Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)/Tribe

Tribe: a collection of families descending from one ancestor. The "twelve tribes" of the Hebrews were the twelve collections of families which sprang from the sons of Jacob. In Matthew 24:30 the word has a wider significance. The tribes of Israel are referred to as types of the spiritual family of God (Revelation 7). (See ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF; JUDAH, KINGDOM OF.)