As a child growing up in church, I was often puzzled by this question myself. I knew that Joseph was one of Jacob’s sons, but I couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t a tribe with his name who inherited a portion of the land of Israel.
The Bible says, “Jacob had twelve sons: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher” (Genesis 35:22-26). In order to see it more clearly, here is a listing of the tribes:
Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Joseph Benjamin Dan Naphtali Gad Asher
You can see from this list that Joseph was indeed one of the sons of Jacob (or Israel, as he was named by God), and, therefore, was also one of the twelve tribes. And in some respects he was doubly blessed, for Ezekiel 47:13 states, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel, with two portions for Joseph.’”
However, there was one tribe that received no inheritance in the land. We find this in Joshua 13:33 which says, “But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.” Of course, Moses and his brother Aaron were of the tribe of Levi, and God required the Levites to be the servants in His temple. Furthermore, the Levites who were directly descended from Aaron were to be the priests.
Therefore, what resulted from God’s specific commands was that the tribe of Levi had no land, and the tribe of Joseph received a double portion. We see from the Scriptures that Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, inherited the land in his stead. This is why these tribes are sometimes referred to as half tribes. (For example, see Deuteronomy 3:13.)
Quite simply, because the Levites did not receive land, both of Joseph’s sons received land instead. So when you see a map of Israel, you will see the names Manasseh and Ephraim, but will not see the names Joseph and Levi. Yet the twelve tribes actually remain the same as always, although the tribe of Joseph was blessed through his two sons, and the tribe of Levi received the Lord God Himself as their inheritance.
What may at first blush appear to be a contradiction in the Bible, is, therefore, easily explained. Isn’t is wonderful to know that with all the change we see taking place in this world that God’s Word continually stands strong—even amid the closest scrutiny!
“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:7-8).
“These words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 22:6)!