Why Was the Tribe of Benjamin Important?

Compared with some of the other twelve tribes of Israel and their descendants, the tribe of Benjamin doesn’t get a whole lot of press in Scripture. Nevertheless, many important biblical figures came from this tribe.

Benjamin, the last son of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of Israel, was one of Jacob’s favorites because of his mother. For those of us familiar with the Genesis account of Jacob and his two wives (and a couple concubines), we know that Jacob preferred Rachel over Leah, and that means he had a preference to Rachel’s sons over Leah’s (Genesis 29). 

Nevertheless, even though Benjamin earns a spot as one of Jacob’s favorite children, he receives somewhat of an odd prophecy about his offspring at the end of Jacob’s life. Jacob blesses each of his sons and gives a prophecy about their future tribe. This is the one Benjamin receives:

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder” (Genesis 49:27).

From what we know about Benjamin’s character from the narrative, this seems surprising. In this article, we’ll dive into the character of Benjamin, what the prophecy for the tribe of Benjamin means, important figures from the tribe of Benjamin, and what the significance of the tribe is.

Who Was Benjamin?

As mentioned before, Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob, one of Rachel’s two children. We don’t get many details about Benjamin from the biblical narrative, because the latter half of Genesis covers mostly Jacob’s life.

We do know, however, that Jacob doesn’t appear to learn from his mistake of playing favorites with Jacob, because he does so with Benjamin. When Joseph, unrecognized by his brothers, tests them by threatening to enslave Benjamin for “stealing” from him (Genesis 44), his brothers beg Joseph to let someone else take Benjamin’s place.

Apart from how people react to Benjamin in Scripture, we don’t get many hints of his character. 

What Was the Tribe of Benjamin and it's Prophecy?

Benjamin’s prophecy appears to come in three parts. Scripture compares his tribe with a wolf. And he devours prey in the morning and divides plunder in the evening.

Wolves, as indicated by John Gill’s commentary, show a military valor. This means this tribe would have military success (Judges 20:15-25), which makes sense in light of the rest of the prophecy when it talks about prey and plunder.

Also, as mentioned in the commentary above, this symbolically plays an importance in the lives of one of the most famous Benjamintes: the Apostle Paul (more on him in a moment). Paul, in the “morning” of his life, devoured Christians, but by the end of his life, he enjoyed the spoils of the Christian walk, and eternal life. 

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/kieferpix 

Who Were Important People from the Tribe of Benjamin?

Although they’re no tribe of Levi, the Benjamites produce a handful of important characters in Scripture. We’ll highlight a few of them below.

Ehud was a more obscure judge in Israel’s history. He was a left-handed assassin who defeated the king of Moab and restored Israel from their enemies (Judges 3). Also, under the judges of Israel such as Deborah, the Benjamites experienced a great deal of military success, as prophesied.

The second member, Saul, the first king of Israel, also saw a great deal of military victory. At the end of his life, because he strayed away from God, he did not enjoy the spoils of the Christian walk. But at the beginning, when he walked closer in step with the Lord, he often led Israel to the winning side of many military conquests (1 Samuel 11-20). 

Our third member may come more as a surprise to readers, as she did not participate in the front lines of battle. Rather, she had to wage a silent political war to save her people.

Indeed, Queen Esther hails from the tribe of Benjamin. She helped to undermine a plot to destroy the Jewish people after winning the heart of King Ahasuerus.

Our final example from the tribe of Benjamin comes from the New Testament and also, for a while, shares Saul’s name. The Apostle Paul descends from Benjamin’s line (Philippians 3:4-8). As discussed above, he does seek to devour his prey: Christians. But after he experiences the transformative power of salvation, he changes allegiances and experiences spoils at the end of his life. 

What Is the Significance of the Tribe of Benjamin? 

The tribe of Benjamin is significant for a number of reasons. 

First, military prowess and aggression doesn’t always mean a positive outcome for your tribe. Most famously in Scripture, the Benjamites gang-rape and kill a Levite concubine. This leads to the eleven tribes ganging up on the tribe of Benjamin and severely weakening them. 

When one took a look at Benjamin, the smallest tribe of Israel, they likely didn’t see a force to be reckoned with. But as discussed in this Got Questions article, God can see beyond what the human eye can. 

Secondly, we have several important figures who come from this tribe. All, with the exception of Paul, displayed either military strength, cunning (in the case of Esther and Ehud), and political savvy. We’ll notice that all four of the ones mentioned held a high position of some sort. 

Paul ended up yielding his position when he followed Christ. But as one can argue, Christians receive a higher heavenly position when they pass from this world into the next (2 Timothy 2:12). 

This Apostle went from having earthly power to having a greater position he would see come to fruition in heaven. 

Finally, it’s important we focus on the final part of Benjamin’s prophecy. Paul had a foretaste of this when he joined Christianity. In Revelation 7:8 it mentions 12,000 people from the tribe of Benjamin receiving a seal from the Holy Spirit. Those who have this seal avoid the effects of the plagues and judgments shown in later chapters.

This means that not only did the Benjamites experience military spoils in a literal sense, but they can also enjoy the blessings of eternal life. Benjamin’s prophecy not only lasts during the Old and New Testaments, but will come to an ultimate fulfillment at the end of time. 

Photo credit: Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw

Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.