Issachar (Hebrew: יִשָּׂשכָר, Modern: Yissakhar, Tiberian: Yissāḵār) is one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named after the ninth son of Jacob and the fifth son of Leah in the Hebrew Bible. The name Issachar is often translated as "reward" or "hire" in English, reflecting the biblical narrative where Leah named him thus, saying, "God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maid to my husband" (Genesis 30:18). In Arabic, the name is transliterated as إِسَاخَار (Isākhār). The tribe of Issachar is traditionally associated with the Zodiac sign of Cancer and is often depicted as a strong donkey carrying burdens, symbolizing their role in bearing the tabernacle and its vessels during the Israelites' wanderings in the desert. According to the biblical account, the territory of Issachar was located in the central part of the Promised Land, encompassing areas that are part of modern-day Israel, including the Jezreel Valley and the lower Galilee.
Biblical figure and son of Jacob and Leah
Issachar was, according to the Book of Genesis, the fifth of the six sons of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Issachar. However, some Biblical scholars view this as an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation.