ZABULON (HEB. ZĒBHŪLŪN). - Son of the patriarch Jacob (v.), from whom the tribe of which he was the progenitor took its name. Of Z. as a person very little is said; he was the sixth son of Leah (Gen. 30:20; 35:23), and he was the father of Sered, Elon and Jahleel (ibid. 46:15).
The tribe of Z. also played only a small part in the history of Israel. At the departure from Egypt, 57,000 and 60,500 (Num. 1:13; 26:27) men fit for arms descended from Z. are recorded, to be understood in relation to the other numbers of the two remarkable censuses. In the blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49:13) only the territory of the tribe in the north of Palestine along the coast as far as Sidon is mentioned. The same idea with some additions is the theme of the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33:18 f.). In the division of the Promised Land, with geographical terms not always identifiable, the lower Galilee with the northern part of the plain of Esdraelon is assigned to Z., but the coastal part is left to the tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:10-16 and 24-31).
In Judg. 1:20 it is noted that, like other tribes, Z. began a coexistence with the Canaanites, whom it had not succeeded in eliminating from its territory. It took an active part, together with the tribe of Naphtali, in the action of Barak against Sisera under the guidance of the prophetess Deborah (ibid. 4:6 ff.), who extolled its heroism (ibid. 5:18). This fact explains the praise for its leaders, which is read in Ps. 67:28. The tribe of Z. was also summoned by Gideon for the struggle against the Midianites; but it does not seem that it responded with zeal (Judg. 6:35). To the tribe of Z. belonged the minor judge Ahialon, who exercised his office for ten years (ibid. 12:11 f.).
The tribe of Z. was part of the Kingdom of Israel after the division, but is remembered only occasionally. In I Chron. 27:17 Jeshmaiah, son of Obadiah, is named as tribal chief during the reign of David, for whose exaltation the descendants of Z. sincerely cooperated (cf. ibid. 12:33). After the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (722 B.C.), the remnants of the tribe of Z. were invited, like the others, to the solemn celebration of the Passover; but only a few responded to the call (II Chron. 30:10 f., 18).
In the prophetic books Z. is named in Is. 9:1 as a participant in the peace and well-being of the messianic era. The text is used by the evangelist Matthew, who places it in relation to the temporary transfer of Jesus to Capernaum, a locality situated near the border between the tribe of Naphtali and that of Z. (Mt. 4:13 ff.).
Bibliography2 works
Angelo Penna