Simeon (I)

Gen. xxx. 33.I. SIMEON, Son of Jacob and Leah: He was born in the Year of the World 2247, before Christ 1753, before the Vulgar Era 1757. He was Brother to Dinah by the same Mother; and after Shechem the Son of Hamor had defiled her, in the manner we have said under the Articles DINAH and SHECHEM, Simeon and Levi¹ took Arms, to revenge the Affront, enter’d into Shechem, kill’d all the Men they found there, and brought back their Sister to their Father’s House. ‘Tis thought that Simeon was one of those who shew’d most Inhumanity to his Brother Joseph, and advised his Brethren to kill him². This Conjecture is founded upon Joseph’s keeping him Prisoner in Egypt,³ and treating him with more Rigour than the rest of his Brethren. Jacob, on his Death-bed,⁴ shew’d his Indignation against Simeon and Levi, and cursed the Resentment they shew’d against the Shechemites. : Simeon and Levi are Brethren; Instruments of Cruelty are in their Habitations. O my Soul, come not thou into their Secret; unto their Assembly, mine Honour, be not thou united: for in their Anger they slew a Man, and in their Self-will they digged down a Wall. Cursed be their Anger, for it was fierce; and their Wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

And in Effect, the Tribes of Simeon and Levi were scattered and dispersed in Israel. As to Levi, he never had any fix’d Lot or Portion; and Simeon received for his Portion only a Canton that was dismembred from the Tribe of Judah, and some other Lands they went to conquer in the Mountains of Seir, and in the Desart of 1 Chron. iv. 27, 39, 42.Gedor. The Targum of Jerusalem, and the Rabbins follow’d by some ancient Fathers, believe,⁵ that the greatest Part of the Scribes and learned Men in the Law were of the Tribe of Simeon: And as these Persons were dispersed throughout all Israel, we see by that the Accomplishment of Jacob’s Prophecy, which foretold, that Simeon and Levi should be scatter’d among their Brethren. Judith seems to vindicate this Action of Simeon; but she approved only of his Zeal, and not of the other Circumstances of the Action.

The Testament of the twelve Patriarchs intimates, that Simeon died at the Age of One hundred and twenty Years⁶; that he was a Man of an intrepid, implacable, and severe Temper; that he had conceiv’d a strong Aversion against his Brother Joseph, because his Father Jacob loved him better than the rest of his Brethren; that Judah pressing rather to sell Joseph, than to put him to death, Simeon was so far provoked at him, that he would have kill’d him, had not God prevented it, by suffering his Hand to become wither’d; that Simeon, however, humbled himself before God, and had the Use of his Hand restor’d to him again after seven Days. This Author adds, that Simeon was buried at Hebron, and that his Children carry’d him thither secretly, while they had War with the Egyptians. But ‘tis well known how little Credit we ought to give to the Testimony of such a Book.

Exod. vi. 15.The Sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul. Their Descendants were to the Number of fifty-nine Numbers i. 22.thousand and three hundred fighting Men, at the coming out of Egypt; but only twenty-two thousand and two hundred of Numbers xxvi. 14, 15.these enter’d into the Land of Promise, the rest dying in the Desart, because of their Murmurings and Impiety. The Portion of Josh. xix.Simeon was to the West and South of the Lot of Judah, having the Tribe of Dan and the Philistines to the North, the Mediterranean to the West, and Arabia Petræa to the South.

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