Frisians - Sons of Issachar
!
by Bert Otten
c1995
Introduction
This series of articles is to
prove that the Frisians are descendants of the tribe of Issachar, one of the
Lost Ten Tribes. Many books have been written about the nations of northwestern
The Celts
There are many parallels
between the Celts, who surfaced in Europe from about 600 BC onwards, and the
ten-tribed northern House of Israel (also called
Ephraim and Samaria), which was taken into Assyrian captivity from 721 to 718
BC.
The Celts are the descendants of the House of
Israel,
Among the Celts, the Druids were the only teachers of religion, like the
priests/Levites were in
Among pagan
nations it is normally the civil government which judges criminals, especially so in murder cases. This was not so
among the Celts. The Druids, and not the kings or heads of tribes, decided
about life and death, as did the priests in
Like the priests, the Druids had their highpriest. Like
the priests and Levites, the Druids were in charge of religion. Another strong link is the fact that both Levites in
The Celts seemed to have raised commemorative
stone monuments like the Israelites
and the oak tree played a
significant role in the lives of both the Celts and the idolatrous Israelites
of the
The Celts had special feasts in May and October, a corruption of the feasts of
the Eternal (Lev 23).
The Celtic day started at sunset - as it did in
The most gruesome analogy is the one of human sacrifices. For this reason
Julius Ceasar considered the Celts barbaric and for
the same reason God drove the Ten Tribes out of the promised
land.
The Celts also used a solar-lunar calendar, with alternating months of 29
and 30 days. The Jewish Calendar still is a
solar-lunar calendar to this very day.
Zebulun & Issachar
Those who write about the Lost Tribes are quite unanimous about
the identity of the Dutch as Zebulunites. Zebulun's prophecies (Ge 49 &
Dt 33) have such a strong focus on a tribe living off
the sea. The Bible is supported in this by the apocryphal Testament of Zebulun (from The
Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs) in which the very first sailing-boat is
ascribed to Zebulun and in which Zebulun encourages his tribe to be
compassionate. Love for water, for the sea, and compassion for fellowmen are
strong national characteristics in
Chapter
1 - Strong and Brave Fighters
Just before his death the
patriarch Jacob prophesied about his
sons' descendants in the last days. Jacob's blessing for Issachar is
mentioned in Genesis 49:14-15, 'Issachar is a strong ass' (KJV), 'a rawboned
donkey' (NIV), 'un âne robuste'
(Louis Segond), 'un âne osseux' (TOB), 'een bonkige ezel' (NBG), 'een sterk gebeende
ezel' (SVV = Staten Vertaling).
The
Jewish Encyclopedia states about Issachar, "... Jacob in blessing his
children before his death compared Issachar to a strong and bony ass (Ge 49:14). This expression is a prophecy referring to the
tribe of Issachar."
Physical Apparel
The descendants of Issachar are
described as robust, forceful and vigorous people. A likewise description can
be found about the Frisians by the Romans.
M.D.Teenstra about
the Frisians in De Kroniek
van
Brave Fighters!
Issachar being a raw-boned
donkey, not only referred to the physique of his descendants but also to their
military ability. Although not an aggressive people by nature, they were
reliable fighters whenever called upon.
In Judges 1, it is described how the tribes
of
In the days of David the tribe is described
as very populous, able to supply more able men to fight for Israel than any
other tribe (except for Judah!). I Chronicles 7:2, "And the sons of Tola; [son of Issachar] ... they were valiant men of might
in their generations; whose number was in the days of David 22,600." And
in verse 4, "... were bands of soldiers for war, 36,000 men: for they had
many wives and sons" and verse 5, "And their brethren among all the
families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their
genealogies 87,000." (KJV).
According to the Jewish Encyclopedia this gives a total of 145,600 men! Zebulun was
probably included though, in the last figure of 87,000 as it is not mentioned
at all in I Chronicles, chapters 2-8. To realise the
magnitude of this figure of 145,600, or even the one of 87,000, look at the
number of men the Transjordan tribes, Reuben, Gad and
half of Manasseh, could just muster together. I Chronicles
Frisians - brave people
The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth Edition, about the Frisians, "In the 13th
book of his Annals, Tacitus tells how the chiefs, Verritus
and Malorix, as he calls them, excited the amusement
and admiration of the people by
taking, unasked, their seat among the senators in Pompey's theatre, when they
heard that strangers from nations distinguished
by their bravery and friendship to the Romans were advanced to that honourable position." (Emphasis added).
And, Encyclopaedia
Britannica, Eleventh Edition, Vol.19, p.413, "The Frisians struggled
against Roman over-lordship somewhat longer, and it was not until AD 47 that
they finally submitted to the victorious arms of
Domitius Corbulo.
The Frisian auxiliaries were likewise
regarded as excellent troups." (Emphasis added ).
Stubborness
Why are they compared to a
strong and bony ass? Probably because it also refers to their stubborness.
In English the expression is 'as stubborn as an ass', in Dutch 'zo koppig als
een ezel'.
However in
Chapter
2 - Couching Down Between Two Burdens
Genesis 49:14-15, "Issachar is a strong ass couching down
between two burdens: And he saw that the rest was good,
and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a
servant unto tribute."
Tillage & Tribute
Concerning these two verses Matthew Henry's Commentary states the
following,
"Concerning
Issachar, v. 14-15, That the men of that tribe should be strong and industrious, fit for labour
and inclined to labour,
particularly the toil of husbandry, like
the ass, that patiently carried his
burden, and, by using himself to it, makes it the easier. Issachar submitted to two burdens, tillage
and tribute. It was a tribe that took pains and thriving thereby, was
called upon for rents and taxes." (Emphasis added). Scott's Commentary, Vol.I,
concerning the same two verses,
"v. 14-15, Issachar is described under the emblem of a strong
ass, as
Another excellent comment is found in the
Dutch Staten Bijbel
met kanttekeningen,
"Bij gelijkenis van een sterken doch
luien en gemakkelijken ezel, voorzegt hij dat de nakomelingen
van Issaschar wel sterk zouden zijn
en sterk van vermogen, door
de goedheid van hun land, maar zoo tot gemak en vrede genegen, dat zij niets
bijzonders zouden uitrichten, ja zich door anderen laten overlasten: ... (In
comparison with a strong but lazy and
easy-going ass, he predicts Issachar's
descendants to become strong and of
great capacity though, by the fatness of their land, however so much
inclined to ease and peace, that
they would not accomplish much, yeah even become tribute to others ...)".
Frisians - not aggressive
Compare this with what the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth Edition, says about
the Frisians,
"FRISIANS,
- ... - a people of Teutonic stock, who at their first appearance in history,
are found in possession of the same
district of Europe which they still, at least partially, occupy [the land it was
pleasant!] So far as can be judged they
have NEVER been of an AGGRESSIVE disposition [he saw that the rest was
good], and it is not improbable that at one time they may have possessed a much
wider territory than history usually assignes them."
Further on in the same article,
"...
For this neglect the principal reason is undoubtedly the fact that the people
have, at least in modern times, displayed
no strong political individuality [bowed his shoulder to bear], but have
allowed themselves peacefully to be
merged in more powerful nationalities [and became a servant unto
tribute]."
Those more powerful nationalities are the
Dutch (Zebulun) and the Germans (
Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia Vol.5, p.
14-15,
"Frisian, member of a Germanic people speaking a language
closely related
to English and living in the Frisian islands, in Friesland,
a northern province of the Netherlands, and in Ostfriesland
and Nordfriesland in Germany ... From the lst to the 5th century AD, they were more or less tributary
to the Romans; their land was then infiltrated by Angles and Saxons on the way
to England and subsequently conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne, who
converted them to Christianity. In
subsequent
centuries ['in the last days'] they
were territorially divided [between two campfires (NIV, margin)]; in the
16th century the western Frisians joined the union that was to become The
The Frisians are territorially divided.
According to the Standaard Encyclopedie,
their descendants live in West-Friesland (northern part of Noord-Holland),
Friesland (also called Mid-Friesland,
this is the present-day province of Friesland), the
Frisian Ommelanden between the Ems
and the Lauwers Zee (the present-day province of
Groningen, except for the capital and the peat-colony in the southeast), Ost-Friesland and Sagelterland in
Germany, the West, East and North-Frisian isles including Helgoland,
all along the coasts of the Netherlands and Germany, together with Nord-Friesland between Husum and Tönder, just south of the Danish border in Northern
Germany.
Frisian, a proper language
Three dialects of modern
Frisian are still spoken today, Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia Vol.5,
p.15,
"...
Although Frisian was formerly spoken from what is now the province of Noord-Holland (North Holland) in the Netherlands along the
North Sea coastal area to modern German Schleswig, including
the offshore islands in this area, modern Frisian is spoken in only three small
remaining areas, each with its own dialect. These dialects are West-Frisian [c.
375,000 people], spoken in the province of Friesland
in the Netherlands, including the islands of Schiermonnikoog
and Terschelling; East Frisian [c. 2,000 people],
spoken in Saterland west of Oldenburg, W. Ger.; and
North Frisian [c. 8,000 people], spoken along the west coast of Schleswig in West Germany and on the offshore islands of Sylt, Föhr, Amrum,
the Halligan islands and Helgoland.
... Although Frisian was hardly used at all as a written language for about 300
years after the end of the old Frisian period, there
has been a revival in modern times in the West Frisian area. The language is
now used in the schools and courts in the
Plat Deutsch
Another interesting feature is
that the language spoken in all of
It can be concluded that the Frisians are
still living in the lands they habitated 2000 years
ago and that they have not come to the forming of their own political state.
They preferred to be absorbed by the Dutch and Germans into their states,
because the land they were and are residing in was and still is pleasant.
Chapter
3 - Cattle!
Husbandry is one of the decisive signs
that Frisians are from the tribe of Issachar. Husbandry is the main
characteristic of the tribe of Issachar. To go back to the remarks of Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis
49:14-15,
"That the men of that
tribe should be strong and industrious, fit for labour
and inclined to labour, particularly the toil of husbandry, ... " (Emphasis added).
Because the land was pleasant, it was good for agriculture and cattle-breeding!
And because the Issacharite is most often a farmer at
heart, he is able and willing to give up a certain amount of political freedom
for the quiet and peaceful life of a farmer.
Mishpâth - stallingen
For the word two burdens in Genesis 49:14 (KJV), the Hebrew Lexicon of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, gives
the following,
"
4942. (...) mispâth; from 8192; a stall for cattle (only dual): burden
and sheephold."
The literal translation is stalls (two of them, note that Frisian
cowsheds are traditionally built in such a fashion that two rows of cows have
their backs towards the path in the middle), that is why the Dutch NBG
translation translates this with stallingen and La
Bible Segond, "(Il)
se couche dans 'les étables'."
The Segond translation of these two verses is
most beautiful,
"Issacar est un âne robuste
Qui se couche dans les étables. Il voit que le lieu où il repose est agréable,
Et que la contrée est magnifique;
Et il courbe son épaule sous le fardeau, Il s'assujettit à un tribut."
The word 'mispâth' is a direct reference to
the Issacharites becoming husbandmen.
This aspect is stressed again in Moses' blessing for the different
tribes in Deuteronomy 33. As stated before, Issachar does not have a
blessing for himself amongst Moses'
blessings. His blessing is included in Zebulun's
blessing. All of verse 19 states what they
will do together! In verse 18,
however, a subtle difference is made between Zebulunites
of proper Zebulunite stock and Zebulunites
of Issacharite stock, Deuteronomy 33:18,
"About Zebulun he said:
' Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and you, Issachar,
in your tents.'"
Zebulun would be most dominant
in trade, navigation and colonizing; Issachar would rather be blessed in his tents. Matthew Henry's Commentary applies your tents to husbandry,
p.207,
"...
And Issachar must rejoice in his tents, that is, in his business at home, his husbandry, to which the men of that
tribe generally confined themselves ...".
and further on,
"...
It was for the common good of
Scott's
Commentary, Vol.I,
"Of Issachar it is
foretold, that he should prosper, and 'rejoice in his tents', as a shepherd
tending his flock. ..."
The New
Bible Commentary, ed. by F. Davidson,
"Issachar
(v.18) is promised prosperity in
agriculture at home ('tents')."
The
Staten Bijbel, met kanttekeningen,
is very clear about this,
"en Issaschar over uwe hutten."
In the margin, "Dat is, over uw veehandel, waartoe de hutten dienden. Zie Gen 4:20, en verg.
Gen 49:14,15" (And Issachar rejoice about your
tents, that is about your cattle-trade, the tents were being used for. Cf. Gen
A good point is made here. Often the first
use in the Bible of a Hebrew word is very important to its meaning. Genesis
"And
Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell
in tents, and of such as have cattle (KJV). ... the
father of those who live in tents
and raise livestock. (NIV)".
We should not think of nomads. The inventor of cattle-farming is mentioned
here together with some other inventors. Tents is therefore linked here with cattle-farming.
In both texts the same Hebrew word ôhel is used. The Hebrew
Lexicon in Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance states concerning this word,
"168. (...) 'ôhel, (...); from 166;
a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance): - covering; (dwelling)
(place), home, tabernacle, tent."
Home - um; Dokkum,
Marum, Pogum
Issachar is to be blessed at home, in his tents,
maybe that is why so many Frisian names of towns and villages end in HOME!
Endings like -ham, -hem, -heim, -heem,
-haam, -hiem, all mean more
or less the same, HOME! The Frisian ending is -um, the 'h' having been dropped.
A great number of toponyms in
Issachar in Solomon's time
The area of Issachar was
blessed and was very rich in livestock and in agricultural products at the time
of David and Solomon too.
"Solomon
also had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal
household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year."
Can you imagine how much they had to provide!
King Solomon's wives and concubines alone numbered a thousand!
In Issachar there were sixteen towns and
villages. Three of them had been given away to the Levites, which left thirteen
towns and villages (Jos 19 and 20). The twelve districts of Solomon's tax
districts, however, were not a district for a tribe. Compare Issachar's small area, for example, with the sixth district
of Ben-Geber mentioned in verse 13,
"Ben
Geber - in Ramoth Gilead
(the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in
district of Argob
in
Another mention of Issachar's
agricultural and livestock riches in the
Bible is to be
found in
I Chronicles 12:39-40,
"The
men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families
had supplied provisions for them. Also, their neighbours
from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun
and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys,
camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes,
raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle, and
sheep, for there was joy in
Testament of
Issachar
Of all twelve patriarchs, in The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
the Patriarch Issachar is the only one who stressed the importance of husbandry
for his sons, Testament of Issachar,
"III, 1. When
therefore, I grew up my children, I walked in uprightness of heart, and I became a husbandman for my father
and my brethren, and I brought in fruits
from the field according to their season."
Further on Issachar gave his sons the
following advice, Testament of Issachar,
"v. 1. Keep,
therefore, my children, the law of God, And get
singleness [complete devotion to one purpose only] And walk in guilelessness
[integrity; uprightness of heart], Not playing the busybody with the business
of your neighbour.
2. But
love the Lord and your neighbour, Have compassion on
the poor and weak.
3. Bow down your back unto husbandry, and toil in labours
in all manner of husbandry. Offering gifts to the Lord with thanksgiving.
4. For with the first fruits of the earth will the Lord bless you, even
as He blessed all the saints from Abel even unto now.
5. For no other portion is given to you than of the fatness of the earth,
whose fruits are raised by toil."
Job - son of Issachar
Most people are unaware that
Job is the most famous Issacharite. He was one of Issachar's sons. Genesis 46:13, (KJV),
"And the sons of
Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah,
and Job, and Shimron."
The Hebrew for Job is here 'yôwb' according to Strong's; in the book of Job the Hebrew
'îyôwb' is used. In James
It is very likely that 'yôwb'
of Genesis 46 and 'îyôwb' of the book of Job are one and the same person. In this respect it in
interesting to see that the legendary Testament
of Job places the story in the time of the Twelve Patriarchs. The book
claims that Job's second wife was Dinah, Jacob and Leah's daughter. This may
seem unlikely, however, it places the story exactly at
the right time. Job may well have have married his aunt Dinah; just consider the fact that
Abram, his great-grandfather married his half
sister, before him, and that much later, Moses' father Amram,
was to marry his aunt Jochebed.
Job was a very rich man, but - as a true Issacharite - not so much in gold, silver and land. He must
have had that as well, but notice the following, Job 1:3,
"and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and
500 donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest [some
translations, richest] man among all the people of the East(NIV)."
After his trial God doubled Job's wealth, Job
42:10,
"After
Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him
twice as much as he had before."
God probably blessed Job through his own
work. Verse 11 states that all his brothers and sisters gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. Quite likely Job used this
as starting capital for his husbandry and God blessed his work, Job 42:12,
"The
Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had 14,000
sheep, 6,000 camels, a 1,000 yoke of oxen and a 1,000
donkeys."
If God blessed Job through his own work, he
surely fulfilled his father's prophetic blessing.
Frisians - Cows or People?
Most English speaking people of
the Anglo-Saxon world have never heard of a Frisian language,
However, the expression Frisian cow is nearly proverbial in the English language. Mention Frisians and the average farmer in the
Anglo-Saxon world will think of cows, not of people.
The Frisian cow is one of the best dairy cows
in the world. It is a distinct breed found all over the northern parts of the
Agriculture, and especially cattle-farming is
and always has been a dominant factor in the life of Frisians. This was the
reason why the land was so pleasant to them; the low countries of the plains of
the northern
Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol.5, p.15,
"In
modern times the Frisians have become most
famous for their cattle (records from as early as the lst century BC
suggest considerable cattle raising); they also engage in other
agriculture."
and page 11, about
the
"...
These lands support potatoes, wheat, sugar beets, and pasture for the Frisian cattle. Agriculture is the basis of the
provincial economy; beef and dairy
products are sold in large quantities. ... "
Encyclopaedia
Britannica, Ninth Edition, about the Frisians in Roman times,
"The Frisians were so far rendered tributary
by Drusus that they continued to pay to the Romans a tax of hides [!] until
the foolish exactions of Olennius, who demanded that all the hides should be of a certain
superlative quality - drove them to revolt in 28 A.D. ..."
Note the following the Eleventh Edition of
1910 states about Friesland,
Vol.11, p.230, bearing Issachar's blessing in Genesis
49, in mind,
"The clay and low-fen
furnish a luxuriant meadowland for
the principal industries of the province - cattle-rearing
and cheese- and butter-making. Horse-breeding has also been practised for centuries, and the breed of black Frisian horse is well known. On the clay lands
agriculture is also extensively practised .... Despite the general productiveness of the soil,
however, the social condition of
such as to require
little manual labour, and other industrial means of
subsistence have hardly yet come into existence."
This was the situation in the years before
1910. It is a lot better now of course, although the three most
De Ommelanden
Note the following about the
"The
northern part of the province is flat and consists of marine and sandy clay,
particularly in the estuaries reclaimed in the Middle
Ages and the polders reclaimed later along the northern coast. This rich agricultural region produces
wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, oilseeds, and pastures for livestock (especially in the Ommelanden
around the capital)."
It is more or less the same picture for all
of the North German Plain.
Chapter 4 -
Zebulun and Issachar - One people Now
Concerning the several lists of the Israelite tribes in
the Bible, The Companion Bible notes in Appendix 45,
"These [lists of the Twelve Tribes] vary
according to the different objects with which they are given, and the different
connections in which they stand, according to birth: mothers, encampment,
numeration, blessing, geographical relation etc. All are worthy of attention
and study."
How true! A lot can be learnt from the order
in which the tribes are given. Issachar and Zebulun are always mentioned
together, except on two occasions.
In sending out the twelve spies, the
Issacharite Igal is mentioned as fourth and the Zebulunite Gaddiel as seventh
(Num 13:7,10) spy. The second occasion in which the two tribes seem to be split
up is when the twelve tribes blessed and cursed the people from
The six tribes to bless
The six tribes to curse the people from
Why this order? Why is Zebulun not mentioned
after Reuben? Zebulun's place in the second six seems to be illogical at first
sight, but if the two lists are numbered, it can be seen that both Zebulun and
Issachar are fourth (four is the number of judgement). As the first list is
mainly in order of importance and birth, Zebulun had to get fourth position in
the second list to be opposite to Issachar. This becomes quite clear by lining
up the two lists:
Combining
the two lists by zigzagging from one to the other the order becomes, Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Gad, Asher, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin and
Naphtali. This is quite a normal order, except for Gad and Asher squeezed in
among Leah's sons. It is as if they were put in there to keep
both Issachar and Zebulun at fourth position
in the two lists. Thus Issachar and Zebulun are always put together, with the
one exception of the list of the twelve spies.
No other two tribes are mentioned together as
often as these two. Even Ephraim and Manasseh are separated in at least three
lists (Num 13, Jdg 5 and Rev 7). The reason why is quite obvious, Issachar and
Zebulun were eventually to become one nation.
Issachar before Zebulun
Conclusions
can also be drawn from the order in which Zebulun and Issachar are mentioned.
Issachar is mentioned before Zebulun whenever the lists are according to birth,
rank or spiritual dominance.
Two examples of the latter, Issachar preceded
Zebulun in bringing the offering for the dedication of the altar (Num 7) and
Issachar was placed on Mount Gerizim, blessing the people rather than cursing
them.
Zebulun before Issachar
Whenever
Zebulun is mentioned before Issachar (five times) in the enumerations, it
always concerns national and physical dominance.
Jacob in blessing his children (Gen 49),
first blessed Leah's six sons in the order of their birth. Issachar and
Zebulun, however, were turned around. Like Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob
and Manasseh and Ephraim had been turned around before them.
Within God's system the younger is often
served by the elder. The ten elder brothers were to bow down before Joseph;
Judah, the tribe with the scepter promise was the youngest of the first group
of Leah's four sons (Issachar and Zebulun were born quite a bit later); King
Saul, Israel's first king, came from Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob; David
was the youngest of his family and his elder brothers served him. God's
principle, "and the elder shall serve the younger". (Gen 25:23) can
be found throughout the Bible.
Jesus Christ summed it up in Matthew
20:27-28,
"... but whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let
him be your servant."
In Jacob's prophetic blessing (Gen 49),
Issachar is prophesied to become a servant and is therefore mentioned after
Zebulun. In Moses' blessing there is no separate blessing for Issachar at all,
Issachar is included in Zebulun's blessing (Deut 33).
In Numbers 34, ten leaders for the remaining
ten tribes are appointed by Moses to help Joshua and Eleazar to assign the
land. Zebulun is mentioned before Issachar. Another example of national
dominance.
When Joshua was old, seven tribes had not yet
received their inheritance, including Issachar and Zebulun. Joshua
"Joshua then cast lots for them in
Casting
lots in
Three
divine interventions can be noticed with respect to Zebulun and Issachar in the
casting of the lots, 1. Zebulun's lot came up before Issachar's lot; 2. the two
tribes were not separated in casting, Zebulun's lot came up third and
Issachar's lot came up fourth; 3. their territories happened to border. All this was achieved by the casting of
lots. It could easily have turned out differently, Joshua 18:19,
"... they left and went through the
land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and
returned to Joshua in the camp of
If either Zebulun or Issachar would have
drawn the first, Benjamin's lot, or the second, Simeon's lot, then the two
tribes would have been seperated. The seven areas had been described with all
their towns and villages, hence the aforementioned divine intervention.
Zebulun & Issachar - landlocked
Noteworthy
is also that for the sake of prophecy and for the sake of identifying the
tribes in the endtime it would be better and more convincing, if neither tribe
bordered the sea. The important sea, lakes, rivers and waters these two tribes
were to live off in the final two millennia.
Time of the Judges
Judges
4 and 5 tell the account of Deborah and Barak. Judges
"And the princes of Issachar were with
Deborah; as was Issachar, so was Barak."
Deborah may have been of the tribe of
Issachar (or Zebulun). Fact is that Issachar is mentioned after Zebulun in
verse 14. Zebulun precedes Issachar again in national dominance. In Deborah's
song (Jdg 5), Zebulun is mentioned twice. In the prose account of the events
(Jdg 4), Issachar is not mentioned at all. Quite likely because it is included
in Zebulun!
Daberath & Tabor
Further
proof of such an inclusion is found when forty-eight towns were assigned to the
Levites. Four towns were ceded by Zebulun and four by Issachar. One of the
latter four was Daberath (Jos
As mentioned before, all the tribes were
accused of not having driven out the Canaanites (Jdg 1), with the omission of
Issachar. A reason for this omission could be that they were included in
Zebulun in Judges 1:30,
"Neither did Zebulun drive out the
Canaanites ...".
The Issacharites, being a kind of Zebulunites
with a kind of servant relationship to the proper Zebulunites (Deut 33), would
not be held responsible in this line of reasoning.
Zebulun omitted
Long
genealogies are given in the first book of Chronicles from Adam to the time of
David and Solomon. I Chronicles 2:1-2 mentions the twelve sons of
This is the only list in which Zebulun is not
mentioned at all. This is sometimes accounted for as follows: Zebulun had three
sons, Sered, Elon and Jahleel, but no grandsons. These three sons only had
daughters. Zebulun's granddaughters were given an inheritance in
Chronicles
Although
Zebulun is not mentioned in I Chronicles 2-8, it is most likely included in
Issachar in I Chronicles 7:5,
"The relatives who were fighting men
belonging to all the clans of Issachar, as listed in their genealogy, were
87,000 in all."
To be able to appreciate this high figure of
Issacharites (they were not even mentioned in Judges 1!), it should be noted
that the highest number for a tribe had been 76,500 for
Judah, Issachar & Zebulun
Judah,
Issachar and Zebulun marched together under
Although Zebulun is not mentioned in I
Chronicles 2-8, it certainly is in I Chronicles 12:33. In I Chronicles 12,
"the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at
Ephraim 20,800, Dan 28,600, Naphtali 38,000,
Asher 40,000, Reuben, Gad and half Manasseh 120,000, and then the highest
figure of all, Zebulun 50,000.
I Chronicles
"men of Issachar, who understood the
times and knew what Israel should do - 200 chiefs, with all their relatives
under their command; men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle
with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty - ['not of
double heart'(KJV), not with Dutch courage!] 50,000;" (NIV)
Zebulun had the highest turnout of all the
tribes. It is interesting to see what Josephus has to add to this, Antiquities
of the Jews, VII, II, 2,
"... Out of the tribe of Issachar came
200 who foreknew what was to come hereafter, but of armed men 20,000. Of the
tribe of Zebulun 50,000 chosen men. This was the only tribe that came
universally in to David; ..."
House of
This
choice of Zebulun for the House of David is reflected in the loyalty and love
of the Dutch to the House of Orange, which is of Davidic descent (through the
English, Scottish and Irish kings). In sports the Dutch do not defend their
national colours (red, white and blue) but they, play for
Josephus records the amount of Issacharite
soldiers, 20,000, which is not mentioned in I Chronicles 12 and he also
accounts for the high Zebulunite number.
Combining I Chronicles 12:32-33 and the
comments of Josephus with I Chronicles 7:1-5, it all seems to fit nicely. The
remaining "brethren among all the families of Issachar" numbered
87,000, of which 50,000 Zebulunites and 37,000 Issacharites; the latter would
also show that not all of the tribe of Issachar went over to join David at
One Nation
Zebulun
and Issachar, continuously mentioned together, became very closely affiliated
in the past and even more so now at present: the Hollanders and Frisians have
amalgamated into one nation.
The
Frisians have been spread out so much over the