Issachar

Issachar was the ninth son of Leah and father to one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

One interpretation of his name is "man of reward" (Hebrew: shcar). Issachar was the product of the mandrake incident (Genesis 30:9-18) and was involved in the plot to sell his brother Joseph into slavery. Issachar settled in Egypt after the famine in Canaan and had four sons: Tolah, Puvvah, Yov and Shimron. He receives a blessing from his father Jacob that he "bends his back to the load, working like a slave" (Genesis 49:14-15). The descendants of Issachar are men of learning according to Jewish tradition.

The tribe of Issachar settled east of the Jordan River just below the Sea of Galilee.

Sources: Bridger, David. Ed. The New Jewish Encyclopedia, NY: Behrman House, 1976; Navigating the Bible II