Despite the total scepticism and even cynicism of TheBibleNet about all things astrological, everything about the number twelve has astrological implications, and the ancient world, like much of the modern world, followed Johannes Kepler's principle that "God provides for every animal his means of substance; for the astronomer he has provided astrology." And so we cannot ignore the astrology of the Tanach.There are, as every horoscope reader knows, twelve major constellations that govern the twelve months of the year, each of which is represented by or as a deity, for each of which there is a tribal rota of duties (observation, ritual, vestalry etc).
The Ancient Planetarium
Therefore, to understand the gods and rites of the ancient world, we have to appreciate their cosmology (which of course is the astronomic, not the astrologic; but it was important to establish that distinction - hence my opening paragraph).
A look at the heavens in the ancient night reveals a pattern of stars which may be joined up, dot-to-dot, to form constellations; this is what the Babylonians did, and the Egyptians and Greeks, and indeed the Hebrews borrowed it, as Adonai Tseva'ot, and as the tribal configurations on the political and theological map whose aim was to reflect the heavens on the Earth.
Around these constellations two developments occurred.
First, they told stories about the animals, humans, gods and other beings whose forms they imagined they could see configured on the sketch-pad of the heavens - Orion, Andromeda, Perseus, Cassiopeia, the Dragon, the Great Bear etc, though they named them Asher and Yisaschar, Re'u-Ven and Bin-Yamin; stories which became the core of their myths and legends.
Second, because these constellations only appeared in the sky in certain months, in certain conjunctions, at certain compass points, they developed an entire astrology - a god-system of the stars - which the myths and legends partly described, and upon which the rites of Earth were based.
The twelve principle constellations, each one a deity, became the duodecatheon that ruled the heavens, and from their visible thrones in the heavens they ruled, or at least influenced, Earth as well. Worship and propitiation of those gods according to their seasons became a necessary human function, and priesthoods developed around each aspect: those whose job it was simply to watch the heavens each night, and record the movements of the planets and stars, and alert their congregation to forthcoming events (new moon due next Thursday, Jupiter moving into the orbit of Saturn etc, just like any modern horoscopist, or in fact meteorologist). Noting the planetary movements was also vital in mapping the correct time to pray and sacrifice; with heroes to represent the gods on Earth and re-enact their stories in the religious rites. Incense bearers, vestal watchers, hierodules and hierophants, scribes, sacrificers, etc etc; an entire Leviticus of functionaries, mostly tribal chiefs and their immediate family, a kind of religious civil service constituted entirely of royalty (and eunuchs, except among the Hebrews).
This epistemology can be seen in Arthur and his knights; Balder and his judges; Odysseus and his companions; Romulus and his shepherds; Roland and the twelve peers of France; Ya'akov and his sons; Danish Hrolf and his Berserks, Jesus and his disciples, etc.
And in the Tanach we find:
12 stones that make up the GILGAL, the sacrificial circle.
12 tribes of the Hebrew nation.
12 sons each of Ya'akov, Yishma-El and Esav, as well as other patriarchs
12 gem-stones in the High Priest's robe
12 months to a year
12 sedras to the Book of Genesis
12 minor prophets
12 capital cities in Shelomoh's (Solomon's) kingdom
Zodiac signs shift back one house every two thousand years because of something called "precession", a function of the equinox, but also of the Earth's axial "wobble". A change of this order would have been made around 3,800 BCE, and again in 1800 BCE, the time when Av-Raham is supposed to have left Ur, and in 220 CE, at the start of the Diaspora, but also, more signifanctly, at the start of the era of Christianity. This may very well explain the shift from bull-worship to ram-worship (Kayin to Havel, Yishma-El to Yitschak, Esav to Ya'akov), as the key sign for the beginning of the year changed from Taurus to Aries at that time; also the fish-allusions in the Jesus story, and throughout Christianity, as Aries changed to Pisces; and again in modern times, with "the dawning of the Age of Aquarius". That the early Hebrews followed the Zodiac closely can be established from many references (especially Ya'akov's blessings in Genesis 49), but the exact tribal identification may only be deduced.
The 12 signs of the Zodiac are:
Aries (The Ram), Taurus (The Bull), Gemini (The Twins), Cancer (The Crab), Leo (The Lion)Virgo (The Maiden), Libra (The Scales)Scorpio (The Scorpion), Sagittarius (The Archer), Capricorn (The Goat), Aquarius (The Water-Carrier), Pisces (The Fish)
The one tribe we can identify for certain is Gemini, since we are repeatedly told that Shim'on and Levi are twins. We can assume that the tribal order should follow the zodiacal order in logical sequence, and should therefore be able to draw up a tribal list accordingly. However, the Bible gives no less than four different orders:
Order of Birth
|
Into Egypt
|
Ya'akov's Blessing
|
Yehoshua's Division
|
Re'u-Ven
|
Re'u-Ven
|
Re'u-Ven
|
Re'u-Ven (a)
|
Shim'on
|
Shim'on
|
Shim'on
|
Gad (a)
|
Levi
|
Levi
|
Levi
|
½ Menasheh (a)
|
Yehudah
|
Yehudah
|
Yehudah
|
Kenizites (b)
|
Dan
|
Yisaschar
|
Zevulun
|
Yehudah
|
Naphtali
|
Zevulon
|
Yisaschar
|
Sons of Yoseph (c)
|
Gad
|
Bin-Yamin
|
Dan
|
Bin-Yamin
|
Asher
|
Dan
|
Gad
|
Shim'on
|
Yisaschar
|
Naphtali
|
Asher
|
Zevulun
|
Zevulun
|
Gad
|
Naphtali
|
Yisaschar
|
Yoseph
|
Asher
|
Yoseph
|
Asher
|
Bin-Yamin
|
Bin-Yamin as Ben-Oni
|
Naphtali
|
Naphtali
Dan
|
Dinah
|
No Dinah
|
No Dinah
|
No Dinah
|
Menasheh
|
Already there
|
Excluded
|
see under (c)
|
Ephrayim
|
Already there
|
Excluded
|
see under (c)
|
Levi excluded
|
Numbers 34:19 announces the appointment of the tribal chieftains for the entry into Kena'an with Yehoshu'a: Yehudah first, then Shim'on. Bin-Yamin third, then Dan, the Yosephite tribes Menasheh (half anyway)nd Ephrayim, Zevulun, Yisaschar, Asher, Naphtali (Gad and the other half of Menasheh have chosen to remain in Gil'ad).
(a) = Instructed by Mosheh before his death
(b) = Chevron, included in Yehudah's portion, but also given to Kalev ben Yephuneh
(c) Ephrayim and ½ Menasheh
In the Order Of Birth list, the Tanach is unclear where precisely Dinah fits.
In the Descent Into Egypt list, the order appears contrived, as it is based on a grouping by mothers.
In addition to the division by Mosheh and Yehoshu'a, Yehoshu'a gave himself Timnat-Serach (תִמְנַת-סֶרַח) on Mount Ephrayim (elsewhere known as Timnat-Cheres - תִמְנַת-חֶרֶס)
And besides these, there is the order in which Mosheh chose the tribal princes to go into Kena'an as spies (Numbers 13), which is different again: Re'u-Ven first, then Shim'on, Yehudah, Yisaschar, Ephrayim, Bin-Yamin, Zevulun, Menasheh, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Gad.
To try to put the tribes in zodiacal order is thus extremely difficult, though a primary list of Re'u-Ven/Shim'on/Levi/Yehudah is clear. The remainder needs to be extracted from the text. Thus:
TAURUS: is thought to have been Shim'on (Shimon/שמעון), from SHAMAN (שמן) = "to be fat", a word used of all cattle. This is doubtful however; the additional Ayin (ע) being the problem.
GEMINI: probably SHIM'ON & LEVI as a pair of brothers (Genesis 49:5); but also possibly EPHRAYIM & MENASHEH; of course it could just as well be Ya'akov and Esav themselves, who we know were twins.
CANCER: The three water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. In Genesis 49:3/4 Ya'akov's oracle over Re'u-Ven says that "you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honour, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up to your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it." A water-sign then, and the turbulence and rebellion suggests Cancer as the most likely.
LEO: the lion's whelp is without doubt Yehudah, as expressed by Ya'akov in his blessing (Genesis 49:9).
VIRGO: clearly Dinah, who became Greek Danae, Roman Diana, and ultimately in Catholicism the Virgin Mary. But this gives us a thirteenth name and therefore a further problem. Are Dan and Dinah treated as a pair? No, because:
LIBRA: the scales of Justice must be presumed to be Dan the judge (Genesis 49:16).
SCORPIO:
SAGITTARIUS: See my note to Yachtse-El, the son of Naphtali, and the one to Naphtali himself; the evidence tends towards him as Sagittarius.
CAPRICORN:
AQUARIUS:
PISCES: Like Re'u-Ven, Zevulun is identified with water in Ya'akov's "Hikavtsu": "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon." (Genesis 49:13)
The twelve are not precisely the "sons of Jacob" anyway, as Levi does not have a tribal region but only a refuge city within each tribe, Dinah is omitted, and Yoseph's portion is shared between Ya'akov's grandsons Ephrayim and Menasheh.
Yehudah as Leo belongs in July/August, the month of Tammuz, yet here he is identified with the month of March; this may well be because Aries, which falls then, was the primary month, and Yehudah, whose book the Bible is, wished to be associated with it. Other tribes fit well however. Gemini falls in May/June, and Levi is here identified with it; Dan is linked to Libra, which is in September. Can we tie up the other constellations using this information?
----------------------------
THE TRIBAL JEWELS
Exodus 28:17-20 notes the jewels to be placed on the breastplate of the High Priest as follows:
Row 1 - ODEM (אֹדֶם) PITDAH (פִּטְדָה ) VAREKET (בָרֶקֶת)
Row 2 - NOPHECH (נֹפֶךְ) SAPIR (סַפִּיר) YAHALOM (יָהֲלֹם)
Row 3 - LESHEM (לֶשֶׁם) SHVO (שְׁבוֹ) ACHLAMAH (אַחְלָמָה)
Row 4 - TARSHISH (תַּרְשִׁישׁ) SOHAM (שֹׁהַם) YASHPEH (יָשְׁפֵה)
The King James version translates these as:
SARD TOPAZ CARBUNCLE
EMERALD SAPPHIRE DIAMOND
LIGURE AGATE AMETHYST
BERYL ONYX JASPER
several at least of which are unquestionably wrong.
Robert Graves, "The White Goddess" (p269).
This list is precisely linked in the same passage to the tribes, each stone being identified with a tribe, as follows:
Row 1 - RE'U-VEN YISASCHAR ZEVULUN
Row 2 - YEHUDAH LEVI ASHER
Row 3 - SHIM'ON EPHRAYIM MENASHEH
Row 4 - DAN BIN-YAMIN NAPHTALI
Gesenius and Patai have both tried to identify the stones by their English names, and to deduce the festival day of each month/tribe (the full moon in theory). Their conclusions are:
Achlamah: Amethyst, the wine stone in Greek, who regarded it as a charm against drunkenness
Tarshish: Yellow Serpentine
Sebo: Red Agate
Yahalam: White Cairngorm
Lesem: Yellow Cairngorm
Kadkod: Red carbuncle
Sapir: Lapis Lazuli
Yasepheh: Jasper
Soham: Malachite
Nophek: Red Fire-Garnet
Odem: Rust-Red Sard
Pitdah: Yellow Chrysolite
Bareket: Green Beryl
Graves adds to this list the attribution of Kadkod or the blood-red carbuncle to Gad and makes his festival-day April 15th; the month of April and the tribe of Gad are oddly missing from both Gesenius' and Patai's lists, because still more oddly missing from the Biblical one.
Graves also disagrees over December, giving Amber to Bin-Yamin and his festival day as December 23rd. The argument is actually fatuous, since the dates are lunar and not solar anyway.
The jewels worn by the priests were in sequence (see Exodus 28). But Ezekiel 28:12 ff tells us that the king of Tyre wore one for Herakles Melkart. Jewels gave oracular responses by lighting up in the dark of the sanctuary (probably hollow-cut with strips of phosphorous behind them on a revolving drum - very ouija-like!) Twelve stones, one per tribe (and one tribe per constellation); but also the kadkod which Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) mentions (54:12) must have been part, and the 13th, which probably belonged to tribe of Gad which disappeared early.
TRIBAL COLOURS are deduced as folows:
(Ges = Gesenius; Gr = Graves)
Re'u-Ven, Dec 24, Odem = Ruby or Garnet (Ges), Rust-red Sard (Gr)
Yisaschar, Jan 21, Pitdah = Yellow Topaz (Ges), Clear yellow Chrysolite (Gr)
Zevulun, (Feb 18), Varechet = Emerald or Agate (Ges), Green Beryl (Gr)
Yehudah, March 18, Nophech = Carbuncle or Tourquoise (Ges), Bright-Red Fire Garnet (Gr)
Levi, May 13, Sapir = Sapphire (Ges), Lapis Lazuli (Gr)
Asher, June 10, Yahalom = Diamond (Ges), White Carnelian (Gr)
Shim'on, July 8, Leshem = Opal (Ges), Yellow Cairngorm (Gr)
Ephrayim, date unclear, Shevo = Agate (Ges), Red Agate (Gr)
Menasheh, Sept 2, Achlamah = Amethyst (Ges), Wine Amethyst (Gr)
Dan, Sept 30, Tarshish = Mother-of-Pearl (Ges), Yellow Serpentine (Gr)
Dinah, Oct 28, Soham = Onyx (Ges), Dark Green Malachite (Gr)
Naphtali, Nov 25, Yaspeh = Jasper (Ges), Light Green Jasper (Gr)
Onkelos, who translated the Bible into Aramaic in the 2nd century CE, recorded the stones as follows:
Samkan Yarkan Barkan
Izmargdin Shavziz Sivhalom
Kankeri Tarkya Eyn Eglah
Kerum Yama Burla Pantireh
In the Palestine Targum of Jonathan ben Uzi-El (1st century BCE) the jewels appear slightly differently:
Samkata Yarkata Barhata
Kadkedana Simporyana Eyn Iglah
Zozin Birzelin Zemargadin
Kerum Yama Bedolcha Margalita
The precious stones found in the Garden of Eden, where the King of Tyre once lived, are listed in Ezekiel 28:13, and give the strongest inference that the Davidic cult in Yeru-Shala'im was rooted in the Phoenician cult of Herakles Melkart in Tsur (Tyre) and Tsidon (Sidon), which would also explain why Huram sent the timber, the architects and the builders, and why the design of Shelomoh's Temple was Phoenician. Clearly the priesthood took its cue from the same source.
As to the tribal order, Targum Jonathan disagrees with Graves. Jonathan puts the sons of Le'ah, then the maidservants, then Rachel, whereas Graves prefers the birth order. Midrash Rabbah disputes Graves' identification of the tribes, allotting a flag to each tribe that matches the colour of its jewel, thus:
Re'u-Ven, Odem, Red with mandrakes
Shim'on, Pitdah, Yellow
Levi, Bareket, White, Black, Red stripes (horizontal or vertical is left unstated)
Yehudah, Nophech, Sky Blue
Yisaschar, Sappir, Black (interesting this, in the light of the argument that Yisaschar was originally Yah Shachur, the Black Madonna).
Zevulun, Yachalom, White
Dan, Leshem, Black
Gad, Achlamah, Grey (or possibly black and white)
Asher, Tarshish, "like the precious stone with which women adorn themselves" - so presumably either gold or silver.
Yoseph, Soham, Jet Black
Bin-Yamin, Yaspeh, combination of all the colours
Naphtali, nothing given
The naming of a jewel as Tarshish is interesting, as this was Tartessus in Spain, to which Yonah was attempting to flee when Moby-Dick ran him down. Ezekiel mentions it (1:6 and 10:9), as does Song of Songs (5:14) and Dani-El (10:6). Its epithets are "lustrous" and "shiny". Targum Jonathan calls it "the colour of the sea", but with no indication what the weather was like on the day he drew the figure of speech. The Phoenicians give us the answer, however; trading with Spain included the purchase of minerals, with the opal, mother-of-pearl and aquamarine as the main acquisitions. Allowing Jonathan some leeway, this makes aquamarine the most likely.
This linking of tribes for priestly purposes does not coincide with the quadrilateral formation of the camp under Moshe. Numbers 1 explains this prosaically, but in a more simple form it goes as follows:
North: Asher, Dan, Naphtali
West: Menasheh, Ephraim, Bin-Yamin
South: Gad, Re'u-Ven, Shim'on
East: Zevulun, Yehudah, Yisaschar
These tribes guarded the outer square. Inside them were
North: Beney Merari
West: Beney Gershon
South: Beney Kohat
East: Beney Aharon
And in the centre, protected by this priestly and military double-formation, the Ohel Mo'ed, the Tent of Meeting.
There is no obviously meaningful link between this pattern and that of the tribal jewels.
Contemporary jewelers, whose sources must remain unknown, use the following list when selling jewellery:
January: Garnet
February: Amethyst
March: Aquamarine
April: Cubic zirconium
May: Emerald
June: Pearl
July: Ruby
August: Peridot
September: Sapphire
October: Opal
November: Blue Topaz
December: Tourquoise
See also the page on the Number Seven - which is based on the planets, where Twelve is based on the stars - and which includes a section on the Menorah, whose seven candles reflect the seven planets. Twelve and seven combined become the Tseva'ot, the "Hosts" of which YHVH is regarded as the Lord, the Pantheon.
To try to put the tribes in zodiacal order is thus extremely difficult, though a primary list of Re'u-Ven/Shim'on/Levi/Yehudah is clear. The remainder needs to be extracted from the text. Thus:
TAURUS: is thought to have been Shim'on (Shimon/שמעון), from SHAMAN (שמן) = "to be fat", a word used of all cattle. This is doubtful however; the additional Ayin (ע) being the problem.
GEMINI: probably SHIM'ON & LEVI as a pair of brothers (Genesis 49:5); but also possibly EPHRAYIM & MENASHEH; of course it could just as well be Ya'akov and Esav themselves, who we know were twins.
CANCER: The three water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. In Genesis 49:3/4 Ya'akov's oracle over Re'u-Ven says that "you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honour, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up to your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it." A water-sign then, and the turbulence and rebellion suggests Cancer as the most likely.
LEO: the lion's whelp is without doubt Yehudah, as expressed by Ya'akov in his blessing (Genesis 49:9).
VIRGO: clearly Dinah, who became Greek Danae, Roman Diana, and ultimately in Catholicism the Virgin Mary. But this gives us a thirteenth name and therefore a further problem. Are Dan and Dinah treated as a pair? No, because:
LIBRA: the scales of Justice must be presumed to be Dan the judge (Genesis 49:16).
SCORPIO:
SAGITTARIUS: See my note to Yachtse-El, the son of Naphtali, and the one to Naphtali himself; the evidence tends towards him as Sagittarius.
CAPRICORN:
AQUARIUS:
PISCES: Like Re'u-Ven, Zevulun is identified with water in Ya'akov's "Hikavtsu": "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon." (Genesis 49:13)
The twelve are not precisely the "sons of Jacob" anyway, as Levi does not have a tribal region but only a refuge city within each tribe, Dinah is omitted, and Yoseph's portion is shared between Ya'akov's grandsons Ephrayim and Menasheh.
Yehudah as Leo belongs in July/August, the month of Tammuz, yet here he is identified with the month of March; this may well be because Aries, which falls then, was the primary month, and Yehudah, whose book the Bible is, wished to be associated with it. Other tribes fit well however. Gemini falls in May/June, and Levi is here identified with it; Dan is linked to Libra, which is in September. Can we tie up the other constellations using this information?
----------------------------
THE TRIBAL JEWELS
Exodus 28:17-20 notes the jewels to be placed on the breastplate of the High Priest as follows:
Row 1 - ODEM (אֹדֶם) PITDAH (פִּטְדָה ) VAREKET (בָרֶקֶת)
Row 2 - NOPHECH (נֹפֶךְ) SAPIR (סַפִּיר) YAHALOM (יָהֲלֹם)
Row 3 - LESHEM (לֶשֶׁם) SHVO (שְׁבוֹ) ACHLAMAH (אַחְלָמָה)
Row 4 - TARSHISH (תַּרְשִׁישׁ) SOHAM (שֹׁהַם) YASHPEH (יָשְׁפֵה)
SARD TOPAZ CARBUNCLE
EMERALD SAPPHIRE DIAMOND
LIGURE AGATE AMETHYST
BERYL ONYX JASPER
several at least of which are unquestionably wrong.
"The jewels, which gave oracular responses by lighting up in the dark of the Sanctuary, were probably hollow-cut with a revolving drum behind them on which was a small strip of phosphorous. When the drum was revolved, the message was spelt out as the strip of phosphorous came to rest behind different letters in turn."
Robert Graves, "The White Goddess" (p269).
This list is precisely linked in the same passage to the tribes, each stone being identified with a tribe, as follows:
Row 1 - RE'U-VEN YISASCHAR ZEVULUN
Row 2 - YEHUDAH LEVI ASHER
Row 3 - SHIM'ON EPHRAYIM MENASHEH
Row 4 - DAN BIN-YAMIN NAPHTALI
Gesenius and Patai have both tried to identify the stones by their English names, and to deduce the festival day of each month/tribe (the full moon in theory). Their conclusions are:
Achlamah: Amethyst, the wine stone in Greek, who regarded it as a charm against drunkenness
Tarshish: Yellow Serpentine
Sebo: Red Agate
Yahalam: White Cairngorm
Lesem: Yellow Cairngorm
Kadkod: Red carbuncle
Sapir: Lapis Lazuli
Yasepheh: Jasper
Soham: Malachite
Nophek: Red Fire-Garnet
Odem: Rust-Red Sard
Pitdah: Yellow Chrysolite
Bareket: Green Beryl
Graves adds to this list the attribution of Kadkod or the blood-red carbuncle to Gad and makes his festival-day April 15th; the month of April and the tribe of Gad are oddly missing from both Gesenius' and Patai's lists, because still more oddly missing from the Biblical one.
Graves also disagrees over December, giving Amber to Bin-Yamin and his festival day as December 23rd. The argument is actually fatuous, since the dates are lunar and not solar anyway.
The jewels worn by the priests were in sequence (see Exodus 28). But Ezekiel 28:12 ff tells us that the king of Tyre wore one for Herakles Melkart. Jewels gave oracular responses by lighting up in the dark of the sanctuary (probably hollow-cut with strips of phosphorous behind them on a revolving drum - very ouija-like!) Twelve stones, one per tribe (and one tribe per constellation); but also the kadkod which Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) mentions (54:12) must have been part, and the 13th, which probably belonged to tribe of Gad which disappeared early.
TRIBAL COLOURS are deduced as folows:
(Ges = Gesenius; Gr = Graves)
Re'u-Ven, Dec 24, Odem = Ruby or Garnet (Ges), Rust-red Sard (Gr)
Yisaschar, Jan 21, Pitdah = Yellow Topaz (Ges), Clear yellow Chrysolite (Gr)
Zevulun, (Feb 18), Varechet = Emerald or Agate (Ges), Green Beryl (Gr)
Yehudah, March 18, Nophech = Carbuncle or Tourquoise (Ges), Bright-Red Fire Garnet (Gr)
Levi, May 13, Sapir = Sapphire (Ges), Lapis Lazuli (Gr)
Asher, June 10, Yahalom = Diamond (Ges), White Carnelian (Gr)
Shim'on, July 8, Leshem = Opal (Ges), Yellow Cairngorm (Gr)
Ephrayim, date unclear, Shevo = Agate (Ges), Red Agate (Gr)
Menasheh, Sept 2, Achlamah = Amethyst (Ges), Wine Amethyst (Gr)
Dan, Sept 30, Tarshish = Mother-of-Pearl (Ges), Yellow Serpentine (Gr)
Dinah, Oct 28, Soham = Onyx (Ges), Dark Green Malachite (Gr)
Naphtali, Nov 25, Yaspeh = Jasper (Ges), Light Green Jasper (Gr)
Onkelos, who translated the Bible into Aramaic in the 2nd century CE, recorded the stones as follows:
Samkan Yarkan Barkan
Izmargdin Shavziz Sivhalom
Kankeri Tarkya Eyn Eglah
Kerum Yama Burla Pantireh
In the Palestine Targum of Jonathan ben Uzi-El (1st century BCE) the jewels appear slightly differently:
Samkata Yarkata Barhata
Kadkedana Simporyana Eyn Iglah
Zozin Birzelin Zemargadin
Kerum Yama Bedolcha Margalita
The precious stones found in the Garden of Eden, where the King of Tyre once lived, are listed in Ezekiel 28:13, and give the strongest inference that the Davidic cult in Yeru-Shala'im was rooted in the Phoenician cult of Herakles Melkart in Tsur (Tyre) and Tsidon (Sidon), which would also explain why Huram sent the timber, the architects and the builders, and why the design of Shelomoh's Temple was Phoenician. Clearly the priesthood took its cue from the same source.
As to the tribal order, Targum Jonathan disagrees with Graves. Jonathan puts the sons of Le'ah, then the maidservants, then Rachel, whereas Graves prefers the birth order. Midrash Rabbah disputes Graves' identification of the tribes, allotting a flag to each tribe that matches the colour of its jewel, thus:
Re'u-Ven, Odem, Red with mandrakes
Shim'on, Pitdah, Yellow
Levi, Bareket, White, Black, Red stripes (horizontal or vertical is left unstated)
Yehudah, Nophech, Sky Blue
Yisaschar, Sappir, Black (interesting this, in the light of the argument that Yisaschar was originally Yah Shachur, the Black Madonna).
Zevulun, Yachalom, White
Dan, Leshem, Black
Gad, Achlamah, Grey (or possibly black and white)
Asher, Tarshish, "like the precious stone with which women adorn themselves" - so presumably either gold or silver.
Yoseph, Soham, Jet Black
Bin-Yamin, Yaspeh, combination of all the colours
Naphtali, nothing given
The naming of a jewel as Tarshish is interesting, as this was Tartessus in Spain, to which Yonah was attempting to flee when Moby-Dick ran him down. Ezekiel mentions it (1:6 and 10:9), as does Song of Songs (5:14) and Dani-El (10:6). Its epithets are "lustrous" and "shiny". Targum Jonathan calls it "the colour of the sea", but with no indication what the weather was like on the day he drew the figure of speech. The Phoenicians give us the answer, however; trading with Spain included the purchase of minerals, with the opal, mother-of-pearl and aquamarine as the main acquisitions. Allowing Jonathan some leeway, this makes aquamarine the most likely.
This linking of tribes for priestly purposes does not coincide with the quadrilateral formation of the camp under Moshe. Numbers 1 explains this prosaically, but in a more simple form it goes as follows:
North: Asher, Dan, Naphtali
West: Menasheh, Ephraim, Bin-Yamin
South: Gad, Re'u-Ven, Shim'on
East: Zevulun, Yehudah, Yisaschar
These tribes guarded the outer square. Inside them were
North: Beney Merari
West: Beney Gershon
South: Beney Kohat
East: Beney Aharon
And in the centre, protected by this priestly and military double-formation, the Ohel Mo'ed, the Tent of Meeting.
There is no obviously meaningful link between this pattern and that of the tribal jewels.
Contemporary jewelers, whose sources must remain unknown, use the following list when selling jewellery:
January: Garnet
February: Amethyst
March: Aquamarine
April: Cubic zirconium
May: Emerald
June: Pearl
July: Ruby
August: Peridot
September: Sapphire
October: Opal
November: Blue Topaz
December: Tourquoise
See also the page on the Number Seven - which is based on the planets, where Twelve is based on the stars - and which includes a section on the Menorah, whose seven candles reflect the seven planets. Twelve and seven combined become the Tseva'ot, the "Hosts" of which YHVH is regarded as the Lord, the Pantheon.
Copyright © 2019 David Prashker
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The Argaman Press
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