The 12 Tribes

• The only place in the Bible that refers to the Tribes of Adonai is in Psalms 122:4 that states, "That is where the tribes go up, the tribes of Adonai." It is in reference to God wanting the Tribes of Israel and his people to worship in one place -- Jerusalem.
  
  The 12 Tribes of Israel are Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Joseph, Judah, Levi, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon and Zebulun. However, Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh were given the status of tribes to take the place of Reuben and Joseph. This is where the discrepancy comes in. Many parts of the Bible list different names as the 12 Tribes. In some places, Levi isn't mentioned as a tribe of Israel, as in Joshua 14:3-4 that mentions how the Levites were not granted any inheritance or share of the land, just towns to live in. In other places, Reuben is listed and Dan is not, as in Revelation 7:5-8 that also doesn't list Ephraim. According to Got Answers, some scholars believe that Dan was left off the list because of the passage in Genesis 49:17 that stated Dan would be a serpent and a viper that "bites the horse's heels."
  
  

Eastern Tribes

• The Eastern Tribes are Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob. His name is derived from the Hebrew word of gratitude. According to Jewish Virtual Library, it was Judah's idea to sell his brother Joseph into slavery. In fact, all the brothers, except for Reuben and Benjamin, were in agreement to sell Joseph into slavery. Judah went on to become the spokesperson for Jacob and his brothers on their journey to Egypt. Issachar was the ninth son of Leah. Zebulun was the tenth son of Jacob and sixth of Leah.
  
  

Southern Tribes

• The Southern Tribes are Reuben, Simeon and Gad. Reuben is Jacob and Leah's first born son. His name is derived from the meaning "Look, a son." According to Aklah, Reuben slept with Jacob's mistress Bilhah, which angered Jacob and contributed to the loss of his rights as firstborn. Simeon was Jacob's second son. His name means "God has heard that I was unloved." Simeon and his brother Levi demolished the village of Shechem to pay back those who raped their sister, Dinah. Gad was Jacob's seventh son. His mother, Zilpah, was Jacob's mistress and Leah's slave.
  
  

Western Tribes

• According to the Virtual Jewish Library, the Western Tribes are listed as Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. Ephraim and Manasseh were brothers and sons to Jacob. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, they were actually sons of Joseph and Asenath, the daughter of Pentephres (a priest). Jacob adopted them to be a part of the tribe of Simeon and Reuben. The reasons both Ephraim and Manasseh took the place of Reuben and Joseph were twofold. First, Reuben had defiled Jacob's bed by sleeping with Bilhah. Second, because of Jacob adopting them, they were given the same rights as though they had actually been born to Jacob. Additionally, even though Manasseh was older than Ephraim, Ephraim got the blessing of the firstborn because Jacob felt that Ephraim's ancestors would be "greater" than Manasseh's. Benjamin was Jacob and Rachel's son. Rachel originally named him Ben-oni, or "son of my affliction," but died shortly after his birth. But Jacob changed the name to Benjamin, meaning "son of my right hand." He was Jacob's twelfth son and born just before Joseph was sold into slavery.
  
  

Northern Tribes

• The Northern Tribes were Dan, Asher and Naphtali. Jacob had sent Dan to Egypt to purchase corn during the famine. Asher was Jacob's eighth son and son to Zilpah. His name means "happy am I." Naphtali was Bilhah's son and was described as a brave soldier in the Song of Deborah.