1 Kings 18:31

18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, “Israel will be your new ¹  name.” ² 

Luke 22:30

22:30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit ³  on thrones judging ⁴  the twelve tribes of Israel.

Revelation 7:4-8

7:4 Now ⁵  I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, ⁶  one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from all ⁷  the tribes of the people of Israel: ⁸ 

7:5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,

7:6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,

7:7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,

7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

Revelation 21:12

21:12 It has ⁹  a massive, high wall ¹⁰  with twelve gates, ¹¹  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ¹²  are written on the gates. ¹³ 

¹ tn The word “new” is implied but not actually present in the Hebrew text.

² sn Israel will be your new name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.

³ tn This verb is future indicative, and thus not subordinate to “grant” (διατίθεμαι, diatiqemai) as part of the result clause beginning with ἵνα ἔσθητε ({ina esqhte) at the beginning of v. 30. It is better understood as a predictive future.

⁴ sn The statement you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel looks at the future authority the Twelve will have when Jesus returns. They will share in Israel’s judgment.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of new but related material.

⁶ tn Grk “who were sealed.”

⁷ tn Normally, “every,” but since 144,000 is the total number, “all” is clearer here.

⁸ tn Grk “the sons of Israel,” normally an idiom for the Israelites as an ethnic entity (L&N 11.58). However, many scholars understand the expression in this context to refer to Christians rather than ethnic Israelites.

⁹ tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

¹⁰ tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

¹¹ tn On this term BDAG 897 s.v. πυλών 1 states, “gate, esp. of the large, impressive gateways at the entrance of temples and palaces…of the entrances of the heavenly Jerusalem…οἱ πυλῶνες αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ κλεισθῶσιν its entrances shall never be shut Rv 21:25; cp. vss. 12ab, 13abcd, 15, 21ab; 22:14.”

¹² tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

¹³ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.