Person Old and New Testament
Simeon
Also known as Simeon =ESV, NIV, KJV; Simeonite =ESV, Simeonite
Simeon, the second son of Jacob and Leah, was the founder of the tribe of Simeon and played a role in the story of Joseph. Mentioned in 43 verses across 10 books, first at Genesis 29:33.
Why it matters. Son of Jacob and Leah, one of the twelve tribes.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Simeon
Simeon was the second son of Israel (or 'Jacob') and Leah, born after Reuben (Gen.29.33). He was one of the twelve sons of Jacob who became the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Simeon, along with his brother Levi, took violent revenge against the Shechemites for the rape of their sister Dinah (Gen.34.25-30). This action was condemned by their father, Jacob (Gen.49.5-7).
When Joseph's brothers went to Egypt during the famine, Joseph took Simeon as a hostage until they brought their youngest brother, Benjamin (Gen.42.24,36; 43.23). Simeon was later released and returned to Canaan with his brothers (Gen.46.10).
The tribe of Simeon, descended from Simeon, was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. During the wilderness wanderings, the tribe of Simeon was led by Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai (Num.1.6; 2.12; 7.36; 10.19). The tribe's territory was located within the boundaries of Judah in the Negev (Jos.19.1,9; Jdg.1.3,17).
In later history, some from the tribe of Simeon migrated to Edom during the reign of Hezekiah (1Ch.4.42-43). The tribe is mentioned in the visions of Ezekiel (Ezk.48.24,25,33) and in the list of the sealed from the twelve tribes in Revelation (Rev.7.7).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Spouse
- Canaanite woman
Appears in Scripture
Named in 43 verses across 10 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Show all 43 verses
Genesis (10 verses)
Exodus (2 verses)
Numbers (11 verses)
Deuteronomy (1 verse)
Joshua (5 verses)
Judges (2 verses)
1 Chronicles (6 verses)
2 Chronicles (2 verses)
Ezekiel (3 verses)
Revelation (1 verse)