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Israelite
From A Storehouse of Knowledge
The Israelites are the descendants of Jacob in the Old Testament. Their struggles, both politically and spiritually, are the focus of the Old Testament. Judaism is the religion of the Israelites, and Christianity and later Islam arose from Judaism.
There were twelve tribes of the Israelites:
- Reuben
- Simeon
- Judah - Which became the most powerful tribe, and from which most of the Jews who are alive today are descended
- Asher
- Dan
- Zebulun
- Issachar
- Gad
- Naphtali
- Ephraim
- Manasseh
- Benjamin - The other tribe, along with Judah, that was not dispersed by the Assyrians.
Each tribe was composed of the descendents of one of the twelve sons of Jacob, apart from Ephraim and Manasseh, which were both descended from Joseph (one from each of his two sons). In addition, the descendents of Jacob's son Levi lived among all the tribes and acted as priests.
