Issachar

Issachar was, according to the Book of Genesis, the ninth son of the patriarch Jacob and the fifth of the six sons born to him by Leah. From him descends the tribe of Issachar, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Orthodox Church honours him among the patriarchs and ancestors of the Lord, on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, before the Nativity of the Lord.

Name and birth

Issachar was born in Paddan-⁠aram, in Mesopotamia. His birth is linked with a story about mandrakes (Genesis 30:14-18). Reuben, Leah's eldest son, found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother. Rachel, who had no children, asked for some of them, and Leah gave them in exchange for a night with Jacob. God heard Leah, who bore a fifth son and said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband," and named him Issachar. The name is linked with the Hebrew word for "wages" or "reward."

The tribe of Issachar

Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. He went down with Jacob into Egypt. Near his end, Jacob said of him: "Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labour" (Genesis 49:14-15). At the exodus the tribe numbered 54,400 men able to bear arms, and 64,300 before entering Canaan.

At the division of the land Issachar received a territory between Galilee and the Jordan, with the fertile valley of Jezreel, where many battles were fought. In the days of the prophetess Deborah the tribe joined the fight against Sisera (Judges 5:15). From the tribe of Issachar arose the judge Tola and King Baasha of Israel. Chronicles praises the descendants of Issachar, "men who understood the times, to know what Israel ought to do" (1 Chronicles 12:32).

Traditions

In Jewish tradition Issachar is regarded as a scholar of the Law, and some rabbinic sources say he lived 122 years. In Revelation (7:7), twelve thousand of the tribe of Issachar are sealed. The Testament of Issachar, an apocryphal writing, shows the patriarch giving his sons counsel of simplicity and righteousness.

Veneration

The Church recalls Issachar together with the other patriarchs on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers. Scripture says nothing of his end.