Bible Question:
Why are Dan and Ephraim missing from Revelation 7:4-8?
Bible Answer:
Revelation 7:4-8 lists twelve Jewish tribes for a total of 144,000 men who will be witnesses for our God during the tribulation. Here is Revelation 7:4-8,
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And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed. Revelation 7:4-8 (NASB)
But we are surprised that the tribe of Dan is not in the list. He was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who is also called Israel (Genesis 32:28). In his place, the tribe of Manasseh was added. So, this creates two questions. Why are Dan and Ephraim missing from Revelation 7:4-8?
Exodus 1:1-4 lists all of the sons of Jacob who came into Egypt from Canaan.
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. Exodus 1:1-4 (NASB)
Verses 1 and 6 explain that Joseph is not in the list because he was already in Egypt. Therefore, we must add Joseph for a total of 12 tribes. By comparing this list to the one in Revelation 7:4-8, we discover that Dan has been replaced by Manasseh.
The answer as to why the tribe of Dan was replaced by the tribe of Manasseh in the list in Revelation 7:4-8 is given in, “Why is the tribe of Dan not among the 144,000 in Revelation 7:4-8?” A related question is “Why is Dan missing in Revelation 7 but not in Ezekiel 48?”
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But the answer as to why the tribe of Ephraim is not listed in Revelation 7:4-8 has two parts. First, we must remember that both Manasseh and Ephraim were sons of Joseph (Genesis 41:50-52; 46:20). But Ephraim received the blessing of Jacob when he was dying and not Manasseh who was Joseph’s oldest son (Genesis 48:14). So, Ephraim received the blessing and not Manasseh.
Second, this means there is a serious reason why Ephraim was not selected to be listed in Revelation 7:4-8, but Manasseh was. Most likely the first reason is that 1 Kings 12:25-33 reveals the tribe of Ephraim was the lead tribe to defect from King David’s kingdom, resulting in the kingdom being split. After King Solomon sinned (1 Kings 11:1-8), and the Davidic kingdom was split into a southern kingdom and a northern kingdom, 1 Kings 12:25 says Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim. That was a fortified city containing Jeroboam’s royal palace. The ten northern tribes joined to form the northern kingdom. So, the tribe of Ephraim was the leader in the split of the kingdom. That could be one reason why the tribe of Manasseh was listed in Revelation 7:4-8.
Another reason for Ephraim not being listed in Revelation 7:4-8 is that when they led in the split of the kingdom, they also encouraged the ten northern tribes to abandon the worship of Yahweh and to worship false gods (1 Kings 12:25-29; Hosea 4:17). Sadly, Jeroboam established worship centers in the city of Bethel in Ephraim and in the city of Dan in the the territory occupied by the tribe of Manasseh. Jeroboam also established high places for worship and for the priests, but not for any from the tribe of the Levites.
Conclusion
Why are Ephraim and Dan missing from Revelation 7:4-8? The answer is not stated specifically in Scripture, but most likely it is because the tribe led the rebellion against the Davidic kingdom that resulted in the division into the northern and southern kingdoms. The second reason was that the tribe immediately led in the establishment of false worship and abandoning the worship of Yahweh. Perhaps that is why God did not want 144,000 from the tribe to be His witnesses in the tribulation.
Suggested Links:
Why is the tribe of Dan not among the 144,000 in Revelation 7:4-8? Why is Dan missing in Revelation 7 but not in Ezekiel 48? Love In The Darkness!
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Category: WHY
