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Armory
ARMS OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL
Crown of David attributes to each of the ancient tribes of Israel its own coat-of-arms. The tinctures of the field, and in some cases the number of charges, allude to the blessing given by the Patriarch Jacob to each of his sons. Accordingly the tribes' ordinal numbers in order of blessing are signified by 1 Menorah, 2 swords, 3 trumpets, 4 lions, 5 oars on the lymphad (ship), 6 points on the Magen David, 7 serpents, 8 arms, 9 garbs, and 11 fleurs-de-lis.
The tinctures of the field are determined as far as possible according to the colours of the respective gemstones of the tribes, after their arrangement in the breastplate of the High Priest: sard (sardonyx), topaz and emerald in the first row; garnet, sapphire and diamond in the second; hyacinth, ruby and amethyst in the third; and beryl, cornelian and jasper in the fourth (Exodus 39:8-14).
Only the four eldest and the two youngest of Jacob's sons were blessed in the order in which they were born. The place of the others in order of birth is indicated by a bordure corresponding to the appropriate gemstone, departing where necessary from the tincture rule, which states that metal shall not lie on metal, nor colour on colour.
The charges on the arms of the modern State of Israel are reproduced on the arms of the tribe that bears the name of Reuben, the first-born son of Jacob, as though inherited from his father, though the tincture of the field is determined as usual by the colour of the first gemstone, sard, which is a blazoning jewel for the tincture sanguine.
The order of the sons of Jacob by birth is as follows:
by Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
by Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali;
by Zilpah: Gad and Asher;
by Leah: Issachar and Zebulun (also one daughter Dinah);
by Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
For a time, and in certain circles in the world of heraldry, the names of jewels were used for heraldic tinctures. Wherever a breastplate jewel corresponds to one used in this way, its name has been converted to the corresponding conventh=tenne; sardonyx (sard)=sanguine.
 REUBEN |
 SIMEON |
 LEVI |
 JUDAH |
 ZEBULUN |
 ISSACHAR |
 DAN |
 GAD |
 ASHER |
 NAPHTALI |
 JOSEPH |
 BENJAMIN |
Armorial designs by Michael Petek, copyright Michael Petek 2003
 HEBREW |
 ARABIC |