Lives of Scripture

Zebulun was Jacob's sixth son by Leah, born during the years the family lived in Paddan-aram. Leah named him at his birth, saying, "God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons" (Genesis 30:19-20) -- a name likely tied to ideas of honor or dwelling. He is listed among the sons who journeyed with Jacob into Egypt (Genesis 46:14) and became the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes, numbered and positioned among Israel's wilderness camps (Numbers 1-2). On his deathbed, Jacob gave Zebulun a blessing pointing toward the sea: "Zebulun will dwell at the seashore, and he shall be a haven for ships, and his flank shall be toward Sidon" (Genesis 49:13) -- language later matched by his tribe's actual territory along the coastal plain near Sidon (Joshua 19:10-16). Scripture records no personal deeds or words of Zebulun himself beyond his birth and this blessing, but his tribe later answered Barak's call to battle against Sisera's army, risking their lives on the field (Judges 4:6; 5:18), and Zebulun's name is preserved among the twelve tribes sealed in Revelation's vision (Revelation 7:8).