Zebulun

Zebulun was, according to the Book of Genesis, the tenth son of the patriarch Jacob and the last of the six sons born to him by Leah. From him descends the tribe of Zebulun, 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.

Name and birth

Zebulun was born in Paddan-⁠aram, in Mesopotamia, in the house of Laban. After the birth of Issachar, Leah conceived again and said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honour me, because I have borne him six sons," and she named him Zebulun (Genesis 30:19-20). Scripture links the name with two Hebrew words: that for "gift" (zebed) and that for "to dwell" or "to honour" (zabal). Later Leah bore a daughter as well, Dinah.

The tribe of Zebulun

Zebulun had three sons: Sered, Elon and Jahleel, ancestors of three clans. He went down with Jacob to Egypt, where his descendants remained until the exodus, when the tribe numbered 57,400 men able to bear arms, and 60,500 toward the end of the wandering in the wilderness. Jacob, in his blessing on his deathbed, said: "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon" (Genesis 49:13). At the division of Canaan, Zebulun received land in lower Galilee. In the Song of Deborah, the men of Zebulun are praised as a people who risked their lives on the heights of the field (Judges 5:18). The judge Elon was from Zebulun.

Zebulun and Naphtali in the Gospel

The prophet Isaiah announced: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:1-2). The holy Evangelist Matthew sees the fulfilment of these words when the Lord Jesus left Nazareth and dwelt at Capernaum, "in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali," and began to preach (Matthew 4:13-16).

Tomb and veneration

According to Jewish tradition, the tomb of Zebulun is at Sidon in Lebanon, and in ancient times Jews came there on pilgrimage. The Orthodox Church recalls him together with the other patriarchs on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, before the Nativity of the Lord. Scripture says nothing more about Zebulun, and the traditions about his age and end are late.