Wikipedia's first sentence called it “not usually listed with the hebrew tribes although joseph is one of jacobs twelve sons”. Today it says “one of the twelve tribes of israel”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Tribe of Joseph is not usually listed with the Hebrew tribes although Joseph is one of Jacobs twelve sons, the eldest of Rachel . It is sometimes referred to as the House of Joseph . Rather, the two tribes founded by his sons Ephraim and Manasseh are listed separately. This is so because, upon his death-bed, Jacob grants the privilege of the Hebrew first-born upon Joseph ( Rachel 's eldest and not to Reuben who is Leah 's eldest). According to Torah law, the first born receives a "double portion" ( pi sh'tayim ) relative to his siblings. Thus Joseph is entitled to two tribes who will have rights to two portions of land in the Land of Israel . This also fits in with the fact that because the Levites do not receive any portion in the land (they are to tend to the service of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem ) that when the Tribe of Levi is omitted, the number of tribes still comes to twelve. See Tribe of Ephraim , Tribe of Manassah .1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16198560.
The opening as it stood in 2010 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Tribe of Joseph was one of the Tribes of Israel , though since Ephraim and Manasseh together traditionally constituted the tribe of Joseph, it was often not listed as one of the tribes, in favour of Ephraim and Manasseh being listed in its place; consequently it was often termed the House of Joseph (Beit Yosef, בית יוסף), to avoid the use of the term tribe .According to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan , the ensign of the Tribe of Joseph, and the Tribe of Benjamin , was the figure of a boy, with the inscription: the cloud of the Lord rested on them until they went forth out of the camp (a reference to events in the Exodus ).There were obvious linguistic differences between at least one portion of Joseph and the other Israelite tribes, since at a time when Ephraim were at war with the Israelites of Gilead , under the leadership of Jephthah , the pronunciation of shibboleth as sibboleth was considered sufficient evidence to single out individuals from Ephraim, so that they could be subjected to immediate death by the Israelites of Gilead.At its height, the territory of Joseph spanned the Jordan River , the eastern portion being almost entirely discontinuous from the western portion, only slightly touching at one corner - north east of the western portion and the south west of the eastern portion.The western portion was at the centre of Canaan , west of the Jordan , between the Tribe of Issachar on the north, and Tribe of Benjamin on the south; the region which was later named Samaria (as distinguished from Judea or Galilee ) mostly consisted of the western portion of Joseph.The eastern portion of Joseph was the northernmost Israelite group on the east of the Jordan, occupying the land north of the tribe of Gad , extending from the Mahanaim in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and including within it the whole of Bashan .These territories abounded in water, a precious commodity in Canaan , and the mountainous portions not only afforded protection, but happened to be highly fertile; early centres of Israelite religion - Shechem and Shiloh - were additionally situated in the region.The territory of Joseph was thus one of the most valuable parts of the country, and the House of Joseph became the most dominant group in the Kingdom of Israel .Hosea 9:13 Genesis 49:22 Deuteronomy 33:13-16 Isaiah 28:1 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore ; et al., eds.New York: Funk & Wagnalls. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) ibid
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 365621961.
The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Tribe of Joseph was one of the Tribes of Israel . Since Ephraim and Manasseh (often called the "two half-tribes of Joseph") together traditionally constituted the tribe of Joseph, it was often not listed as one of the tribes, in favour of Ephraim and Manasseh being listed in its place; consequently it was often termed the House of Joseph (Beit Yosef, בית יוסף), to avoid the use of the term tribe . According to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan , the ensign of both the House of Joseph and the Tribe of Benjamin was the figure of a boy, with the inscription: the cloud of the Lord rested on them until they went forth out of the camp (a reference to events in the Exodus ). There were obvious linguistic differences between at least one portion of Joseph and the other Israelite tribes. At the time when Ephraim were at war with the Israelites of Gilead , under the leadership of Jephthah , the pronunciation of shibboleth as sibboleth was considered sufficient evidence to single out individuals from Ephraim, so that they could be subjected to immediate death by the Israelites of Gilead. At its height, the territory of Joseph spanned the Jordan River , the eastern portion being almost entirely discontiguous from the western portion, only slightly touching at one corner—northeast of the western portion and southwest of the eastern portion. The western portion was at the centre of Canaan , west of the Jordan , between the Tribe of Issachar on the north, and the Tribe of Benjamin on the south; the region which was later named Samaria (as distinguished from Judea or Galilee ) mostly consisted of the western portion of Joseph. The eastern portion of Joseph was the northernmost Israelite group on the east of the Jordan, occupying the land north of the tribe of Gad , extending from the Mahanaim in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and including within it the whole of Bashan . These territories abounded in water, a precious commodity in Canaan , and the mountainous portions not only afforded protection, but happened to be highly fertile; early centres of Israelite religion— Shechem and Shiloh —were additionally situated in the region. The territory of Joseph was thus one of the most valuable parts of the country, and the House of Joseph became the most dominant group in the Kingdom of Israel . Hosea 9:13 Genesis 49:22 Deuteronomy 33:13-16 Isaiah 28:1 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore ; et al., eds.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 664496304.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Synagogue in Bnei Brak with the name of Joseph and his symbol, a sheaf of wheat.The Tribe of Joseph is one of the Tribes of Israel in biblical tradition . Since Ephraim and Manasseh (often called the "two half-tribes of Joseph") together traditionally constituted the tribe of Joseph, it was often not listed as one of the tribes, in favour of Ephraim and Manasseh being listed in its place; consequently it was often termed the House of Joseph (Beit Yoseph, בית יוסף), to avoid the use of the term tribe . According to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan , the ensign of both the House of Joseph and the Tribe of Benjamin was the figure of a boy, with the inscription: the cloud of the Lord rested on them until they went forth out of the camp (a reference to events in the Exodus ). There were obvious linguistic differences between at least one portion of Joseph and the other Israelite tribes. At the time when Ephraim were at war with the Israelites of Gilead , under the leadership of Jephthah , the pronunciation of shibboleth as sibboleth was considered sufficient evidence to single out individuals from Ephraim, so that they could be subjected to immediate death by the Israelites of Gilead. At its height, the territory of Joseph spanned the Jordan River , the eastern portion being almost entirely discontiguous from the western portion, only slightly touching at one corner—northeast of the western portion and southwest of the eastern portion. The western portion was at the centre of Canaan , west of the Jordan , between the Tribe of Issachar on the north, and the Tribe of Benjamin on the south; the region which was later named Samaria (as distinguished from Judea or Galilee ) mostly consisted of the western portion of Joseph. The eastern portion of Joseph was the northernmost Israelite group on the east of the Jordan, occupying the land north of the tribe of Gad , extending from the Mahanaim in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and including within it the whole of Bashan . These territories abounded in water, a precious commodity in Canaan , and the mountainous portions not only afforded protection, but happened to be highly fertile; early centres of Israelite religion— Shechem and Shiloh —were additionally situated in the region. The territory of Joseph was thus one of the most valuable parts of the country, and the House of Joseph became the most dominant group in the Kingdom of Israel . Hosea 9:13 Genesis 49:22 Deuteronomy 33:13-16 Isaiah 28:1 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore ; et al., eds.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 954695684.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
One of the twelve Tribes of Israel "House of Joseph" redirects here. Synagogue in Bnei Brak with the name of Joseph and his symbol, a sheaf of wheat. The Tribe of Joseph is one of the Tribes of Israel in biblical tradition . Since the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (often called the "two half-tribes of Joseph") together traditionally constituted the "tribe of Joseph", it was often not listed as one of the tribes, in favour of Ephraim and Manasseh being listed in its place; consequently it was often termed the House of Joseph , to avoid the use of the term tribe . According to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan , the ensign of both the House of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and the Tribe of Benjamin was of silk of three colours, corresponding with the precious stones in the priestly breastplate , leshem, shəvo, and aḥlamah (amber, agate, and amethyst); and upon it expressed and set forth the names of the three tribes, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin; having the figure of a young man upon it, with the inscription: " And the Cloud of the LORD was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp." ( Numbers 10:34). There were obvious linguistic differences between at least one portion of Joseph and the other Israelite tribes. At the time when Ephraim were at war with the Israelites of Gilead , under the leadership of Jephthah , the pronunciation of shibboleth as sibboleth was considered sufficient evidence to single out individuals from Ephraim, so that they could be subjected to immediate death by the Israelites of Gilead. At its height, the territory of Joseph spanned the Jordan River , the eastern portion being almost entirely discontiguous from the western portion, only slightly touching at one corner—northeast of the western portion and southwest of the eastern portion. The western portion was at the centre of Canaan , west of the Jordan , between the Tribe of Issachar on the north, and the Tribe of Benjamin on the south; the region which was later named Samaria (as distinguished from Judea or Galilee ) mostly consisted of the western portion of Joseph. The eastern portion of Joseph was the northernmost Israelite group on the east of the Jordan, occupying the land north of the tribe of Gad , extending from the Mahanaim in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and including within it the whole of Bashan . These territories abounded in water, a precious commodity in Canaan , and the mountainous portions not only afforded protection, but happened to be highly fertile; early centres of Israelite religion— Shechem and Shiloh —were additionally situated in the region. The territory of Joseph was thus one of the most valuable parts of the country, and the House of Joseph became the most dominant group in the united Kingdom of Israel . Hosea 9:13 Genesis 49:22 Deuteronomy 33:13-16 Isaiah 28:1 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore ; et al., eds.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1168324245.
The opening as it stood in 2025
One of the twelve Tribes of Israel "House of Joseph" redirects here. Synagogue in Bnei Brak with the name of Joseph and his symbol, a sheaf of wheat. The Tribe of Joseph is one of the Tribes of Israel in biblical tradition . Since the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (often called the "two half-tribes of Joseph") together traditionally constituted the "tribe of Joseph", it was often not listed as one of the tribes, in favour of Ephraim and Manasseh being listed in its place; consequently it was often termed the House of Joseph , to avoid the use of the term tribe . Even though Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s sons, they were considered heads of two of the twelve tribes of Israel because Joseph’s father, Jacob (renamed in later life by God as “Israel”), adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons (Genesis 48:1-16). According to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan , the ensign of both the House of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and the Tribe of Benjamin was of silk of three colours, corresponding with the precious stones in the priestly breastplate , leshem, shəvo, and aḥlamah (amber, agate, and amethyst); and upon it expressed and set forth the names of the three tribes, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin; having the figure of a young man upon it, with the inscription: " And the Cloud of the LORD was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp." ( Numbers 10:34). There were obvious linguistic differences between at least one portion of Joseph and the other Israelite tribes. At the time when Ephraim were at war with the Israelites of Gilead , under the leadership of Jephthah , the pronunciation of shibboleth as sibboleth was considered sufficient evidence to single out individuals from Ephraim, so that they could be subjected to immediate death by the Israelites of Gilead. At its height, the territory of Joseph spanned the Jordan River , the eastern portion being almost entirely discontiguous from the western portion, only slightly touching at one corner—northeast of the western portion and southwest of the eastern portion. The western portion was at the centre of Canaan , west of the Jordan , between the Tribe of Issachar on the north, and the Tribe of Benjamin on the south; the region which was later named Samaria (as distinguished from Judea or Galilee ) mostly consisted of the western portion of Joseph. The eastern portion of Joseph was the northernmost Israelite group on the east of the Jordan, occupying the land north of the tribe of Gad , extending from the Mahanaim in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and including within it the whole of Bashan . These territories abounded in water, a precious commodity in Canaan , and the mountainous portions not only afforded protection, but happened to be highly fertile; early centres of Israelite religion— Shechem and Shiloh —were additionally situated in the region. The territory of Joseph was thus one of the most valuable parts of the country, and the House of Joseph became the most dominant group in the united Kingdom of Israel . Hosea 9:13 Genesis 49:22 Deuteronomy 33:13-16 Isaiah 28:1 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore ; et al., eds.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1268801672. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “not usually listed with the hebrew tribes although joseph is one of jacobs twelve sons”. Today it says “one of the twelve tribes of israel”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
not usually listed with the hebrew tribes although joseph is one of jacobs twelve sons
Now
one of the twelve tribes of israel
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.