This page/post may contain affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, as well as an affiliate of other programs, this means if you purchase something using these links, I will receive a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you! For more detailed information, please visit our Affiliate Disclaimer page

Continuing ourt series on the 12 Tribes of Israel, we turn our focus to the second son of Jacob by Leah, Simeon. (See this post for the Tribe of Reuben in the Bible).   “His name come from the Hebrew word shaama, which means “hear”. 

 ^“She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.” – Genesis 29:33

  You can find other tribes here: the Tribe of Reuben, The Tribe of Levi, the Tribe of Judah, the Tribe of Dan, the Tribe of Napthali) .

Simeon and his brother, Levi, are known for murdering the Shechemites. Levi’s and Simeon’s slaughter of the Shechemites (Genesis 34:25; Genesis 34:30) incurred Jacob’s disapproval. (see Genesis 49:5-7 below)   Judah and Simeon joined together in the conquest of southern Canaan (Judges 1:3; Judges 1:17).

You can find everything that you are looking for about the tribe of Israel on my website, but if you would like a study of all 12 Tribes of Israel, (plus the two half tribes) you can purchase the ebook for your convenience. No ads, no pop ups and you’ll have it forever to refer to when studying the sons of Jacob. It includes videos and additional downloads. The best part – it’s only $10 for over 230 pages!! Your choice, read it here or have it forever.

During the life of Joseph in Egypt Simeon was chosen by Joseph as the hostage for the return of Benjamin. Joseph’s choosing Simeon as the hostage in exchange for Benjamin was possibly due to his having been a leader in the brothers’ cruel attack (Genesis 37; Genesis 42:24).  

At the time of the census at Sinai, the tribe of Simeon nearly 59,300 strong made up of fighting men. It was then the most numerous tribe after Judah and Daniel.   The Tribe of Simeon  depended upon Judah for the conquest of its portion of the land.   This tribe received as their portion a part of the territory already allotted to Judah (Joshua 19:1-9). It was located in the South-West of the land, with Judah on the East and Dan on the North; The tribe of Simeon settled in the southwest part of Israel between Judah and Philistia.  

 The tribe of Simeon was “divided and scattered” according to the prediction in Genesis 49:5-7.  

“Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.” –

Genesis 49:5-7 

  They gradually dwindled in number, and sank into a position of insignificance among the other tribes. They decreased in the wilderness by about two-thirds. Moses pronounces no blessing on this tribe. It is passed by in silence (Deuteronomy 33).   Later the Tribe of Simeon was dwindled to just 22,000 at Shittim. At Shittim it had become the smallest, numbering 22,200. The leading cause of the significant drop in tribe members is due to the high mortality rate as a result of the idolatry of Peor. (Numbers 25:9; Numbers 25:14).   It was eventually absorbed by Judah, Exodus 15:16 and Numbers 1:23.   Like Reuben on the east of Jordan, this tribe had little influence on the history of Israel. It is considered one of the “lost tribes”.  

Key Bible Verses about the Tribe of Simeon:

“The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.” – Joshua 19:1 

  “He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.” – Genesis 42:24   

“Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.” –

Revelation 7:4-8 

“Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.” – 2 Chronicles 15:9 

“The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.” – Judges 1:3 

Anger Can Cause Us to Sin

When we read the story of Simeon in the Bible, we learn that anger can cause things to boil over and result in sin. People are hurt and we let that anger turn into health problems and even more unhealthy behavior including hurting others.   

 

“Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.” – 

Proverbs 29:11

 

 

 

Anger leaves a trail of hurt and hardened hearts and in some cases, devastation. Additionally, we can be angry about sin but need to be prayerful that we have to separate the sin from the sinner. We aren’t to love the sin but should never hate or be angry at the sinner as we all fall short, at times. We are to love our neighbors but not their sins.  

Siblings Can Bring Out the Best or Worst in Each Other

 For additional reading, you may enjoy these recommended resources on the Tribe of Simeon in the Bible and The Lost Tribes of Israel.  

Because of Him,

Sue