The Tribes and Us: Zebulun and the Sea

[Genesis 49 is the record of Jacob’s prophecies about his sons and Deuteronomy 33 is Moses’ blessings to each of the tribes those sons engendered.  This is an exploration of these passages and others about the tribes of Israel and what we can learn from them for us today.]

Genesis 49:13

Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon. (ESV)

Deuteronomy 33:18–19

And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents.  They shall call peoples to their mountain; there they offer right sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.” (ESV)

After the birth of Judah, Leah, Jacob’s less favored wife, ceased having children.  To compensate for this, and following the example of Rachel, she gave Jacob her servant as a wife and Zilpah bore Jacob two sons, Gad and Asher.  Despite all this, four sons of her own and two by Zilpah, it appears that Jacob still preferred to sleep with Rachel, his favorite.  So when Leah’s son Reuben found mandrakes, a plant that perhaps was viewed as increasing one’s fertility, and Rachel requested some for herself, Leah used it as a bargaining chip, giving Rachel some mandrakes in exchange for sleeping with Jacob.  Having more than one wife is always seen to be a source of difficulty in the Biblical record, jealousy and intrigue often governing the relationships.

The result of Leah’s bargain and, apparently, her prayer, is that she gets pregnant again, this time with Issachar, and then again after that with Zebulun.  “Issachar” sounds like the word “wages” (she sees God paying her wages for giving Zilpah to Jacob to bear sons), and “Zebulun” sounds like “honor” (she believed that now, having borne Jacob six sons of her own he would finally honor her as his favorite wife).  But after this Rachel is enabled to conceive Joseph.  Favored status slips away from Leah.

Zebulun is otherwise undistinguished.  He apparently is partner with his brothers in selling Joseph into slavery and telling Jacob that Joseph died at the hands of a vicious beast.  He is a follower, not a leader.  But here, at the end of Jacob’s life, as he prophesies about his sons, he predicts Zebulun will dwell near the sea and become involved in sea trade, living near the Philistines who were also sea traders.  And when Moses gives blessings to the tribes 400 years later, he once again mentions of Zebulun that this tribe will “draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

Zebulun demonstrates such abundance during the exile of David and his conflict with Saul when the tribe sends 50,000 warriors to support him (1 Chronicles 12:33) and, with Issachar and Naphtali, brings much food and herds to supply the army (1 Chronicles 12:40).  They were ready to make David king in place of Saul or any descendent of Saul.

Though the prophecy of Jacob and the blessing of Moses focus on the prosperity of Zebulun, rejoicing in his going out and in his tents (enjoying his work and home life), it is Zebulun’s military capability that is most often remarked upon in the rest of Scripture.  Sea trade may have made him wealthy but warfare was a highly prized skill and bravery the remarkable virtue that made this tribe such an asset.

In the period of the judges after Joshua passed from the scene, the region of the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, what would later come to be known as Galilee, was threatened by Jabin king of Canaan, as a result of their abandonment of Yahweh and His true worship (Judges 4:1,2).  But they cried out to Yahweh for help and He raised up Deborah the judge of Israel who led their armies against the army of Jabin (Judges 4:3-10).  Both Naphtali and Zebulun together sent 10,000 troops and they defeated a superior army armed with chariots because God gave them victory.  In the song of victory that Deborah sang it says of Zebulun that they “risked their lives to the death” (Judges 5:18).  We have already seen how in later years many warriors from their tribe assisted David in his ascension to king of Israel.

Are you prospering under the hand of God, enriched by sea trade or other industry?  And if so, how are you using your prosperity?  And are you prepared to fight for your people and your freedom?  Zebulun is a good example of using their prosperity for the benefit of their brothers and being ready for the eventuality of defending freedom.  The readiness to risk our lives to the death for the great cause of God will surely be called upon in times of dire distress.  And it will make a difference in how we live during times of peace, as well.