The Bible says the nation of Israel consisted of twelve tribes, and it often lists all of those tribes. Or tries to. But those lists of tribes are very inconsistent. All of these lists agree that the twelve tribes included Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Benjamin. But beyond those six, the various lists of tribes in the Bible can’t agree on what the rest of the tribes of Israel were.

• According to the lists of twelve tribes in Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 27, there was a tribe of Joseph, rather than two tribes for Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
• Three lists in Numbers, as well as the ones in Joshua 21 and Ezekiel 48, each list twelve tribes, but none of them are Levi. These lists have tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, not a tribe of Joseph.
• Numbers 26 and Joshua 13-19 both list thirteen tribes of Israel. And Joseph isn’t one of them.
• When Numbers 34 lists the tribes of Israel, there are only ten of them for some reason. It doesn’t include a tribe of Joseph, Gad, Levi, or Reuben.
• Deuteronomy 33 lists twelve tribes, though it lumps some of them together strangely. But Simeon is not one of those twelve tribes. (Neither is Joseph.)
• In 1 Chronicles 6, the twelve tribes listed don’t include a tribe of Joseph or Dan.
• And then Revelation 7 lists the twelve tribes one more time, without including Dan or Ephraim. This list is a very odd one, because it says there was both a tribe of Joseph and a tribe for Joseph’s son Manasseh, but not one for his other son.