The Power of 12

I'm reading again that book about what numbers are and the patterns of numbers in the universe, (which is the big One, the one-verse Itself.)  I'm also trying to separate that- what a One actually is; what a Two actually is (a dichotomy), from numerology or Gematria, which to my understanding, is just turning numbers into letters or into a code- A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, D = 4, etc... which is not math, but more an alphabet, but a hidden one.  Speaking of that, DD equals 44, which is Obama if you're Amerocentric- and that's why Dunkin' Donuts is the symbol for police brutality under this administration, which is not worse than its been; but placed front and center by the media.  Dunkin' was hugely featured in the Orlando Pulse incident when a 4 x 4 truck was used to take people past the active shooter on their way to the hospital since all the police cars were busy blocking the road from both north and south, and all the ambulances had other things to do than play with the minds of America.

Coming across 12 in Fulton Oursler's The Greatest Book Ever Written, I'm reminded of a lecture I once was privileged to hear that included some three sentences about the importance of the number 12.  Twelve months, 12 tribes, 12 disciple/apostles (Judas replaced by Paul), and the 12 gods on Olympus that also had to switch out because the number was seen as more important than the god they represented.  Then of course there is a dozen, and other measurements.  Is that it?  There must be more, but I think maybe 10 has 12 beat in this idea.

Anyway, Mr. Oursler, on pp. 88-9 translates the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel as:

1. Reuben meaning "Son of Vision" Did the name changes stop here?  There must be some in between Jacob/Israel and  Saul/Paul but they don't come to mind.

Let's see- Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah, Isaac stayed the same?  I think so.  Peter has a few names...

So I take step one as "You have to see before you can hear" but I don't know if the word "vision" concerning Reuben refers to sight, or foresight or something mystical.  In English we have the seer who can see visions but we also have the main of the five senses, and I don't know if they are related in the Hebrew.

2.  Simeon "Hearing"   Wouldn't it be a great study to see how Reuben saw and Simeon heard?  Of course each is the name of an entire tribe and also the particular individual.

3.  Levi "Joined"  This is a great example of why I would prefer a Bible that talks about the "Joined Tribe" instead of the Tribe of Levi.  I do think of jeans, and America, and the gold rush, but more importantly, I think of the priestly tribe that didn't have its own land and the people who served in the Temple; perhaps more common than the Zadoks or Cohens.  I think of Hello Dolly and Walter Mattheau and when my professor Corrine Patton suggested the Levites were a warrior class before they were musicians or servers or whatever they were between Exodus and Hollywood.

4.  Judah means "Praise."  I had no idea.  This must be the David connection, but how does relate to Jesus?  Hmmm.  I have been learning from "mistakes" lately and I heard a couple pastors mistake the name "Judah" for "Judas" and vice-versa.  Of course, it is the same name.  One like Joshua reflects the pronunciation in some Anglicized way before Hellenization, and the other, like the name Jesus, is the Greek NT version of the Hebrew Bible's name for the same thing.

You know: Carl, Karl, Charles, Carlos, Karel.... and me, Charlemagne, the Big Carl.

I also heard one of the pastors mistake "Egyptians" for "Europeans" and wow, it hit me like a ton of bricks that according to our poorly taught history, she is absolutely absolutely on to a truth.  I remember a museum book extolling the virtues of an African art piece because it was "almost Greek."  Wow.

She was also right when she said "unloavened" instead of "unleavened."  Of course that's where the word comes from but if she was more pronunciation savvy, I would never have caught that in my life.

And how does Judah relate to Judas, and also the word "Jew?"  I can understand why people are scared of that, but what's the difference between an Israelite and a Jew today?  Nevermind "Israeli," we'll think about that another day.

5.  Dan - "Judging"  How many Judges are from that tribe?  Don't you just love the book of Judges?  I can't wait to find out.  Alright, I'll stick with one subject for five minutes. 

I WILL wait to find out.

6.  Naphtali means "My Wrestling"  So what's the Bethel connection where Jacob wrestled?  And are they back and forth for some reason I never thought of?  (I love when I switch into informal writing, but it does bother some.)

7.  Gad means "A Troop" so is that martial?  Or just a bunch?

8.  Asher means happy?  I almost dropped the book.

9.  Issachar means "A Hire" or "Wages."  Aren't they the musicians, and I have such problem accepting money.

10.  Zebulun - Now why would a tribe be named "Dwelling" when all the tribes seem to be geographical designations?  Don't they all dwell- except Levi who is "Joined" to all the rest in terms of physical space, but not responsibility or genealogy?

11.  Joseph is "Adding?"  How can I not know this?  There is so much on Joseph- the first novella, or the first biography, and a great Sunday School lesson mine with a sexually virtuous man who doesn't complain, gets a happy ending (the lasting kind) and has a dream storyline and a Jesus connection with the sacrifice imagery- blood on the coat, etc and the name of His father, too.

12.  Benjamin means "Son of the Right Hand" and in what way could this be manifested later for the tribe?  There's the "young child" goes to the head of the class" idea, but there's got to be more to it.  Is that where Saul came from?


So, there are 12 disciples and there has to be a connection between each of them and each of the 12 eponymous ancestors of the tribes.  But with those names getting in the way of their meanings, I don't know these connections which are probably obvious in some instances.