Tribe

Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

A collection of families descending from one ancestor. The “twelve tribes” of the Hebrews were the twelve collections of families which sprang from the sons of Jacob. In Matt. 24:30 the word has a wider significance. The tribes of Israel are referred to as types of the spiritual family of God (Rev. 7). (See ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF; JUDAH, KINGDOM OF.)

Public-domain reference works, shown as published. They are historical and may differ from current scholarship; Aide names the interpretive tradition where it matters in the Lens and classes.