12 Sons of Jacob | 12 Tribes of Israel Bible Lesson Unit Foreshadowing Jesus
Help your students make the connection between Jacob’s twelve sons and the twelve tribes of Israel with this 62-page interactive Bible curriculum! Designed for grades 4-8, this five-lesson unit explores why the names of the tribes don’t perfectly match Jacob’s sons and how this plays a key role in tribal land allocation in the Promised Land.
What Students Will Learn & Do:
✳️Fill in a Family Tree – Understand the lineage of Jacob and his sons.
✳️Color Code Scripture – Analyze several key chapters in Genesis with a particular focus on Ephraim and Manasseh.
✳️Jacob’s Blessings – Illustrate one of the prophetic blessings Jacob speaks over his sons.
✳️Timed Matching Game – Discover which son did not receive land ⛺️(and why).
✳️Explore the Messianic Prophecy – Learn how God chose a tribal family for Jesus’ birth, fulfilling prophecy as the “Lion from the Tribe of Judah”.
Key Topics Covered:
✴️Jacob’s Family Tree & Tribal Lineage
✴️The Blessings of Ephraim & Manasseh
✴️Prophetic Blessings on the Twelve Sons
✴️The Formation of the Twelve Tribes
✴️Jesus: The Lion of Judah
✝️ What Have I Learned about Jesus Today?
At the end of this lesson (and every lesson in this series), we invite students to ponder the thought-provoking question: "What have you learned about JESUS today?" In this lesson, students learn that Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah and fulfilled the prophecy as a "Lion from the Tribe of Judah" (Genesis 49 and Revelation 5).
Included in this lesson:
◾️18 page comprehensive lesson plan with DO/SAY/READ wording
◾️Jacob’s Family Tree (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Color Coding the Blessings of Ephraim & Manasseh (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Manasseh/Ephraim Demonstration Pictures
◾️Blessings on the Twelve Sons of Jacob (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Picture This Blessing (worksheet and example page)
◾️12 "House of" and 12 “Land of” colorful pictures ✡️
◾️Sons of Jacob and the Promised Land (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Our Conquering King (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Lion from the Tribe of Judah stepping stone
⏰️Flexible Scheduling: This 4-5 hour lesson can be spread over multiple days with clearly labeled stopping points.
✝️ Perfect for Sunday school, homeschool or Christian school classrooms! Each lesson unit in our Walking Alongside Jesus series is divided into five sections, each section takes between 30 minutes to an hour. This allows homeschool and Christian school teachers to use it daily in the classroom (thereby completing an entire unit in a week) OR in a Sunday School classroom or youth group once a week (thereby completing an entire unit in a month).
✔️Our goal with each lesson is to combine scholarly study in a fun, interactive way so that students not only experience the rich Biblical narrative but also to whet their appetite for more by learning how to study the Scriptures for themselves.
Help your students make the connection between Jacob’s twelve sons and the twelve tribes of Israel with this 62-page interactive Bible curriculum! Designed for grades 4-8, this five-lesson unit explores why the names of the tribes don’t perfectly match Jacob’s sons and how this plays a key role in tribal land allocation in the Promised Land.
What Students Will Learn & Do:
✳️Fill in a Family Tree – Understand the lineage of Jacob and his sons.
✳️Color Code Scripture – Analyze several key chapters in Genesis with a particular focus on Ephraim and Manasseh.
✳️Jacob’s Blessings – Illustrate one of the prophetic blessings Jacob speaks over his sons.
✳️Timed Matching Game – Discover which son did not receive land ⛺️(and why).
✳️Explore the Messianic Prophecy – Learn how God chose a tribal family for Jesus’ birth, fulfilling prophecy as the “Lion from the Tribe of Judah”.
Key Topics Covered:
✴️Jacob’s Family Tree & Tribal Lineage
✴️The Blessings of Ephraim & Manasseh
✴️Prophetic Blessings on the Twelve Sons
✴️The Formation of the Twelve Tribes
✴️Jesus: The Lion of Judah
✝️ What Have I Learned about Jesus Today?
At the end of this lesson (and every lesson in this series), we invite students to ponder the thought-provoking question: "What have you learned about JESUS today?" In this lesson, students learn that Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah and fulfilled the prophecy as a "Lion from the Tribe of Judah" (Genesis 49 and Revelation 5).
Included in this lesson:
◾️18 page comprehensive lesson plan with DO/SAY/READ wording
◾️Jacob’s Family Tree (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Color Coding the Blessings of Ephraim & Manasseh (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Manasseh/Ephraim Demonstration Pictures
◾️Blessings on the Twelve Sons of Jacob (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Picture This Blessing (worksheet and example page)
◾️12 "House of" and 12 “Land of” colorful pictures ✡️
◾️Sons of Jacob and the Promised Land (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Our Conquering King (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Lion from the Tribe of Judah stepping stone
⏰️Flexible Scheduling: This 4-5 hour lesson can be spread over multiple days with clearly labeled stopping points.
✝️ Perfect for Sunday school, homeschool or Christian school classrooms! Each lesson unit in our Walking Alongside Jesus series is divided into five sections, each section takes between 30 minutes to an hour. This allows homeschool and Christian school teachers to use it daily in the classroom (thereby completing an entire unit in a week) OR in a Sunday School classroom or youth group once a week (thereby completing an entire unit in a month).
✔️Our goal with each lesson is to combine scholarly study in a fun, interactive way so that students not only experience the rich Biblical narrative but also to whet their appetite for more by learning how to study the Scriptures for themselves.
Help your students make the connection between Jacob’s twelve sons and the twelve tribes of Israel with this 62-page interactive Bible curriculum! Designed for grades 4-8, this five-lesson unit explores why the names of the tribes don’t perfectly match Jacob’s sons and how this plays a key role in tribal land allocation in the Promised Land.
What Students Will Learn & Do:
✳️Fill in a Family Tree – Understand the lineage of Jacob and his sons.
✳️Color Code Scripture – Analyze several key chapters in Genesis with a particular focus on Ephraim and Manasseh.
✳️Jacob’s Blessings – Illustrate one of the prophetic blessings Jacob speaks over his sons.
✳️Timed Matching Game – Discover which son did not receive land ⛺️(and why).
✳️Explore the Messianic Prophecy – Learn how God chose a tribal family for Jesus’ birth, fulfilling prophecy as the “Lion from the Tribe of Judah”.
Key Topics Covered:
✴️Jacob’s Family Tree & Tribal Lineage
✴️The Blessings of Ephraim & Manasseh
✴️Prophetic Blessings on the Twelve Sons
✴️The Formation of the Twelve Tribes
✴️Jesus: The Lion of Judah
✝️ What Have I Learned about Jesus Today?
At the end of this lesson (and every lesson in this series), we invite students to ponder the thought-provoking question: "What have you learned about JESUS today?" In this lesson, students learn that Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah and fulfilled the prophecy as a "Lion from the Tribe of Judah" (Genesis 49 and Revelation 5).
Included in this lesson:
◾️18 page comprehensive lesson plan with DO/SAY/READ wording
◾️Jacob’s Family Tree (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Color Coding the Blessings of Ephraim & Manasseh (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Manasseh/Ephraim Demonstration Pictures
◾️Blessings on the Twelve Sons of Jacob (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Picture This Blessing (worksheet and example page)
◾️12 "House of" and 12 “Land of” colorful pictures ✡️
◾️Sons of Jacob and the Promised Land (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Our Conquering King (worksheet/answer key)
◾️Lion from the Tribe of Judah stepping stone
⏰️Flexible Scheduling: This 4-5 hour lesson can be spread over multiple days with clearly labeled stopping points.
✝️ Perfect for Sunday school, homeschool or Christian school classrooms! Each lesson unit in our Walking Alongside Jesus series is divided into five sections, each section takes between 30 minutes to an hour. This allows homeschool and Christian school teachers to use it daily in the classroom (thereby completing an entire unit in a week) OR in a Sunday School classroom or youth group once a week (thereby completing an entire unit in a month).
✔️Our goal with each lesson is to combine scholarly study in a fun, interactive way so that students not only experience the rich Biblical narrative but also to whet their appetite for more by learning how to study the Scriptures for themselves.
FAQS❓️
What Christian perspective is used for these Bible lessons?
I am an evangelical Christian who writes Bible curriculum for older students, and I take this tremendous responsibility seriously. Each lesson has a clear focus on what God says in His Word and the lessons are presented age appropriately, thoughtfully and biblically.
What translation of the Bible is used? 99% of the time I use the ESV although on rare occasion I might use another translation such as the NIV.
How can this Bible curriculum be used? These lessons are flexible enough to be used in the following settings:
Children's Sunday School class
Youth Group
Private Christian school Bible class
Chapel for Christian schools
Children's Church
Homeschool Bible class
Family Bible time
Copyright ©️ Experience the Bible Creatively. Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
