Fruits of the Flesh/Spirit

Galatians chapter 5 lists the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. Together the lists run the tribes twice. The following table shows how the fruits of the flesh maps to the tribes, followed by a table showing how the fruits of the Spirit map to the tribes. The result is a degenerate pattern for each tribe and it's opposite fruit of the Spirit.

Fruits of the Flesh

Fruits of the Spirit

Notes on mapping

The odd challenge to this passage is the way the fruits of the flesh easily map to the tribes, but the fruits of the spirit are only 9 in number, and thus appear not to map to the tribes. The problem with just mapping the fleshy stuff is the lack of redemption it provides for our old friends. So the question has been how do the tribes map the fruits of the Spirit.

The trick is realizing the buffer statement between the fleshy list and spirit list is picking up a couple tribes as are the closing statements after the second list. When those pieces are included the list of 9 fruits grows to 13 items that relay aspects of the 13 tribes.

Given this approach, the buffer statement, "As I told you before and say to you now..." is the clue we've finished the first run of the tribes and we're starting a second, beginning, as always, with Judah.

Also, the fruit of the spirit known as "patience" is actually "patience of spirit" in the Aramaic and thus more text than the other fruit items since the others are only one word each. Typically Manasseh receives the longer passage in a list as the double portion holder. Obviously in this list there's more text for Judah, Reuben, Benjamin and Gad since they get the statements that wrap around the fruits list, but of the 9 fruits the one that is longer than the rest is Manasseh's and helps again to clarify that we're lined up correctly.

In the first list of fleshy stuff there are actually more fleshy fruits than tribes. The fix is doubling up in a few places, starting with Judah. That Judah has two items is a bit unusual, but confirmed in the second list where Judah aligns with the double statement, "As I've told you before and I'm telling you now..."

Beyond Judah, Manasseh and Joseph take two items in the fleshy list. This is normal since as the double portion holders these tribes often take two items in lists that are longer than 13.

Observations

There's enough correspondance to think the two lists are intended to be held side by side, the first list giving the degenerate beahviour(s) most common for the tribe and the second list giving the fruit to grow to counteract the degenerate pattern. Some of the comparisons are not obviously related, which may be explainable by bad word choices during translation or something similar.

Judah is adultery and impurity on the down side. Why adultery I'm not sure, but the impurity may be an opposite to the purity or blamelessness for Judah seen elsewhere on the grid. On the up side Judah is the ability to tell one's future or speak about what will happen. This is right given other parts of the grid, though it's not clear why seeing ahead relates to adultery or impurity.

Reuben seems to get the lasciviousness tendancy in light of his past sins of youth. He loses the birthright over this behavior and here he loses the inheritance.

Gad is warned about idolatry which agrees with the second commandment which goes with Gad. He's also told to love, which is not clearly related to idolatry, at least that I know of.

Asher has witchcraft and joy, which don't go together directly in a way that I understand.

Naphtali has enmity and peace, which do go well together. Be at peace rather than enmity.

Manasseh ends up with two items from the degenerate list, strife and jealousy. Elsewhere on the grid Manasseh is told to keep the sabbath, which probably goes with strife. You also see envy commonly on Manasseh and/or Joseph, suggesting this is a degenerate problem of Manasseh's. On the up side Manasseh is to work on having patience of spirit. The need for patience is a direct match to strife mentioned on his degenerate side.

Simeon gets "anger" as always. His fruit is "gentleness" which seems a pretty clear opposite of anger.

Levi gets stubborness and goodness. Not sure how to confirm either of these yet, but they may work as opposites of sorts. If stubborness means witholding and goodness means giving or being helpful, than these are pretty good opposites.

Issachar is seditions and faith. These too may be opposites if you treat a sedition as some form or infidelity to law or the community and faith or faithfulness fidelity to law and community. Just thinking out loud here.

Zebulun is heresies (or schisms) and meekness. These seem like good opposites too. If you are meek you are willing to endure and stay with others who are imperfect or being jerks. You won't schism, or at least not as quickly.

Joseph gets envy and murder on the degenerate side and self-control on the up side. As stated earlier, envy and/or jealousy typically land on Joseph and/or Manasseh and this helps confirm we're on target with the list. Self-control is probably the opposite of envy and perhaps the restraint needed by the murderer.

Benjamin is drunkeness and law. These may opposites of sorts, but need more study. Perhaps there are better words to translate the underlying Aramaic terms. Cleary though, the idea of "law" goes with Benjamin as he's the home base for Judaism.

Dan is revellings and all such things and on the upside he's those in Messiah who have controlled their weaknesses and passions. The two statements are similar in their inclusiveness, "all such things" and "those in Messiah." Probably weaknesses and passions are what's on display in revellings and what's been controlled by the Spirit for those in Messiah.

By Ryan Eaton
Posted Friday, Benjamin 22, 13000