ISB ~ Revelation 7 v5 - 8

Two irregularities stand out in the enumeration of the twelve tribes. (1) The tribe of Judah heads the list, even though Judah was the fourth son of Jacob. The descent of Christ from Judah probably accounts for this (5:5; Mt 1:2-16). (2) The tribe of Dan is missing. It is possible that Dan was cut from the list because of the tribe’s infamous love for idolatry (Judg 18:16-19). Others suggest that John is following an ancient tradition that held that the Antichrist would come from Dan. Whatever the reason for the omission, Israel was technically a family of 13 tribes (the tribe of Joseph splitting into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, Gen 48:1-20), and so one of the tribes had to be dropped to keep the symbolism of the number 12 intact (Rev 21:12).