“From the tribe
Of Judah,
Twelve thousand sealed,
From the tribe
Of Reuben,
Twelve thousand sealed.
From the tribe
Of Gad,
Twelve thousand sealed.”
ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα δώδεκα χιλιάδες ἐσφραγισμένοι, ἐκ φυλῆς Ῥουβὴν δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Γὰδ δώδεκα χιλιάδες,
John said “From the tribe of Judah (ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα), twelve thousand (δώδεκα χιλιάδες) sealed (ἐσφραγισμένοι), from the tribe of Reuben (ἐκ φυλῆς Ῥουβὴν), twelve thousand (δώδεκα χιλιάδες) sealed, and from the tribe of Gad (ἐκ φυλῆς Γὰδ), twelve thousand (δώδεκα χιλιάδες) sealed.” Then John heard the exact number of those who had been sealed by the angel of God, 12,000 from the three separate Israelite tribes, Judah, Reuben, and Gad. Although, not the first son of Jacob or Israel, Judah had become the dominate tribe by the time of Jesus and his followers. Thus, this Israelite tribe was mentioned first. Then came the tribes of Reuben and Gad, who had been given territory east of the Jordan River in Judges, chapter 13. No matter what their current size at the time, there would only be 12,000 sealed. Thus, there would be a lot of disappointed people in the larger territory of Judah. It is unclear whether the tribes or territories of Reuben or Gad existed as a remnant east of the Jordan at the time of Jesus Christ. Do you have a favorite Israelite tribe?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 