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Benjamin

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Nave Topical Bible
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Scofield Reference Index
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Thompson Chain Reference
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Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
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Torrey Topical Textbook
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Dictionaries
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Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
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Easton's Bible Dictionary
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Fausset Bible Dictionary
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Holman Bible Dictionary
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Hitchcock Bible Names
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Hastings' BibleDictionary
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Hastings' NT Dictionary
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King James Dictionary
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Morrish Bible Dictionary
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• Benjamin (2)
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1910 New Catholic Dictionary
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Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
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People's Bible Dictionary
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Smith Bible Dictionary
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Wilson's Bible Types
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Webster Dictionary
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Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
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Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
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McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
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The Nuttall Encyclopedia
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The Catholic Encyclopedia
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The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Aaron ben Benjamin Porges
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Lexicons
• ܒ݁ܶܢܝܳܡܺܝܢ
• Βενιαμείν , Βενιαμίν
• בִּנְיָמִין , בֶּן־יָמִין
• בֶּן־יְמִינִי , בֶּנְיְמִינִי

Of all Jacob’s sons, the two born to Rachel were his favourites, Joseph and Benjamin. In giving his prophetic blessing on the future tribes of Israel, Jacob knew that the descendants of Joseph would be far more dominant than those of Benjamin (Genesis 49:22-27).

Protected son

Since Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-19), Jacob had a special concern for Benjamin. To protect Benjamin from any possible harm, Jacob would not allow him to go to Egypt the first time his sons went to buy grain (Genesis 42:4). He allowed Benjamin to go on the second journey only because he had no alternative (Genesis 42:38; Genesis 43:13-15). Joseph, though delighted at seeing his younger brother again (Genesis 43:16; Genesis 43:29-34), used Benjamin to test the sincerity of his brothers before inviting the whole of Jacob’s family to come and live in Egypt (Genesis 44:2; Genesis 44:12; Genesis 45).

Aggressive tribe

Little is recorded concerning Benjamin’s character, but Jacob had sufficient insight to see that the tribe to be descended from him would be fiercely aggressive (Genesis 49:27). Perhaps this characteristic developed in the tribe when, after the division of Canaan, it found itself squeezed into a narrow strip of land between Israel’s two most powerful tribes, Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south (Joshua 18:11-28). As a result Benjamin soon lost towns on its northern border to Ephraim (see BETHEL; GILGAL; JERICHO), and towns on its southern border to Judah (see JERUSALEM; KIRIATH-JEARIM). For other important Benjaminite towns see GIBEAH; GIBEON; MIZPAH.

The tribe of Benjamin soon became famous for its skilled fighters, many of whom were left-handed (Genesis 49:27; Judges 3:15; Judges 20:15-16; 1 Chronicles 8:40). On one occasion, when the men of Gibeah had committed a terrible crime that brought shame on all Israel, Benjamin chose to fight against the other tribes rather than punish its guilty citizens. As a result of the war that followed, Benjamin was almost wiped out (Judges 19; Judges 20; Judges 21).

Yet Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, produced Israel’s first king, Saul (1 Samuel 9:21; 1 Samuel 10:20-24). When Saul became jealous of David, the leading men of Benjamin encouraged Saul to kill him, no doubt because they saw David, and David’s tribe Judah, as a threat to their own position (1 Samuel 18:22-26; 1 Samuel 22:7; 1 Samuel 24:9; 1 Samuel 26:19; Psalms 7). When David later became king, some of the leading Benjaminites maintained their hostility to him (2 Samuel 16:5-8; 2 Samuel 20:1-2).

Jerusalem, on the border between Benjamin and Judah, was still under enemy control when David became king. David’s conquest of Jerusalem and his decision to make it his capital probably helped to win the allegiance of the Benjaminites (Judges 1:21; 2 Samuel 5:6-7). The blessing that Moses promised the tribe of Benjamin was possibly fulfilled when Israel’s temple was built in Jerusalem, which was officially in Benjamin’s territory (Deuteronomy 33:12; Jeremiah 20:2). When, after the death of Solomon, the northern tribes broke away from Judah, Benjamin was the only tribe in Israel to remain loyal to Judah and the Davidic throne (1 Kings 11:11-13; 1 Kings 11:31-32; 1 Kings 12:21; 1 Chronicles 8:1; 1 Chronicles 8:28).

Benjamin went into captivity in Babylon with Judah, and later returned from captivity with Judah (Ezra 4:1). Mordecai and Esther, who feature in a story of post-captivity Jews in a foreign land, were from the tribe of Benjamin (Esther 2:5-7). The apostle Paul also was from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5).