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From Brotherhood to Obscurity
In 1 Chronicles 4-5, the author will quickly take us through four minor tribes that had a smaller impact on Israel. They are Simeon and the 3 Transjordan Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. We begin with Simeon.
Judah and Simeon are brothers. Their mother is Leah, and they’re not the only tribes she gave birth to. See the lineage of the 12 tribes of Israel and the birth order in our printable: Patriarchal Lineage:12 Sons and 12 Tribes of Israel.
Simeon’s land inheritance was located within Judah’s borders. In 1 Chronicles 4:24-43, we learn Simeon had five sons. But only one of those sons, Shaul, had many descendants–16 sons and 6 daughters.
Because of the low birth counts, Simeon’s tribe was reduced by almost 2/3 between Exodus and the end of the Wilderness period. The population dropped from 59,300 men to 22,200 by the second census in Numbers 26. By the time of David, Simeon’s tribe was completely absorbed into Judah.
There was a reason for this. Back in Genesis 34, when Simeon and Levi’s sister Dinah was raped, they tricked all the assailant’s men into being circumcised. Then they murdered them as they were still recovering. This particular act of revenge displeased Jacob and in Genesis 49 the tribes of Simeon and Levi were cursed to be scattered.
For Levi, this evolved into a blessing because his tribe became the priests living among all the tribes. More on that in the next post. But for Simeon it meant his inheritance was located in Judah and eventually absorbed.
Hope for the Forgotten Tribe
As usual with the Chronicler, all is not lost. His goal is to encourage the returning Israelites and reunite all 12 tribes into a nation as God intended, including the tribe of Simeon.
So he ends with a positive story about the tribe. It’s a time in history when they have settled the land and killed the Amalekites. For the depleted tribe of Simeon who had returned from exile, it must have been nice to hear a story of a time when they were thriving.
And even though Simeon’s tribe was absorbed by Judah, they did still retain an identifiable presence in post-exile. Maybe being surrounded by Judah, a strong community for the Lord, had a positive cultural impact. The same cannot be said for the Transjordan Tribes.
East of the Promise
In Numbers 32, the tribes of Reuben and Gad both had large herds of livestock. They believed the land east of the Jordan would be great for their animals, so they asked Moses if they could settle there instead of west of the Jordan in the Promised Land.
At first, Moses didn’t like the idea and saw them as a faithless generation like those who died in the wilderness over their 40 years wandering. Also, these two tribes had a lot of fighting men, and Moses was concerned they would need their help to conquer the Promised Land in Canaan.
The tribes assured Moses they’d help the rest of Israel conquer Canaan before returning to settle in the territory east of the Jordan. So he granted their request and also included half the tribe of Manasseh to go with them.
A River Between Them
The Jordan River proved to be a physical barrier that negatively impacted the Transjordan Tribes both religiously and politically over time.
The Jordan was 90 feet wide and three to ten feet deep. It was a challenge to cross, even in a good season. They either had to travel light and swim or take a raft. At a time when there was only one place of worship, which was in Jerusalem, this took a spiritual toll on the tribes.
There were also some misunderstandings between the tribes on each side of the Jordan, which led to a lack of trust. The Transjordan Tribes made the mistake of building an altar of their own, which caused the Canaan side tribes to be suspicious of them. This erupted into the problems we read about in the Book of Joshua.
In addition, these tribes were more vulnerable to attack as well as other religious influence. As a result, they were carried into captivity first, and only a few members of the returning exiles were from the Transjordan Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
The Lost Legacy – 1 Chronicles 5
In 1 Chronicles 5:1-10, the author can’t help but hint at how Reuben lost the wealth and position due to him as a firstborn. It’s a cautionary tale of the consequences of sin.
Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son, and his mother was also Leah. In Genesis 35, Reuben slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah who was Rachel’s maid and the mother of two of Reuben’s half-brothers.
So, essentially, he slept with his stepmother while his father was still alive. Big mistake.
At the end of Jacob’s life, when Jacob bestowed blessings on his sons in Genesis 49:3, Reuben lost his birthright, which was a double inheritance of land and family leadership.
Joseph got the double portion of land and while there is no tribe of Joseph his two sons both became tribes–Ephraim and Manasseh. Judah got the leadership, including the line of David and the Messiah.
Reuben didn’t get much–no king, judge, or prophet ever came from his tribe. Eventually, his tribe which started under Moses with 46,500 men faded from Israelite history.
Rooted in Conflict
Jacob’s wives Leah and Rachel were in competition for sons. To double their reproduction, they gave Jacob their maids. He took them up on the offer.
This must have been God’s plan, because a nation came from it. Leah’s maid Zilpah gave birth to Gad who became one of the 12 tribes of Israel. But sister wives and maids make for a messy family life.
The genealogy of Gad in 1 Chronicles 5:11-17 is short and focused on geography. Bashan was a very fertile region east of the Sea of Galilee and everyone wanted it. This led to war, mainly with Aram.
Faithful in Battle
In 1 Chronicles 5:18-22 the author takes an opportunity to highlight a few of the Transjordan Tribes’ glory days. They were excellent military men and kept their promise to fight with Joshua and secure the Promised Land before returning to the land they had chosen on the other side of the Jordan.
They also waged a good war against the Hagrites–Abraham’s descendants through Hagar. But all these successes occurred before the exile and, unlike Judah, there isn’t a list of Gadites who returned after the exile. Like Reuben, they were lost.
The Half Tribe of Manasseh
By the end of 40 years wandering in the desert, the tribe of Manasseh was massive in 1 Chronicles 5:23-24. They had grown from 32,200 to 52,700. This flourishing points to the blessing Jacob bestowed on Joseph, the father of Manasseh, in Genesis 49:22-26.
Because the tribe of Manasseh was such a fruitful vine, they needed more land for their livestock. So Moses sent half the tribe to settle on the other side of the river with the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
Manasseh’s Divided Fate
Though the half tribe of Manasseh on the Transjordan side was numerous, they were unfaithful. In 1 Chronicles 5:25-26, the Chronicler seems to feel no need to even list the descendents by name. He cut them out.
The other half of the Manasseh tribe who lived on the right side of the river fared much better. In fact, most of the post-exile returns were from the tribes of Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Ephraim, and the other half tribe of Manasseh.
In the World, But Not of It
Like all the Israelites, in Deuteronomy 8:10-20, the Transjordan Tribes were warned not to become proud and forget the Lord when they grew wealthy.
But they forgot and became guilty of the same terrible sins the Canaanites had committed. Because of this, as Deuteronomy warned, they were destroyed and carried into exile by Assyria.
In a similar way, in the New Testament, Paul warns us in Romans 12:2 to be in the world but not of it. Instead, we’re called to trust in God and seek His will, depending on Him as the sole resource for all we have and need.
In Matthew 5:14-16 we get a beautiful reminder we are the light of the world. We’re called to let our light shine before others.
So there is a tension and balance in Christian life. Be in the world as a light, but don’t conform to the world.
And how do we do that? The story of the Transjordan Tribes gives us a few clues. For one thing, we need access to God and a strong Christian community.
Also, we need to be aware that when we are immersed in an ungodly culture, we are susceptible to its influence and affluence. It’s not easy to resist the world when the pleasures of the world are so readily available to us.
Stay on Course
By lumping the Transjordan Tribes together in this book, the Chronicler is making another subtle point that Paul also made in Galatians 5:7-8. When we’re running the race toward heaven, the culture and separation can pull us off course.
In Ephesians 6:10-12, Paul encourages us to be strong in the Lord and stand against the devil’s schemes so we can finish the race victorious. Sometimes, like the tribe of Simeon, we don’t have a great start. But we can recover and run the race well.
On this side of heaven, there will always be a race to run. It’s good to ask ourselves these questions:
- Do I have a community of believers to encourage me?
- Am I regularly worshipping in church?
- Am I in the race and is my faith stronger than a year ago?
- Or has someone or something cut in on my race and am I at risk of running off course?
🎧 Ready to dive deeper? Listen to episodes of the Bible Book Club Podcast here
Themes of this podcast:
Geography Shapes Spiritual Legacy. The physical placement of the tribes—especially the Transjordan Tribes—had lasting spiritual implications. Spiritual isolation, even for practical reasons, can lead to vulnerability and drift from God’s purposes.
Failure Doesn’t Disqualify Future Faithfulness. We are not defined by our worst moments if we keep turning back to God. Tribes like Simeon and Reuben had deeply flawed histories, yet the Chronicler includes their moments of strength, growth, and even redemption. A messy past can bear witness to God’s mercy and grace.
Cultural Compromise Can Quietly Derail God’s People. The Chronicler uses the fate of the Transjordan Tribes to illustrate how affluence, separation, and exposure to ungodly culture can quietly lead to spiritual erosion. It’s a sobering reminder that without a life rooted in worship and community, even strong believers can drift.
Show Notes:
Patriarchal Lineage:12 Sons and 12 Tribes of Israel
