The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Why is Dan left out in Revelation 7

The list of the tribes as given in Chapter VII presents a striking peculiarity. Although the company is said to be “of all the tribes of the children of Israel”, yet in the list that follows, the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are omitted altogether, and the number twelve is made up by including Joseph (along with Manasses his son) and Levi. This peculiarity is enough in itself to indicate clearly that we have here a symbolical and not a historical “Israel”. For while it might be possible, though not easy, to suggest a reason why Joseph and Manasses should be named instead of Ephraim and Manasses (who are never separated in any other enumeration of the tribes), it is not possible, on the theory that this is the literal Israel, to account for the complete omission of the tribe of Dan. All attempts to do so have conspicuously failed.

But if we regard this vision as being, like all the others, composed of symbols, then we may hopefully look for an explanation of the peculiarity referred to. My suggestion is that the desired explanation will be found in the meanings of the names of Jacob’s twelve sons.