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Topic:
Persons Of The Bible -- Benjamin
The name "Benjamin" comes from the Hebrew name
בִנְיָמִין
(Binyamin) which means "son of the south", or "son of the
right hand". or "son of my right hand", or
"fortunate".
Benjamin was the younger son of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 35:18). His birth
took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a
short distance from the latter place (B.C. 1729). His mother died in
giving him birth, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, son of my
pain, a name which was changed by his father into Benjamin.
Until the journeys of Jacob's sons and Jacob himself into Egypt we hear
nothing of Benjamin. Nothing personal is known of him. His posterity are
called Benjamites (Gen. 49:27; Deut. 33:12; Josh. 18:21). The tribe of
Benjamin at the Exodus was the smallest but one (Num. 1:36, 37; Ps.
68:27). During the march its place was along with Manasseh and Ephraim on
the west of the tabernacle. At the entrance into Canaan it counted 45,600
warriors. It has been inferred by some from the words of Jacob (Gen.
49:27) that the figure of a wolf was on the tribal standard. This tribe is
mentioned in Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5. The inheritance of this tribe lay
immediately to the south of that of Ephraim, and was about 26 miles in
length and 12 miles in breadth. Its eastern boundary was the Jordan. Dan
intervened between it and the Philistines. The chief towns are named in
Josh. 18:21-28. The history of the tribe contains a sad record of a
desolating civil war in which they were engaged with the other eleven
tribes. By it they were almost exterminated (Judg. 20:20, 21; 21:10). The
first king of the Jews was Saul, a Benjamite. A close alliance was formed
between this tribe and that of Judah in the time of David (2 Sam. 19:16,
17), which continued after his death (1 Kings 11:13; 12:20). After the
Exile these two tribes formed the great body of the Jewish nation (Ezra
1:5; 10:9). The tribe of Benjamin was famous for its archers (1 Sam.
20:20, 36; 2 Sam. 1:22; 1 Chr. 8:40; 12:2) and slingers (Judge. 20:6). The
gate of Benjamin, on the north side of Jerusalem (Jer. 37:13; 38:7; Zech.
14:10), was so called because it led in the direction of the territory of
the tribe of Benjamin. It is called by Jeremiah (20:2) "the high gate
of Benjamin;" also "the gate of the children of the people"
(17:19). (Comp. 2 Kings 14:13.)
Derived from Easton's and Smith's Bible dictionaries.
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These words were posted at one of Shepherd's Care Ministries Sites
called Wisdom Minute. This site is located at:
http://www.findthepower.com/wisdomminute
Shepherd's Care Ministries Main Site located at:
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