the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Issachar
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
or Hebrew text Υisaskar , ("he is hire"); but the Masoretes as KJV Issachar, ("the hired one").
1. Leah's oldest son, Reuben, by presenting to Rachel, hired Jacob for Leah, the fruit of which intercourse was a fifth son by her, the first born after the interval from Genesis 29:35 to Genesis 30:17; the ninth son of Jacob. (See MANDRAKES (supposed to produce fertility).) Two reasons for his name are assigned: first, because she hired Jacob by the selfdenying gift of the mandrakes; secondly, as she says "God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden (Zilpah, Genesis 30:9) to my husband." Both, in her view, were successive parts of one self denial (her aim being the multiplication of offspring) and the ground for naming him Israel. His sons Tola, Phuvah, Job (or Jashub, Numbers 26:24), and Shimron, were heads of the four chief families of the tribe (Genesis 46:13).
Jacob prophetically describes the tribe, "Israel is a strong donkey crouching down between two burdens (the cattle pens or sheepfolds, Speaker's Commentary; 'the hurdles,' Keil; found only in Judges 5:16); and he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant (slave) unto tribute" (Genesis 49:14-15), namely, unto the tribute imposed by the various invaders attracted to his land by the abundant crops. The strong boned he-ass used for field work (not the lighter and swifter she-ass for riding), crouching down between panniers or amidst sheepfolds, symbolizes a race content with agricultural labours instead of aspiring to political rule; a robust race, with a pleasant inheritance inviting to ease, as not requiring such toil as less fertile lands; ease at the cost of liberty. Pleasant serfdom, however suitable to Canaanites, was unworthy of Israelites, called of God to rule not serve (Deuteronomy 20:11; 1 Kings 9:21; Isaiah 10:27).
The name Israel is akin to the Hebrew "daily labourer." But in the conflict with Jabin and Sisera "the princes of Israel were with Deborah, even Israel and also Barak"; indeed the battle was perhaps on Israel's territory, "by Tadhath at the waters of Megiddo" (Judges 5:15; Judges 5:19). Conder however suggests that the whole scene of the battle was near Tabor within a radius of five or six miles. The kings assembled at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; but their fall was at Endor, according to Psalms 83:10. Barak would not be likely to desert the fastnesses of Tabor and march 15 miles over the boggy plain to attack the Canaanites strongly placed on the sides of the low hills at Taanach. Scripture says, "I will draw unto thee Sisera ... unto the river Kishon." From Endor the kings ventured into the open plain S.W. of Tabor. Megiddo thus answers to Mujedda, a mound with ruins in the Jordan valley.
From it flowed "the waters of Megiddo" in the valley of Jezreel. The defeat of Sisera drove his host into "that river of battles (so Gesenius translates for 'ancient'), the river Kishon." Harosheth of the Gentiles answers to El Harathiyeh. The "wooded country" answers to the oak woods on the hills W. of Kishon, to which those Canaanites who went through the swamps fled. The Kedesh in Judges 4:9 is not that of Naphtali 30 miles off, but that on the sea of Galilee 16 miles from Tabor, a place suited for a gathering of the tribes, and within Naphtali's boundaries. Between this Kedesh and Tabor there is a broad plain in which is a place called Bessum = Bitzanaim, the plain to which Sisera fled (Palestine Exploration Quarterly Statement, October, 1877, p. 191). On the march in the desert Issachar was on the E. with Judah and Zebulun his brothers, the foremost in the march (Numbers 2:5; Numbers 10:14-15); Nethaneel was their commander. Igal represented Issachar among the spies (Numbers 13:7).
Paltiel, Israel's representative, was divinely appointed to take part in dividing Canaan (Numbers 34:26). Israel was appointed to stand on Gerizim to bless (Deuteronomy 27:12). The tribe's number at Sinai was 54,400 (Numbers 1:29); at the close of the wilderness march it reached 64,300, inferior to Judah and Dan alone. In Canaan Issachar's proximity to Zebulun continued. "Of Zebulun Moses said, Rejoice, Zebulun in thy going out (enterprise), and Issachar in thy tents" (comfortable enjoyment): i.e., not merely Zebulun was to be noted for "going out" in maritime traffic and Issachar for nomad life" in tents," and grazing, and agriculture; but, according to poetical parallelism, the whole is meant of both tribes, Rejoice Zebulun and Issachar in your labour and your rest, in your undertakings at home and abroad, both alike successful. The thought is individualized by its distribution into parallel members.
"They shall call the people unto the mountain (they will not make their riches into selfish mammon, but will invite the nations to 'the mountain of the Lord's inheritance': Exodus 15:17; a moral not physical elevation, the Holy Land and its sanctuary), there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness (not merely outwardly legal sacrifices, but also in a right spirit of faith and loving obedience: Psalms 4:6; Psalms 51:21; inviting all men to the sacrificial feast, and to join them in the happy worship of Jehovah: Psalms 22:28-31; Isaiah 60:5-6; Isaiah 60:16; Isaiah 66:11-12), for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand" (not merely the fish, purple dye, sponges, and glass; but the richest treasures of sea and land shall flow into Israel, of which Zebulun and Issachar were to be flourishing tribes.
Here in Galilee Jesus imparted the spiritual riches, to which the Galilean apostles in due time "called" all "peoples"): Deuteronomy 33:18-19; Matthew 4:13-16. Its inheritance extended in length from Carmel to the Jordan; in width to Mount Tabor on the N. (Josephus, Ant. 5:1, section 22); it consisted of the very rich plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon. Jezreel (whose name = "the seed plot of God" implies fertility) stood in the center, with Mount Gilboa on one hand and Little Hermon (Ed Duhy) on the other (Joshua 19:17-23). It is the thoroughfare from E. to W. and from N. to S. Here Ahab had his palace, selecting the site doubtless for its beauty. D. Kerr thinks that Issachar lay to the E. of Manasseh and Ephraim, along the entire line of the Jordan from the sea of Chinneroth on the N. to nearly the Salt Sea on the S. Its lot thus was of a triangular form, having its apex at Jericho and its base to the N. of the plain of Jezreel, where it was met by Zebulun (Palestine Exploration Quarterly Statement, January, 1877, p. 47).
Tola the judge was of Issachar, though his abode was at Shamir in Mount Ephraim. The nomadic character of Issachar appears in 1 Chronicles 7:1-5; no less than 36,000 of its men were marauding mercenary "bands (giduwdim ) of soldiers for war," a term applied elsewhere only to Gad's "troops" and to the irregular bodies of Bedouin-like tribes round Israel. Two hundred "heads" (not as KJV "bands," for it is roshee not giduwdim ) of Issachar came to Hebron to help in "turning the kingdom of Saul to David"; they were "men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do ... and all their brethren were at their commandment" (1 Chronicles 10:14 ff; 1 Chronicles 12:23; 1 Chronicles 12:32). Spiritually, Christians are men "knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Romans 13:11; Ephesians 5:16; see 1 Peter 4:1-4).
We should help to transfer the kingdom from Satan to its coming rightful Lord (Luke 19:12-27; Luke 19:44). Jerusalem fell "because she knew not the time of her visitation." They are truly "wise" who "turn many from the power of Satan unto God" (Daniel 12:3; Acts 26:18). Omri of the great family of Michael ruled in David's time; possibly forefather of Omri who usurped the Israelite throne (1 Chronicles 27:18), and built Samaria (perhaps on the same hill Shamir on which Tola of Issachar judged). Baasha son of Ahijah, another usurper, was also of Issachar (1 Kings 15:27-29; 1 Kings 16:2; 1 Kings 16:11), of lowest birth; his son Elah and all his kindred were murdered by Zimri, even as Baasha had slain Jeroboam's house, "not leaving to him any that breathed." Retributive justice pays blood with blood (Revelation 16:6).
The last glimpse of Issachar we have is, when many of the tribe joined in Hezekiah's Passover and religious revival (2 Chronicles 30:18), though unavoidably not cleansed in legal order; for these Hezekiah prayed "the good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary." But Issachar shall again come forth with his 12,000 sealed ones, when the Lord shall restore again the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6; Revelation 7:7; Revelation 14:1).
2. Obed Edom's seventh son, doorkeeper of the sanctuary (1 Chronicles 26:5), one of the eight sons given Obed Edom, "for God blessed him."
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Fausset, Andrew R. Entry for 'Issachar'. Fausset's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/fbd/i/issachar.html. 1949.
