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trı̄b (in the Old Testament always for מטּה, matÌ£tÌ£eh, 183 times, or ש×בט, sheÌ„bhetÌ£, 145 times, also spelled ש×בט, shebhetÌ£; Aramaic ש×בט, shebhatÌ£ ()): Both words mean “staff,†and perhaps “company led by chief with staff†(OHL, 641) is the origin of the meaning “tribe.†In the Apocrypha and New Testament always for φυληÌ, phuleÌ„Ì, from φυÌω, phuÌoÌ„, “beget,†with δωδεκαÌφυλον, doÌ„dekaÌphulon, “twelve tribes,†in . Of the two Hebrew words, sheÌ„bhet appears to be considerably the older, and is used in ; ; of the whole people of Israel, and in ; (Revised Version margin); (Revised Version margin) of subdivisions of a tribe (but the text of most of these six verses is suspicious). Further, in , sheÌ„bhetÌ£ is used of the “tribes†(nomes?) of Egypt and phuleÌ„ in of “all the tribes of the earth,†but otherwise sheÌ„bhetÌ£, matÌ£tÌ£eh and phuleÌ„ refer exclusively to the tribes of Israel. In for shibhetÌ£eÌ„, “tribes,†read shoÌ„phetÌ£eÌ„, “judges†(of the Revised Version margin).