Benjamin

Twelve Tribes of Israel

• Simeon
• Levi
• Judah
• Dan
• Naftali
• Gad
• Ash
• Issachar
• Zebulun
• Josef Manasseh
• Ephraim

According to the Old Testament Benjamin, son of Jacob, the youngest son of the patriarch Jacob and his favorite wife Rachel.

According to tradition, the Bible

Benjamin was born on the road to Ephrath ( Bethlehem today ) in a tent. His mother Rachel died in childbirth. Shortly before her death, she proposes a name for the child Ben -oni, "Kind of Pain", before. But Jacob calls his son Benjamin, "child of joy."

Benjamin is 9 to 10 years younger than his next oldest brother, Joseph, who is also the only one of his 11 siblings, having the same mother. His other brothers ( half-brothers ) are already grown men.

When Benjamin is about 8 years old, Joseph - after a false statement of his older half-brothers - " killed by a wild animal ." When about twenty years later, a severe famine broke out, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt, because here was a man there who sells grain. On their return, however, Simeon missing. Tell the brothers that the stranger, a man by the name Zafenat - paneah, they have asked to bring their youngest brother Benjamin to Egypt, as he otherwise ansähe as spies and that they had to fear death. Jacob refuses at first to let Benjamin, because he did not want to lose a son to Joseph. But the famine is worse and he knows that Egypt is the only salvation. So he can pull Benjamin. Here the brothers Simeon meet again and Benjamin learns Zafenat - paneah. Surprised, the brothers must find that the ruler may include it in his house and they feast like royalty. When the brothers travel back, appears just outside the town boundary of the property manager of Zafenat - paneah and accuses her of stealing from his master. The brothers do this as a misunderstanding and offer to, the caretaker should be killed the thief and make the other brothers as slaves, they should be guilty. In turn, the property manager searches the bags the brothers and finally found in Benjamin's sack the silver cup of his master. The brothers are brought to Zafenat - paneah, which gives all the freedom, but wants to enslave Benjamin. But Judah, one of the brothers, is passionately committed to Benjamin and offers himself as a slave to Benjamin's place on. Now Zafenat - paneah is stirred because he realizes that his brothers have changed and adopt them to recognize. He was Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery years ago. You would need to have no fear and should also bring their father to Egypt. He blessed each one of them, especially Benjamin, who receives 300 pieces of silver and five changes of raiment. So Benjamin moved with his brothers and his family to Egypt.

Benjamin has a total of ten sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard. Shortly before the death of his father Jacob blesses his sons. About Benjamin he said:

" Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil! "

Benjamin died in Egypt. He is with his sons as the founder of the tribe of Benjamin. Is less than 200 years later, the number of Benjamite be 45,600 (Num 26:41 EU).

Historically not clear is whether the tribe of Benjamin, the separation from the Kingdom of Judah carried out at the division of the kingdom of Israel, after the death of King Solomon in the year 926 BC, with the northern tribes or not. According to 1 Kings 11,35 EU only 10 tribes went to the secession; but it could be assumed that only eleven tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Levi was landless. According to 1 Kings 12:21 EU Benjamin resisted along with Judah the division. In any case, the benjaminitische area between northern and southern kingdoms remained controversial (1 Kings 15:16 ff EU). Benjamin is mentioned with Judah in Ezra 1.5 EU and passim among the returnees from the Babylonian exile, and should therefore have been part of the kingdom of Judah.

Benjamin in the Modern

" The Benjamin be " refers to the youngest of a group. The quote refers to the biblical tradition that Benjamin was Jacob's youngest son.

In the Bible filming The Bible - Joseph of 1995 Briton Jamie Glover Benjamin embodied. The eight -year-old Benjamin introduced the young actor Brett Warren dar.