7:6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,
- Asher means "Blessed".
- His mother is Zilpah.
- He was the eighth son of Jacob.
- In Jacob's blessing, Genesis 49:20, Asher would have rich food to eat and make 'royal dainties.'
- In Moses' blessing, Deuteronomy 33:24-25, Asher was to 'dip his foot in oil'.
from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,
- Naphtali means "striving with".
- According to dad's (Jacob) blessing, Naphtali must have been a poet or very descriptive writer, Genesis 49:21.
- In Moses' blessing, Deuteronomy 33:23, Naphtali already was 'full of the blessing of the Lord.'
- His mother was Bilhah.
- He was the sixth son of Jacob.
from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
- Manasseh means "Forgetfulness".
- His mother is not known but his grandmother was Rachel.
- Grandpa (Jacob) didn't leave a specific blessing to Manasseh.
- Moses indirectly passed on his blessing, Deuteronomy 33:13-17, through Joseph to 'the thousands of Manasseh.'
There is no apparent reason for these tribes to be mentioned in this order. Perhaps, it is the order in which they will be sealed. What is important is that the number is specific to 'twelve thousand' because God told John to write it this way.