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Tribes of Israel (4+4+4)
The twelve sons of Jacob developed into the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel.
When the mothers and handmaidens of the 12 sons are observed, the 12 are
sequenced as 4+4+4=12. An example of this can be seen in the following table:
# Son Mother Position
1 Reuben Leah First wife of Jacob
2 Simeon Leah First wife of Jacob
3 Levi Leah First wife of Jacob
4 Judah Leah First wife of Jacob
5 Dan Billiah Hand maiden of Rachel
6 Naphtali Billiah Hand maiden of Rachel
7 Gad Zillpah Hand maiden of Leah
8 Asher Zillpah Hand maiden of Leah
9 Issachar Leah First wife of Jacob
10 Zebulon Leah First wife of Jacob
11 Joseph Rachel Second wife of Jacob
12 Benjamin Rachel Second wife of Jacob
In this table, there are 3 groups of 4 each (4+4+4). The wives of Jacob are the mothers of the first and third group. The handmaidens are the mothers of the middle group. The 3 groups are sequenced as 2+1.