Jahleel
Jahleel, son of Zebulun, was a grandson of Jacob and a clan leader.
Biography
Jahleel was the third son of Zebulun, the sixth son of Jacob and Leah, and is listed in the patriarchal genealogies of Genesis 46:14 and Numbers 26:26. He traveled with the household of Jacob down to Egypt during the great famine, becoming part of the seventy persons who formed the nucleus of what would grow into the nation of Israel. Through him descended the Jahleelite clan, which was counted in the census of Israel recorded in Numbers 26. Though Scripture says nothing further of his personal deeds or character, Jahleel stands at the headwaters of an Israelite clan lineage, making him a foundational figure in the tribal structure of Zebulun.
Significance
Jahleel's theological significance is rooted in his position as one of the original patriarchal immigrants who descended into Egypt, from whom Israel's national identity would eventually emerge. The journey to Egypt, though beginning in hardship, was part of God's providential design to protect and multiply the covenant family (Genesis 46:3–4). As an ancestor of an Israelite clan, Jahleel represents the generational faithfulness through which divine promises are transmitted. The census in Numbers 26 confirms that his descendants survived the wilderness years and stood on the threshold of Canaan, a testament to God's sustaining grace across generations of an ordinary family.
Verse Appearances (2)
Genesis
Numbers
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]