When did the house of Joseph begin to be used to refer to other tribes or all Israel?

Question

In 2 Samuel 19:16, Shimei is known as a Benjaminite. But later in verse 20, he says "I have been the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king."

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible for 2 Samuel Chapter 19 states:

Kimchi says that Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, were called the house of Joseph; and it may be observed that it is sometimes used for all Israel, as in Psalm 80:1.

When did the house of Joseph begin to be used to refer to Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh? or all Israel?

Answer 1

Let’s start at the beginning (always a very good place to start) with the sons born to Jacob who had earlier been given the additional name of Israel (Genesis 32:28; 35:10).

Exodus 1:1 “These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.” Joseph, of course, was already in Israel, waiting to receive his Father and his brothers. Circa 1876 B.C.

Genesis 46:8-19 lists all the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) born to Jacob by Zilpah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad. Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Jacob’s wife Rachael and in Egypt Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Jacob dies circa 1859 B.C.

It follows that ALL the tribes born to Jacob’s sons could legitimately be called “the tribes of Israel.” Below are O.T. Bible verses that speak of Joseph’s descendants and how Judah (in the south) was distinct from the northern tribes:

Numbers 26:28: The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh were 52,700 and through Ephraim were 32,500 (total 85,200). NOTE: Manasseh and Ephraim were the sons of Jacob by Asenath. Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Jacob’s wife Rachael (Genesis 46:19).

Some Bible translations of 2 Samuel 19:20 say the tribes (or house) of Joseph, but the NLT says “I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel to greet my lord the king.”'

“Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. With him were a thousand Benjamites... But today I have come here as the first of the whole house of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.”

In his haste to be pardoned by the new king, Shimei got himself to the front of the queue and was speaking as the representative for all of the northern tribes, or house of Joseph.

NIV Comment: House of Joseph – a common way of referring to the northern tribes:

1 Kings 5:13 informs us that Solomon conscripted labourers “from all Israel” to build the Temple. In 1 Kings 11:28: Solomon put Jeroboam “in charge of the whole labour force of the house of Joseph.”

Ezekiel 37:19: The word of the Lord given to Ezekiel that Judah and all the Israelites associated with him and Ephraim (belonging to Joseph) and all the Israelites associated with him would become one nation under one king. God will unite the two kingdoms separated since Solomon’s death.

Amos 5:6: “Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire...”

Zechariah 10:6: “I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them...” This shows that the tribes in the north were referred to as the house of Joseph.

Now we can look at the timeline of events after the 12 tribes settled in the land of Canaan and set up their individual territories. This was around 1410 B.C. when they were ruled by the Judges. From the time of Joshua, Judah was established in the south and the house of Joseph in the north:

“You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north” (Joshua 18:5).

2 Samuel covers events from Saul becoming king (circa 1050 B.C.), through the reign of David (1011 B.C.) and the reign of Solomon (which ended 931 B.C.). In 722 B.C. Samaria fell and this marked the end of the northern kingdom. We now need to go to Psalm 80:1-2

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us! (Psalm 80:1-2 ESV)

My English Standard Version Study Bible notes say this:

This is a community lament. The specific tribes mentioned are Joseph (with his sons Ephraim and Manasseh) and Benjamin – the two sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel.... Further, when Psalm 80:1 speaks of the Lord as ‘enthroned upon the cherubim,’ it is describing his place at the ark, in the Jerusalem temple. Thus it is more likely that these tribes are mentioned as a part of the whole people, and the whole congregation owns the distress of the past.

My New Living Translation Study Bible comments that Psalm 80 is a psalm of lament that might originate with the remnant of the northern kingdom after its fall in 722 B.C.

The NLT translation of 2 Samuel 19:20 says Shemei was “the very first person in all Israel” to greet David but I could not find any other reference to suggest the house of Joseph meant all the tribes of Israel. After all, Judah was always referred to as separate and distinct from the other tribes.

This may be inconclusive, but to answer your question, the first mention I could find of the house of Joseph dates back to circa 1410 B.C.

“Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north” (Joshua 18:5).

This suggests that the ten northern tribes were collectively known as the house of Joseph. Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh were part of the house of Joseph, but remember that Joseph and Benjamin were full brothers, each with their own descendants.

Answer 2

Shimei was an Benjaminite by birth and a member of the 'House of Joseph' by political allegiance, meaning that he had supported Absalom's northern alliance that rebelled against King David. (2 Sam. 16) Probably he had earlier supported King Saul's dynasty as well, even after David became king in Judah. Rabbi Kimchi is correct that "House of Joseph" here refers to "all of Israel" in the sense of the northern tribes. We should be aware that Absalom himself was a Judahite who had temporarily usurped his father's throne with the aid of the northern allies. (see ch. 15 - “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Ab′salom.”)

"House of Joseph" in this case is not a tribal designation so much as a political one. Indeed, in the following passage mentioned in the OP, Shimei, who was a major leader of the tribe of Benjamin, effectively renounces his former allegiance to Absalom and aligns his faction of Benjamin with David instead of the northern coalition.

Shim′e-i the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahu′rim, made haste to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David; and with him were a thousand men from Benjamin... And Shim′e-i the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, and said to the king, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem; let not the king bear it in mind. For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” (19:16:20)

The alliance between Joseph and Benjamin goes back to the time of the patriarchs, as they were the sons of Jacob's primary wife, Rachel and Joseph provided special protection to Benjamin in Egypt. Like the other tribes, it supported Saul (himself a Benjaminite) when he became king. 2 Sam. 2:15 indicates that Benjaminites still allied themselves with Saul's son Ishbosheth after David became king of Judah. This may be the historical period in which the designation "House of Joseph" came to refer to all of the tribes other than Judah. Shimei's defection may have been the moment in which Benjamin began to break from the northern tribes and ally itself with Judah. During the rest of the period of the Kings, Benjamin remained part of the southern kingdom and was no longer part of the "House of Joseph."

Conclusion: the term 'House of Joseph' probably first began to refer to all of the northern tribes plus Benjamin during the earliest period of King David's reign, when he ruled only over the tribe of Judah. David eventually consolidated his reign but northern factions supported Absalom's rebellion. After Absalom's revolt failed, Benjamin no longer identified with the other tribes. Thereafter, "House of Joseph" sometimes referred to the other ten tribes, as did "Ephraim," which was the dominant tribe of the north.