Jacob’s 12 sons became the leaders of the tribes of Israel. Look at the order of Jacob’s children and the mother of each child.
| LEAH |
ZIPAH (Leah’s servant) |
BILHAH (Rachel’s servant) |
RACHEL |
| Reuben (1) | Gad (7) | Dan (5) | Joseph (12) |
| Simeon (2) | Asher (8) | Naphtali (6) | Benjamin (13) |
| Levi (3) | |||
| Judah (4) | |||
| Issachar (9) | |||
| Zebulun (10) | |||
| Dinah (11) |
Note: The numbers after Jacob’s children’s names indicate their birth order as given in Genesis 29—30; 35:16-26. See the mini-article called “Israel” for more about how the tribes of Israel were descended from Jacob’s twelve sons.