Lives of Scripture

Issachar was Jacob's ninth son, born to Leah. His name and birth are tied to an unusual bargain: Leah's son Reuben found mandrakes in the field, and Rachel traded Jacob's company that night for some of them; when Leah conceived, she said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband," naming him Issachar -- a name associated with "wages" or "reward" (Genesis 30:14-18). He is listed among the sons who journeyed with Jacob to Egypt (46:13) and became the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes, counted and positioned among Israel's wilderness camps (Numbers 1-2). On his deathbed, Jacob gave Issachar a distinctive blessing: "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheep pens. When he saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasant, he bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, and became a slave at forced labor" (Genesis 49:14-15) -- an image of strength content to trade freedom for security and rest on good land. Scripture records no personal deeds or words of Issachar himself beyond his birth and this blessing, but his tribe later produced men "who understood the times, to know what Israel should do" among David's supporters (1 Chronicles 12:32), and Issachar's name is preserved among the twelve tribes sealed in Revelation's vision (Revelation 7:7).