The Twelve Tribes · II of XII
שמעון
Simeon
With Levi he avenged their sister at Shechem. Jacob's words scattered them, and Simeon's portion lay within Judah's. Moses' blessing does not name him.
- Mother
- Leah
- Born
- The second son of Jacob
- Stone
- פִּטְדָה · peridot
- Banner
- Green
- Emblem
- The city of Shechem Genesis 34
- In the camp
- The south
She conceived again and bore a son, and said: Because the Lord heard [shama] that I am hated, He gave me this son as well. She called his name Simeon [Shimon].
וַתַּהַר עוֹד וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתֹּאמֶר כִּי־שָׁמַע יְהֹוָה כִּי־שְׂנוּאָה אָנֹכִי וַיִּתֶּן־לִי גַּם־אֶת־זֶה וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ שִׁמְעוֹן׃
Simeon and Levi are brothers. Weapons of villainy are their heritage.
My self shall not come in their company [sodam] With their assembly may my glory not be associated; for in their anger they killed men, and with their will they hamstrung oxen,
Cursed be their anger, as it is fierce and their wrath, as it is harsh; I will divide them in Jacob, and I will disperse them in Israel.
שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אַחִים כְּלֵי חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם׃
בְּסֹדָם אַל־תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל־תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ־שׁוֹר׃
אָרוּר אַפָּם כִּי עָז וְעֶבְרָתָם כִּי קָשָׁתָה אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃
Moses blesses each tribe before his death, in Deuteronomy 33. Simeon alone is not named.
The English is the Steinsaltz Tanakh, the words of the verse only; the Hebrew is the Masoretic text. The banner, the stone and the emblem follow Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7.