Issachar

Issachar was the ninth son of Jacob, the fifth son of Leah, born after Leah traded mandrakes with Rachel (Genesis 30:14–18). His name, from a Hebrew root meaning 'hire' or 'reward,' reflects Leah's understanding that God had rewarded her. Jacob's blessing in Genesis 49:14–15 cryptically describes him as 'a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds,' a laboring figure who submits to forced labor in exchange for good land. The tribe of Issachar settled in the fertile Jezreel Valley between Galilee and Samaria. In Chronicles, the tribe of Issachar is praised for wisdom: its leaders were 'men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do' (1 Chronicles 12:32).