Nadene Goldfoot
Rachel and Jacob conceived Benjamin during Jacob's depressive state when he had found out that his first son with Rachel had been kidnapped. He feared he would never see him again and this was his favorite son out the 11.
To top off his joy after so much grief, Rachel died in childbirth with Benjamin. Rachel had died on a journey from Beth-el going to Ephrath when she had gone into labor and had difficulty in her childbirth. The midwife was with her. Rachel was able to name her new son Ben Oni, and she was buried on the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. Jacob set up a monument over her grave. Jacob called the newborn, Benjamin. (Gen 35:16-21). Benjamin was the only son born in Canaan.
His 11 aunts, or at least Leah, probably took care of him as she was Leah's sister.
The exceptionally strong mutual devotion of Jacob and Benjamin developed played a prominent part in the events which ended with Jacob's migration to Egypt during a time of famine.
Benjamin was not part of the conspiracy concocted by his ten older brothers to kill their brother Joseph (coat of many colors inspired jealousy). Later, when the brothers had to travel to Egypt to seek food during a famine, Jacob’s love for his youngest son compelled him to keep Benjamin home “because he was afraid that harm might come to him” (Genesis 42:4). The other brothers traveled to Egypt and met with the governor of Egypt (Joseph, whom his brothers did not recognize). Joseph tested his brothers by accusing them of spying and demanding that they prove their honesty by bringing Benjamin back with them: “You will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here” (Genesis 42:15). Joseph shut them all in prison for three days and then released all but Simeon. The others returned home with the grain they had purchased—and the money that Joseph had secretly returned to them (verse 25).
Back in Canaan, Jacob laments his predicament: “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” (Genesis 42:36). For a while, Jacob refused to allow Benjamin to make the trip back to Egypt (verse 38). He later relented when they ran out of grain and Judah promised to personally guarantee Benjamin’s safe return (Genesis 43:8–9).
Joseph, as he greeted the brothers this second time, “looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, [and] he asked, ‘Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?’ And he said, ‘God be gracious to you, my son.’ Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep” (Genesis 43:29–30).
Years later in Egypt, as Jacob prepared to die, he blessed Benjamin, saying, “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder” (Genesis 49:27). Benjamin: Jacob’s youngest son would be a warrior, producing many of Israel’s military leaders, such as Ehud, Saul, and Jonathan. His tribe would be known for its warring characteristics (Judges 5:14; 20:16; 1 Chronicles 8:40).
The Blessing of Moses, portrayed in the Bible as a prophecy by Moses about the future situation of the twelve tribes, describes Benjamin as "dwelling between YHWH's shoulders," in reference to its location between the leading tribe of the Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim), and the leading tribe (Judah) of Kingdom of Judah.
(Judg 20:13)Benjamin's refusal: " But the children of Benjamin refused to heed the voice of their brothers, the Children of Israel. The children of Benjamin were gathered together from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to war with the Children of Israel. The children of Benjamin from the cities were numbered that day at 26,000 sword-wielding men, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered at 700 choice men. among all these people there were 700 choice left-handed men, all of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Besides Benjamin, the men of Israel were numbered at 400,000 sword-wielding men, all these were warriors." (This story has more to come-you'll see as you go on.)
The tribe of Benjamin became famous for their skill in battle and warlike nature. We learn more about Benjamin and the tribe of Benjamin throughout the books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges.
During the Exodus, the 1st census showed that Benjamin had 35,400 men. In the 2nd and last census, they had 45,600 showing an increase of 10,200 men.
This shows the total entering Canaan to have been 601,730. They had lost during the 40 year exodus a total of 1,820 men from the time they had started with 603,550.
The tribe of Benjamin occupied a little territory between Ephraim and Judah which included Jerusalem. Jericho is also included. Saul, the 1st king of Israel, was a Benjamite. The territory was a bone of contention between the kingdoms of the north-Israel, and the south-Judah after the division of the kingdom when Solomon died in 920 BCE. Eventually the land of Israel and Judah was partitioned between the two kingdoms.
According to the Hebrew Torah, following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes. Kenneth Kitchen dates this conquest to just after 1200 BCE. I have King David reigning already from 1010-970 BCE.
The Bible recounts that Joshua assigned to Benjamin the territory between that of Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south, with the Jordan River as the eastern border, and included many historically important cities, such as Bethel, Gibeah, and encroached on the northern hills of Jerusalem. (Joshua 18:11–28)
According to rabbinical sources, only those towns and villages on the northernmost and southernmost territorial boundary lines, or purlieu, are named in the land allocation, although, in actuality, all unnamed towns and villages in between these boundaries would still belong to the tribe of Benjamin. The Babylonian Talmud names three of these cities, all of which were formerly enclosed by a wall, and belonged to the tribe of Benjamin: Lydda (Lod), Ono (Kafr 'Ana), and Gei Ha-ḥarashim. Marking what is now one of the southernmost butts and bounds of Benjamin's territory is "the spring of the waters of Nephtoah" (Josh. 18:15), a place identified as Kefar Lifta (كفر لفتا), and situated on the left-hand side of the road as one enters Jerusalem. It is now an abandoned Arab village. The word Lifta is merely a corruption of the Hebrew name Nephtoah, and where a natural spring by that name still abounds.
Although Jerusalem was in the territory allocated to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:28), it remained under the independent control of the Jebusites. Judges 1:21 points to the city being within the territory of Benjamin, while Joshua 15:63 implies that the city was within the territory of Judah. In any event, Jerusalem remained an independent Jebusite city until it was finally conquered by David in c. 11th century BC and made into the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel.
After the breakup of the United Monarchy when Solomon died in 920 BCE, Jerusalem continued as the capital of the southern Kingdom of Judah.
The ownership of Bethel is also ambiguous. Though Joshua allocated Bethel to Benjamin, by the time of the prophetess Deborah, Bethel is described as being in the land of the Tribe of Ephraim (Judges 4:5). Then, some twenty years after the breakup of the United Monarchy, Abijah, the second king of Kingdom of Judah, defeated Jeroboam of Israel and took back the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. Ephron is believed to be the Ophrah that was also allocated to the Tribe of Benjamin by Joshua.
On one occasion, it was almost exterminated in a war with the other tribes (Judg. 19-21). "The children of Benjamin heard that the Children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. The children of Israel said, "Tell us; how did this outrage happen?" The Levite man, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said, "I arrived with my concubine at Gibeah of Benjamin, to spend the night. The inhabitants of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house against me all night. They proposed to kill me, and they tormented my concubine so that she died. He performed an atrocity I shall not repeat here: but you can read about it later yourselves. Legally in that period, there had been no capital offense committed. The concubine was not a married woman and her death was unintended. The nation, however, was appalled at the unprecedented atrocity. They wished to exercise the right to act extralegally in an emergency situation. The Benjamites refused to cooperate, for several reasons; (1) the crime committed, heinous though it was, was not a capital offense; (2) the other tribes were acting high-handedly, without consulting Benjamin; and (3) the responsibility to take action lay exclusively in the hands of the high court of the tribe of Benjamin. All parties acted wrongly, and G-d allowed them to suffer heavy casualties as a result. The tribes should not have gone to war before consulting Benjamin, and Benjamin should not have turned a blind eye to the atrocity. (This decision was from Rambam).
Descendants of Benjamin include Ehud, one of the judges who saved Israel from the oppression of Eglon, king of Moab (Judg.3). ; Saul, Israel’s first king; and Queen Esther.
Resource:
Tanakh, Stone Edition
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_(Genesis)
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jacobs-prophecies.html
No comments:
Post a Comment