Manasseh (tribe)
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The Manasseh tribe ( Hebrew מְנַשֶּׁה), named after the progenitor Manasseh, is one of the tribes of Israel that descended from the sons of Jacob according to the Tanach or the Old Testament . Manasseh was the son of Joseph, his mother was the Egyptian Asenath , the daughter of the sun priest Potiferas of On. His brother was Ephraim .
In the Bible
During the wanderings in the desert the tribe of Manasseh was connected with the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin ( 4 Mos 1,10 EU ). These tribes camped on the west side of the tabernacle . According to the census on Mount Sinai , the Manasse tribe had 32,200 members ( 4 Mos 1.35 EU , 4 Mos 2.21 EU ).
Forty years later, the number had increased to 52,700 ( 4 Mos 26.34–37 EU ), making it one of the most important tribes. Half of this tribe, identified as the family of Machir , together with Reuben and Gad , were assigned their territory east of the Jordan by Moses ( Jos 13.7 EU ); but it was left to Joshua to define the boundaries for each tribe. The area east of the Jordan was more valuable and of greater scope than anything assigned to the nine and a half tribes in the land of Israel . It is sometimes called "the land of Gilead " and has also been discussed as the "other side of the Jordan". The portion given to half the tribe of Manasseh was the greatest east of the Jordan. It encompassed the whole of Bashan . It was bounded on the south by Mahanaim and extends north to the foothills of Lebanon . Argob , with its sixty cities, the "ocean of basalt rocks and river stones thrown into wild confusion", lay in the middle of this region.
Among other things, the very old Deborahlied suggests that the tribal alliance of the Israelites changed over time. According to this, Machir is treated as a tribe in its own right, and only later mixed with Manasseh.
Some scholars believe that Manasseh was a tribe just west of the Jordan and later spread across the Jordan by intermingling with the Machir half-tribe in the east.
After they had conquered the entire "land of Gilead", the two half tribes of Manasseh left their wives and families in fortified cities, accompanied the other tribes across the Jordan and took part with them in the wars of conquest. After the land was allocated, Joshua dismissed the two half tribes and thanked them for their heroic service ( Jos 22.6 EU ). They returned across the Jordan to their own inheritance.
To the west of the Jordan the other half of the tribe of Manasseh was connected to Ephraim; they had the part in the middle of Israel, an area of about 3400 km², the most valuable part of the whole country, with abundant water sources. Manasses part was immediately north of Ephraim ( Jos 16.4 EU ). Manasseh to the west defended the Esdraelon passes , and the Haurant passes to the east .
Heirs of the present
The Bnei Menashe (the sons of Manasseh), a group of Mizoram , converts to Judaism in northeast India , claim to be of the Manasseh tribe. In 2005, the claims of Bnei Menashe were recognized by the Chief Rabbi of the Sephardi of Israel Shlomo Amar , they have been recognized as lawful descendants and survivors of the tribe of Menasse and are entitled to enter Israel under the Law of Return (requirement is to Conversion of Judaism to be considered religiously Jewish).
Non-Jewish groups
Most of the followers of the Samaritans derive their descent from this tribe. Some Messianic Israelites believe they are "transplanted" to the various tribes of northern Israel, including Manasseh. This belief is not based on any genetic connection, but rather corresponds to their Torah interpretation and their understanding of certain passages in the Tanakh .