Genesis 48: Twelve or Thirteen?

Twelve is a popular number in scripture.  Jesus had twelve disciples, reflecting the twelve tribes of Israel.  Yet there is also something a little off to the reckoning of Israel's children and the subsequent tribes.  Do we really have twelve tribes of Israel, or thirteen?

Have you ever noticed that we don't encounter a tribe of Joseph in scripture?  There is no tract allotted "to Joseph" among the twelve tribes that receive an inheritance in the Promised Land.

Why is that?  Because Joseph's portion was actually doubled (vs. 22) and his two sons - Ephraim and Manasseh - are both "adopted" by Israel (vs. 5) and made co-equal tribes with the rest of his sons.  Genesis 48 explains how they came to be regarded as tribe (or sometimes called half-tribes) in their own right.

Here is the list of those tribes/sons of Israel receiving a designated share in the Promised Land of Canaan:

• Reuben
• Simeon
• Gad
• Asher
• Judah
• Issachar
• Zebulun
• Dan
• Naphtali
• Ephraim
• Manasseh
• Benjamin

But Israel had 12 sons; if Joseph's portion is doubled and his two sons added to the mix, that should leave thirteen, right?  Who's missing from the list?

Israel did have another son who did not receive a land allotment.  Levi!  God had a special plan for the Levites, as we will discover later in scripture.

So, depending on how you reckon it, you could list the twelve sons of Israel, the twelve tribes of Israel that received a land inheritance, or the twelve tribes of Israel (counting Manasseh and Ephraim as "half-tribes" to make up Joseph's share)...or you could number them as thirteen tribes.

P.S.
Notice that Israel, being the younger brother himself (to Esau), apparently had a soft spot for younger offspring.  He put Ephraim ahead of his older brother Manasseh in the blessing, crossing his arms in order to put the younger first (vs. 14).