The Twelve Sons of Jacob –
Part 2
Simeon
Birth Order: Second
Mother: Leah
Name: The name Simeon means “God has heard.”
Noteworthy Events in Simeon’s Life: Simeon is best known for devising a plan, along with his brother Levi, to retaliate against Shechem, the son of Prince Hamor the Hivite, for defiling their sister Dinah. Simeon and Levi ultimately killed all of the men and boys in the city, and eventually, the remaining brothers looted the city and took captives (Genesis 34). Because of his jealousy, Simeon was complicit in his brothers’ plan to eliminate Joseph from their lives (Genesis 37:18-36). This complicity eventually caused Simeon to be imprisoned in Egypt for a period of time (Genesis 42:1-24).
Personal Character: Simeon was a man of anger, envy, hatred and violence. “He performed such acts of wanton cruelty and injustice upon the Shechemites that Jacob was fearful of the surrounding people.” (Unger’s New Bible Dictionary). He is also described as impulsive and adventurous.
Jacob’s Prophecy for Simeon: Jacob gave one prophecy for both Simeon and Levi because they acted together against the Shechemites. He said, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are implements of violence. Let my soul not enter into their council; let not my glory be united with their assembly. Because in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will, they lamed oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7)
These two brothers were greatly angered by the defilement of their sister Dinah by Shechem. They deceived the men of Shechem into submitting to circumcision, saying that only then would Shechem be allowed to marry their sister. On the third day after the circumcisions were performed, Simeon and Levi entered the city and killed all of the men of the city. The hamstringing of the oxen was further evidence of their uncontrolled anger, wanton violence and senseless destruction. This is a detail not included in the account recorded in Genesis 34 but is revealed by Jacob in his prophecy. Horses were often hamstrung because they were instruments of war, but oxen were used for peaceful purposes. Deffinbaugh says, “The alliance of Simeon and Levi was an unholy one, and thus, like those at Babel who joined together in disobedience, they would be dispersed.”
The Death of Simeon: “And in the seventy-fifth year of the Israelites going down to Egypt died Zebulun’s brother Simeon, he was a hundred and twenty years old at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.” (The Book of Jasher, 61:4).
The Tribe of Simeon: The Tribe of Simeon descended from Simeon and his five sons: Jemuel (also called Nemuel), Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar and Shaul. Some Jewish scholars argue that Simeon’s wife and the mother of his children was Bonah, one of the women taken from Shechem. Others claim that the mother of Simeon’s sons was his sister Dinah, who had insisted on the marriage before she would be willing to leave Shechem’s home. (Simeon, Son of Jacob, www.wikipedia.org). Simeon’s territory was inside the boundaries of the Tribe of Judah. “And their inheritance was in the midst of the sons of Judah” (Joshua 19:1).
The Tribe of Simeon was the smallest and weakest of all the tribes at the close of their sojourn in the wilderness as recorded in the second census of Moses (Numbers 26:14). Also, the tribe was omitted from the blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33). These are the results of Simeon’s unbridled anger; such anger leaves devastation in its wake and often, as in this case, there are generational consequences. In his prophecy, Jacob made this statement: “Let me not enter their council; let me not join their assembly”. This is a reminder that we should never take the council of an angry man because he is unstable and exhibits an inability to control his passions. When anger is a defining trait in another’s life, it is an indication of the lack of self-control.
No prominent judge, prophet or ruler came from the tribe of Simeon.
Although Simeon is usually considered one of the lost tribes, it was most likely absorbed by Judah. The only mention of the tribe in the New Testament is in Revelation 7 in regard to its role in the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses during the Tribulation.
Levi
Birth Order: Third
Mother: Leah
Name: The name Levi means “United, or joined.”
Noteworthy Events in Levi’s Life: Levi participated in the killing of the men of Shechem after their sister Dinah was defiled (Genesis 34). And like Simeon, he was complicit in the plan to “eliminate” Joseph from among their midst (Genesis 37:18-36). Because Levi was one of the four oldest sons, he was probably one of five men presented to Pharaoh (Genesis 47:2). The Levites alone were loyal to God by supporting Moses when the people began to worship the golden calf (Exodus 32:26-29).
Personal Character: Apart from his alliance with Simeon, little is known about Levi as an individual. We could safely assume, however, that like Simeon, he was a man of anger, violence and jealousy.
Jacob’s Prophecy for Levi: Because Simeon and Levi were so similar in character and were apparently very close as brothers, Jacob gave one prophecy for both Simeon and Levi. The last sentence in Jacob’s prophecy for these two sons was, “I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7) We saw this prophecy come true with Simeon; his small allotment within the territory of Judah led to his descendants apparently being absorbed into Judah. The prophecy for Levi came to fruition in that his tribe did not receive any land allotment. Instead, his descendants were set apart for service to the nation of Israel as priests. They were given forty-eight cities in the new land of Israel in which to live and to pasture their flocks. The cities were “donated” by the host tribes. According to information presented in Joshua 21, the Levites received four cities from each of the tribes with the following exceptions: three cities were within the tribe of Naphtali and nine were within Judah. Judah’s donation apparently included cities technically located within Simeon’s territory.
The Death of Levi: “And in the ninety-third year died Levi, the son of Jacob, in Egypt, and Levi was a hundred and thirty-seven years old when he died and they put him into a coffin and he was given into the hands of his children.” (The Book of Jasher, 63:1).
The Tribe of Levi: The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi and his three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari. They never possessed their own designated land territory as the other tribes did, but God entrusted to them the care and administration of holy things (Numbers 3:5-13). Levi is mentioned in Revelation 7 as one of the tribes from whom the 144,000 will come forth as witnesses for Christ in the Tribulation.
Prominent Descendants of Levi: Among the descendants of Levi were Moses, Aaron, Eli, Zacharias and John the Baptist.
We will continue our look at Jacob’s sons in our next lesson.
Think About It, Talk About It
In his prophecy to Simeon and Levi, Jacob said, “I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” How was this prophecy fulfilled for each of those tribes?
Most of what we read in Scripture about Simeon deals with his anger and senseless cruelty. What can Christians today learn about the consequences of anger by looking at the ultimate fate of Simeon’s tribe?
Levi’s character appears to be similar, if not identical, to that of his brother Simeon. And yet, the tribe of Levi was entrusted with the care and administration of holy things. What can account for such a prestigious assignment being given to the tribe descended from Levi?
Sources
Deffinbaugh, Bob: The Purpose of Prophecy from the series From Paradise to Patriarchs (www.bible.org)
Hoffman, Jason: The Book of Jasher, Side-by-Side Comparison with the Early Books of the Bible (Fifth Estate Publishing, Alabama USA)
Levitical Cities (www.wikipedia.org)
Simeon, Son of Jacob (www.wikipedia.org)
Tarrer, Dr. Seth: Tribe of Levi and a Land Inheritance, (www.thirdmill.org)
Unger, Merrill F.: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Moody Publishers 2005)
What can We Learn from the Tribe of Levi? (www.gotquestions.org)
Who was Levi in the Bible? (www.gotquestions.org)
Who was Simeon in the Bible? (www.gotquestions.org)