Why was the tribe of Benjamin important in the Bible?

Compared to some of the other twelve tribes of Israel and their descendants, the tribe of Benjamin does not get much press in Scripture. However, many important biblical figures came from this tribe.

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

However, even as Benjamin earns a place as one of Jacob's favorite sons, he receives a strange prophecy about his offspring at the end of Jacob's life. Jacob blesses each of his children and makes a prophecy about their future tribe. This is what Benjamin receives:

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

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

Who was Benjamin?
As mentioned earlier, Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob, one of the two sons of Rachel. We don't get many details about Benjamin from the biblical account, because the last half of Genesis mainly covers Jacob's life.

We know, however, that Jacob doesn't seem to learn from his mistake of playing favorites with Jacob, because he does it with Benjamin. When Joseph, not recognized by his brothers, tests them by threatening to enslave Benjamin for "robbing" him (Genesis 44), his brothers beg him to let someone else take Benjamin's place.

Aside from the way people react to Benjamin in Scripture, we don't have many clues to his character.

What does Benjamin's prophecy mean?
Benjamin's prophecy appears to be divided into three parts. Scripture likens his tribe to a wolf. And in the morning it devours the prey and in the evening it divides the booty.

Wolves, as indicated by John Gill's commentary, display military prowess. This means that this tribe would have military success (Judges 20: 15-25), which makes sense in light of the rest of the prophecy when it speaks of prey and plunder.

Also, as mentioned in the comment above, this symbolically plays an importance in the life 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 at the end of his life, he enjoyed the spoils of the Christian journey and of eternal life.

man silhouette on a hill at sunset reading the bible

Who were the important people of the Benjamin tribe?
Although not a tribe of Levi, the Benjamites produce a handful of important characters in Scripture. We will highlight some of them below.

Ehud was a darker judge in Israel's history. He was a left-handed assassin who defeated the king of Moab and restored Israel from its enemies (Judges 3). Also, under Israel's judges like Deborah, the Benjamites enjoyed great military success, as prophesied.

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

Our third member may be more of a surprise to readers, as he didn't participate in the front lines of the battle. Rather, he had to wage a silent political war to save his people.

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

Our latest example from the tribe of Benjamin comes from the New Testament and, for a while, also shares the name of Saul. The apostle Paul is descended from the lineage of Benjamin (Philippians 3: 4-8). As discussed earlier, it seeks to devour its prey: Christians. But after experiencing the transforming power of salvation, he changes covenants and experiences loot at the end of his life.

What is the significance of the Benjamin tribe?
Benjamin's tribe is significant for a number of reasons.

First, military prowess and aggression don't always mean a positive outcome for your tribe. Most famous in Scripture, the Benjamites rape and kill a Levite concubine. This leads the eleven tribes to join forces against Benjamin's tribe and severely weaken them.

When one glanced at Benjamin, Israel's smallest tribe, he probably didn't see a force to contend with. But as discussed in this Got Questions article, God can see beyond what the human eye can see.

Secondly, we have several important figures who come from this tribe. Everyone except Paul showed military strength, cunning (in the case of Esther and Ehud) and political common sense. We will note that all four of those mentioned occupied a high position of some kind.

Paul ended up giving up his position when he followed Christ. But as can be argued, Christians receive a higher heavenly position as they move from this world to the next (2 Timothy 2:12).

This apostle went from having earthly power to having a higher position that he would see fulfilled in heaven.

Finally, it is important that we focus on the final part of Benjamin's prophecy. Paul had a taste of this when he joined Christianity. In Revelation 7: 8, he mentions 12.000 people of 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 the Benjamites have not only experienced military booty in a literal sense, but can also enjoy the blessings of eternal life. Benjamin's prophecy not only lasts through the Old and New Testaments, but will come to a final fulfillment at the end of time.