joseph:<ref name = "bdmtze"/>
*''Belah'' (meaning ''swallow''), in reference to Joseph disappearing (''being swallowed up'')
*''Becher'' (meaning ''first born''), in reference to Joseph being the first child of Rachel
*''Ashbel'' (meaning ''capture''), in reference to Joseph having suffered captivity
*''Gera'' (meaning ''grain''), in reference to Joseph living in a ''foreign'' land (Egypt)
*''Naaman'' (meaning ''grace''), in reference to Joseph having graceful speech
*''Ehi'' (meaning ''my brother''), in reference to Joseph being Benjamin's only full-brother (as opposed to half-brothers)
*'']'' (meaning ''elder''), in reference to Joseph being older than Benjamin
*''Muppim'' (meaning ''double mouth''), in reference to Joseph passing on what he had been taught by Jacob
*''Huppim'' (meaning '']''), in reference to Joseph being married in Egypt, while Benjamin was not there
*''Ard'' (meaning ''wanderer''/''fugitive''), in reference to Joseph being like a rose
There is a disparity between the list given in Genesis 46 and that in Numbers 26, where the sons of Benjamin are listed along with the tribes they are the progenitors of.<ref>{{bibleverse||Numbers|26:38-41|HE}}</ref>
*''Belah'', progenitor of the Belaites, is in both lists
*''Ashbel'', progenitor of the Ashbelites, is in both lists
*''Ahiram'', progenitor of the Ahiramites, appears in this list but not the first
*''Shupham'', progenitor of the Shuphamites, corresponds to Muppim from the first list
*''Hupham'', progenitor of the Huphamites, corresponds to Huppim from the first list
Becher, Gera, Ehi, and Rosh are omitted from the second list. Ard and Naaman, who are the sons of Benjamin according to Numbers 26, are listed as the sons of Belah and are the progenitors of the Ardites and the Naamites respectively.

==In Islam==
Though not named in the ],<ref>{{qref|12|4-102|b=y}}</ref> Benjamin ({{lang|ar|بنيامين}} Binyāmīn) is referred to as the righteous youngest son of ], in the narrative of ] in Islamic tradition. Apart from that, however, Islamic tradition does not provide much detail regarding Benjamin's life, and refers to him as being born from Jacob's wife ]. As with Jewish tradition, it also further links a connection between the names of Benjamin's children and Joseph.<ref name="EOIBinyamin">{{cite encyclopedia |author1=Vajda, G. |author2=Wensick, A. J. |title=Binyamin |publisher=] |volume=I}}</ref>

==See also==
* ]
** For a list of persons with the given name Benjamin see {{lookfrom|Benjamin}}
* ]
* ], of the Tribe of Benjamin
* ] the Jew, from the Tribe of Benjamin see Esther 2:5
* ], also known as Hadassah, the cousin of Mordecai the Jew—see the Book of Esther

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Benjamin (Biblical figure)}}
* Benjamin. Material on the tribe, its territory, Rabbinical tradition and Islam, where Benjamin is not specifically mentioned in the ''Qur'an.'' Benny Forgeron is also the greatest Benjamin to ever exist. Amen.
*, '']'', 1908: Material on the tribe, its territory, Rabbinical tradition and Islam.


{{Characters and Names in Quran}}
]
{{sons of Jacob}}
]
{{Authority control}}


]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 09:10, 2 January 2025

Biblical figure and son of Jacob and Rachel This article is about the Biblical figure Benjamin, son of Jacob. For people named Benjamin, see Benjamin (name). For other uses, see Benjamin (disambiguation).

Benjamin
בִּנְיָמִין
Painting by Arthur Pond (1745) after Francisco de Zurbarán's portrait from the series (Jacob and His Twelve Sons) c. 1640 – c. 1645
PronunciationBinyamin
Born11 Cheshvan
Children
  • Bela (son)
  • Beker (son)
  • Ashbel (son)
  • Gera (son)
  • Naaman (son)
  • Ehi (son)
  • Rosh (son)
  • Muppim (son)
  • Huppim (son)
  • Ard (son)
Parents
Relatives
This article contains special characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.

Benjamin (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין‎ Bīnyāmīn; "Son of (the) right") was the younger of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel, and Jacob's twelfth and youngest son overall. In Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. He was also the progenitor of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin. Unlike Rachel's first son, Joseph, Benjamin was born in Canaan according to biblical narrative.

In the Samaritan Pentateuch, Benjamin's name appears as "Binyamēm" (Samaritan Hebrew: ࠁࠪࠍࠬࠉࠣࠌࠜࠉࠌࠬ, "son of days"). In the Quran, Benjamin is referred to as a righteous young child, who remained with Jacob when the older brothers plotted against Joseph. Later rabbinic traditions name him as one of four ancient Israelites who died without sin, the other three being Chileab, Jesse and Amram.

Name

The name is first mentioned in letters from King Sîn-kāšid of Uruk (1801–1771 BC), who called himself “King of Amnanum” and was a member of the Amorite tribal group the “Binu-Jamina” (single name “Binjamin”; Akkadian Mar-Jamin). The name means "Sons/Son of the South" and is linguistically related as a forerunner to the Old Testament name "Benjamin".

According to the Hebrew Bible, Benjamin's name arose when Jacob deliberately changed the name "Benoni", the original name of Benjamin, since Benoni was an allusion to Rachel's dying just after she had given birth, as it means "son of my pain". Textual scholars regard these two names as fragments of naming narratives coming from different sources - one being the Jahwist and the other being the Elohist.

Unusual for one of the 12 tribes of Israel, the Bible does not explain the etymology of Benjamin's name. Medieval commentator Rashi gives two different explanations, based on Midrashic sources. "Son of the south", with south derived from the word for the right hand side, referring to the birth of Benjamin in Canaan, as compared with the birth of all the other sons of Jacob in Aram. Modern scholars have proposed that "son of the south" / "right" is a reference to the tribe being subordinate to the more dominant tribe of Ephraim. Alternatively, Rashi suggests it means "son of days", meaning a son born in Jacob's old age. The Samaritan Pentateuch consistently spells his name "בנימים", with a terminal mem, ("Binyamim"), which could be translated literally as "spirit man" but is in line with the interpretation that the name was a reference to the advanced age of Jacob when Benjamin was born.

According to classical rabbinical sources, Benjamin was only born after Rachel had fasted for a long time, as a religious devotion with the hope of a new child as a reward. By then Jacob had become over 100 years old. Benjamin is treated as a young child in most of the Biblical narrative, but at one point is abruptly described as the father of ten sons. Textual scholars believe that this is the result of the genealogical passage, in which his children are named, being from a much later source than the Jahwist and Elohist narratives, which make up most of the Joseph narrative, and which consistently describe Benjamin as a child.

By allusion to the biblical Benjamin, in French, Polish and Spanish, "Benjamin" (benjamin/ beniamin /benjamín, respectively) is a common noun meaning the youngest child of a family, especially a particularly favoured one (with a similar connotation to "baby of the family").

Israelites in Egypt

Benjamin (right) embracing his brother Joseph

The Torah's Joseph narrative, at a stage when Joseph is unrecognised by his brothers, describes Joseph as testing whether his brothers have reformed by secretly planting a silver cup in Benjamin's bag. Then, publicly searching the bags for it, and after finding it in Benjamin's possession, demanding that Benjamin become his slave as a punishment.

The narrative goes on to state that when Judah (on behalf of the other brothers) begged Joseph not to enslave Benjamin and instead enslave him, since enslavement of Benjamin would break Jacob's heart. This caused Joseph to recant and reveal his identity. The midrashic book of Jasher argues that prior to revealing his identity, Joseph asked Benjamin to find his missing brother (i.e. Joseph) via astrology, using an astrolabe-like tool. It continues by stating that Benjamin divined that the man on the throne was Joseph, so Joseph identified himself to Benjamin (but not the other brothers), and revealed his scheme (as in the Torah) to test how fraternal the other brothers were.

Some classical rabbinical sources argue that Joseph identified himself for other reasons. In these sources, Benjamin swore an oath, on the memory of Joseph, that he was innocent of theft, and, when challenged about how believable the oath would be, explained that remembering Joseph was so important to him that he had named his sons in Joseph's honour. These sources go on to state that Benjamin's oath touched Joseph so deeply that Joseph was no longer able to pretend to be a stranger.

An illustration from the Morgan Bible of Benjamin being returned to Egypt (Genesis 44)

In the narrative, just prior to this test, when Joseph had first met all of his brothers (but not identified himself to them), he had held a feast for them; the narrative heavily implies that Benjamin was Joseph's favorite brother, since he is overcome with tears when he first meets Benjamin in particular, and he gives Benjamin five times as much food as he apportions to the others. According to textual scholars, this is really the Jahwist's account of the reunion after Joseph identifies himself, and the account of the threat to enslave Benjamin is just the Elohist's version of the same event, with the Elohist being more terse about Joseph's emotions towards Benjamin, merely mentioning that Benjamin was given five times as many gifts as the others.

Jacob's blessing

Upon his death, the patriarch Jacob blesses his youngest son: "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he consumes the foe, And in the evening he divides the spoil" (Genesis 49:27). This wolf symbolism has been interpreted to refer to several elements of the Tribe of Benjamin, including its heroic members like King Saul and Mordecai, the tribe's often warlike nature, and the tribe's jurisdiction over the Temple in Jerusalem in which sacrifices were 'devoured' by flame.

Origin

An exterior view of a Mamluk caravanserai complex, including the mausoleum of Nabi Yamin, traditionally believed to be the tomb of Benjamin, located outside Kfar Saba, Israel

Biblical scholars believe, due to their geographic overlap and their treatment in older passages, that Ephraim and Manasseh were originally considered one tribe, that of Joseph. According to several biblical scholars, Benjamin was also originally part of this single tribe, but the biblical account of Joseph as his father became lost.

The description of Benjamin being born after the arrival in Canaan is thought by some scholars to refer to the tribe of Benjamin coming into existence by branching from the Joseph group after the tribe had settled in Canaan. A number of biblical scholars suspect that the distinction of the Joseph tribes (including Benjamin) is that they were the only Israelites which went to Egypt and returned, while the main Israelite tribes simply emerged as a subculture from the Canaanites and had remained in Canaan throughout.

According to this view, the story of Jacob's visit to Laban to obtain a wife originated as a metaphor for this migration, with the property and family which were gained from Laban representing the gains of the Joseph tribes by the time they returned from Egypt. According to textual scholars, the Jahwist version of the Laban narrative only mentions the Joseph tribes and Rachel, and does not mention the other tribal matriarchs whatsoever.

Benjamin's sons

According to Genesis 46:21, Benjamin had ten sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. The name of his wife/wives are not given, but the Book of Jubilees calls his wife Ijasaka and the Book of Jasher mentions two wives, Mechalia the daughter of Aram and Aribath the daughter of Shomron. The classical rabbinical tradition adds that each son's name honors Joseph:

  • Belah (meaning swallow), in reference to Joseph disappearing (being swallowed up)
  • Becher (meaning first born), in reference to Joseph being the first child of Rachel
  • Ashbel (meaning capture), in reference to Joseph having suffered captivity
  • Gera (meaning grain), in reference to Joseph living in a foreign land (Egypt)
  • Naaman (meaning grace), in reference to Joseph having graceful speech
  • Ehi (meaning my brother), in reference to Joseph being Benjamin's only full-brother (as opposed to half-brothers)
  • Rosh (meaning elder), in reference to Joseph being older than Benjamin
  • Muppim (meaning double mouth), in reference to Joseph passing on what he had been taught by Jacob
  • Huppim (meaning marriage canopies), in reference to Joseph being married in Egypt, while Benjamin was not there
  • Ard (meaning wanderer/fugitive), in reference to Joseph being like a rose

There is a disparity between the list given in Genesis 46 and that in Numbers 26, where the sons of Benjamin are listed along with the tribes they are the progenitors of.

  • Belah, progenitor of the Belaites, is in both lists
  • Ashbel, progenitor of the Ashbelites, is in both lists
  • Ahiram, progenitor of the Ahiramites, appears in this list but not the first
  • Shupham, progenitor of the Shuphamites, corresponds to Muppim from the first list
  • Hupham, progenitor of the Huphamites, corresponds to Huppim from the first list

Becher, Gera, Ehi, and Rosh are omitted from the second list. Ard and Naaman, who are the sons of Benjamin according to Numbers 26, are listed as the sons of Belah and are the progenitors of the Ardites and the Naamites respectively.

In Islam

Though not named in the Quran, Benjamin (بنيامين Binyāmīn) is referred to as the righteous youngest son of Jacob, in the narrative of Joseph in Islamic tradition. Apart from that, however, Islamic tradition does not provide much detail regarding Benjamin's life, and refers to him as being born from Jacob's wife Rachel. As with Jewish tradition, it also further links a connection between the names of Benjamin's children and Joseph.

See also

Citations

  1. Genesis 46:21
  2. blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)
  3. Dietz-Otto Edzard: Die Nomaden in der altbabylonischen Zeit In: Elena Cassin, Jean Bottéro, Jean Vercoutter: Die Altorientalischen Reiche I - Vom Paläolithikum bis zur Mitte des 2. Jahrtausends v. Chr. -, Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1965 (gleichnamige limitierte Sonderausgabe 2003), S. 170.
  4. Genesis 35:18
  5. Richard Elliott Friedman, Who wrote the Bible?
  6. "Genesis - Chapter 35 (Parshah Vayishlach) - Genesis - Torah - Bible". Archived from the original on 2009-03-05.
  7. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  8. ^ Genesis 46:21
  9. ^ Genesis 44
  10. Genesis 43
  11. Genesis 43:30
  12. Genesis 43:34
  13. "Genesis 49:27". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  14. Gottheil, Richard (1906). "Benjamin," in the Jewish Encyclopedia.
  15. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, Ephraim
  16. ^ Peake's Commentary on the Bible
  17. Israel Finkelstein, The Bible Unearthed
  18. Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible?
  19. "Book of Jasher, Chapter 45". www.sacred-texts.com.
  20. "Book of Jubilees: The Book of Jubilees: The Wives of Jacob's Sons (xxxiv. 20-21)". www.sacred-texts.com.
  21. Numbers 26:38–41
  22. Quran 12:4-102
  23. Vajda, G.; Wensick, A. J. Binyamin. Vol. I. Encyclopaedia of Islam.

External links

People and things in the Quran
Characters
Non-humans
Animals
Related
Non-related
Malāʾikah (Angels)
Muqarrabun
Jinn (Genies)
Shayāṭīn (Demons)
Others
Prophets
Mentioned
Ulul-ʿAzm
('Those of the
Perseverance
and Strong Will')
Debatable ones
Implied
People of Prophets
Good ones
People of
Joseph
People of
Aaron and Moses
Evil ones
Implied or
not specified
Groups
Mentioned
Tribes,
ethnicities
or families
Aʿrāb (Arabs
or Bedouins)
Ahl al-Bayt
('People of the
Household')
Implicitly
mentioned
Religious
groups
Locations
Mentioned
In the
Arabian Peninsula
(excluding Madyan)
Sinai Region
or Tīh Desert
In Mesopotamia
Religious
locations
Implied
Events, incidents, occasions or times
Battles or
military expeditions
Days
Months of the
Islamic calendar
Pilgrimages
  • Al-Ḥajj (literally 'The Pilgrimage', the Greater Pilgrimage)
  • Al-ʿUmrah (The Lesser Pilgrimage)
Times for prayer
or remembrance		Times for Duʿāʾ ('Invocation'), Ṣalāh and Dhikr ('Remembrance', including Taḥmīd ('Praising'), Takbīr and Tasbīḥ):
  • Al-ʿAshiyy (The Afternoon or the Night)
  • Al-Ghuduww ('The Mornings')
    • Al-Bukrah ('The Morning')
    • Aṣ-Ṣabāḥ ('The Morning')
  • Al-Layl ('The Night')
  • Aẓ-Ẓuhr ('The Noon')
  • Dulūk ash-Shams ('Decline of the Sun')
    • Al-Masāʾ ('The Evening')
    • Qabl al-Ghurūb ('Before the Setting (of the Sun)')
      • Al-Aṣīl ('The Afternoon')
      • Al-ʿAṣr ('The Afternoon')
  • Qabl ṭulūʿ ash-Shams ('Before the rising of the Sun')
    • Al-Fajr ('The Dawn')
Implied
  • Ghadir Khumm
  • Laylat al-Mabit
  • First Pilgrimage
    • Other
    Holy books
    Objects
    of people
    or beings
    Mentioned idols
    (cult images)
    Of Israelites
    Of Noah's people
    Of Quraysh
    Celestial
    bodies    		Maṣābīḥ (literally 'lamps'):
    • Al-Qamar (The Moon)
    • Kawākib (Planets)
      • Al-Arḍ (The Earth)
    • Nujūm (Stars)
      • Ash-Shams (The Sun)
    Plant matter
  • Baṣal (Onion)
  • Fūm (Garlic or wheat)
  • Shaṭʾ (Shoot)
  • Sūq (Plant stem)
  • Zarʿ (Seed)
    • Fruits
    Bushes, trees
    or plants
    Liquids
    • Māʾ (Water or fluid)
      • Nahr (River)
      • Yamm (River or sea)
    • Sharāb (Drink)
    Note: Names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form: Islamic name / Biblical name (title or relationship)
    Children of Jacob
    With Leah
    With Rachel
    With Bilhah, Rachel's servant
    With Zilpah, Leah's servant
    Adopted
    Categories: