Jahleel

Jahleel is the third son of Zebulun and the eponymous head of one of the three Zebulunite clans counted in the wilderness census. The two notices that preserve his name fix him in the migration to Egypt and in the tribal roll-call generations later.

Third Son of Zebulun in the Migration to Egypt

The list of those who came down with Jacob to Egypt names Zebulun's three sons: "And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel" (Gen 46:14). Jahleel stands third in the order, alongside Sered and Elon.

The Jahleelite Clan in the Wilderness Census

By the time of the second census on the plains of Moab, his name has become a clan-name. The roster of Zebulun lists three families, one for each son: "The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites" (Num 26:26). The Jahleelites stand as a settled lineage within the tribe, paired with the Seredites and Elonites as the three branches that carry Zebulun's house.