Troublesome Topic: THE NAMES OF REVELATION 7

The word “number” is a quasi-symbol, not a true symbol, but in conjunction with a number that is a symbol, it must point to something more than a number. Think of a shepherd counting his sheep, or an army commander hearing the count of his fighting men. If the number of the sheep was the correct and full number, it meant none were missing. It was the conclusion of the matter and nothing more needed to be done. If the number of fighting men was not enough to face the enemy, that was a conclusion of sorts as well, it meant that negotiating was necessary in order to obtain the most favorable terms of peace in light of their need to surrender.

The Tribes were divisions of God’s people. God knows we can be divided into a number of categories but He does not place any emphasis on those divisions the way we do. This is a way of saying “ALL” with great emphasis—any way you look at this body of people the result is still “ALL.” Israel meant “one who struggles with God.” To struggle with God is different than struggling against God. It is a good thing, rather than a negative thing. To struggle with God means that you want very badly something that can only come from Him, and you are willing to do anything He asks in order to receive it.

Judah means “Praise YHVH.”  (See Gen 29:31-30:24 for the circumstances that surrounded the naming of each of the sons of Jacob).

Reuben means “Behold a Son.” This was important because of the other things it brought—Joy and Respect. It also sounds like the Hebrew word for “misery.” In Leah’s case, at the birth of her first born, Reuben, joy and respect replaced the misery she had previously experienced.

The name Gad means “fortunate” and that fits the words that Leah pronounced at Gad’s birth (Gen 30:11) – “And Leah said ‘How fortunate!’ so she called his name Gad – fortunate.” In fact the name given is only slightly different than the word “fortunate” used earlier in her statement.  The word “fortunate” comes from a root word meaning “troop,” and several Bibles and other resources list the name’s meaning as simply “troop.” However, to say the name means troop does not help the reader understand the intended meaning in its fullest sense. What Leah had in mind was this -there is good fortune (good results) in large numbers. Leah had borne Jacob four sons and then stopped bearing. Now she was able to have more sons through her surrogate – Zilpah. This was fortuitous for her in that she could continue to make Jacob happy with more sons. The point was that there is strength in numbers, not only in battles between military forces, but also in battles between sisters.

Reuben means “Behold a Son.” This was important because of the other things it brought—Joy and Respect. It also sounds like the Hebrew word for “misery.” In Leah’s case, at the birth of her first born, Reuben, joy and respect replaced the misery she had previously experienced.

Naphtali means “struggle.” Obviously, the implication is those that struggle for a just cause.

Zebulon can mean either “dwell with,” or “honor.”

Joseph means “to add or to increase.” There was no tribe of Joseph because his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, took his place. Usually, when Joseph is listed as one of the tribes, his name is replacing the names of his two sons in order to list 12 names instead of 13, but that is not the case here because Manasseh is mentioned. Joseph is standing in for Ephraim, not both of them. If you haven’t read it already, my study topic comment that follows 7:4 explains why Ephraim is not listed by name.

“Ben” means “son,” and “jamin” means “my right hand.” Put together Benjamin means “son of my right hand, son of honor, son of strength.”