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THE EMBLEMS OF THE TWELVE TRIBES

Primary Secondary

REUBEN A Man REUBEN A Body of Water
SIMEON A Sword SIMEON A Castle Gate
JUDAH A Lion JUDAH Three Lions, a Sceptre,
DAN A Serpent and a Grape Vine
NAPHTALI A Hind or Stag DAN A Horse, and a Lion
GAD The Leader of a Troop GAD A Lion
(sometimes a number of MANASSEH A Bundle of Arrows,
Tents) and the Number 13
ASHER A Covered Goblet EPHRAIM A Unicorn, and a Lion
ISSACHAR An Ass under a Burden
ZEBULUN A Ship
MANASSEH An Olive Branch
EPHRAIM An Ox
BENJAMIN A Wolf

so far as we have been able to discover, were not used anyone else as their own, it follows that if we find
during the early years of Israel's history. people using one of Israel's tribal emblems today it is
certainly possible that they are, at least in part, descen-
Nevertheless, these secondary emblems would not be dants of "lost" Israel. If, however, we find a people us-
forgotten. Later, in some cases, they were used by a ing two or three of these emblems, their Israelitish
section of a tribe to distinguish it from the rest and, in origin becomes something more than a possibility. But
one or two cases, secondary emblems of one tribe be- if we find a people, or group of related peoples, using
came the recognized emblem of a group of tribes. nearly all of these emblems and that they have done so
as far back as their historical records and legends go,
A count of the emblems as listed above shows twelve then their Israelitish origin is no longer a possibility or
official or primary emblems and twelve secondary even a probability, it is a certainty.
ones. Actually, the lions listed as secondary emblems -- W.H. Bennett
of Dan and Gad, being indistinguishable from Judah's
primary emblem, were not ordinarily used. Thus the The Emblem of Royal Judah
total number of tribal emblems actually used was
twenty-two. Judah was the leading tribe of the "brigade" which in-
cluded Issachar and Zebulon. They marched, and
That all of these would survive the early emigration camped together on the east side of Israel's four-
from Israel, the later downfall and deportation of the square Wilderness complex.
Israel nation and nearly three thousand years of war,
separation and migration is very unlikely. Yet the The Royal Lion of Judah was the emblem of emblems.
amazing thing is that of these twenty-two tribal em- It moved westwards with the migrations through the
blems of ancient Israel, at least nineteen are, or until territories known to antiquity as "Scythia." It appeared,
very recently have been, emblems of one or another through intermarriage, with the leaders of those na-
section of the Celto-Saxon people. tions. Today -- most of their thrones having been "cast
down," as prophesied by Daniel -- it stands supreme as
As history records few, if any, instances of a family, the chief heraldic symbol of the surviving House of
tribe or people willfully adopting the emblem of
Judah in Britain and the Commonwealth.

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