12 Apostles From 12 Tribes?

Q

Did the twelve Apostles represent each of the 12 tribes? In other words, was each of them from a different one of the tribes?

A

First, with the exception of Matthew, who may have been a Levite (Mark 2:14), and Paul who was from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1), the Bible does not record the tribal affiliation of the original apostles. It’s true, there are 12 tribes and 12 apostles. But among the apostles there were at least 2 sets of brothers, (James and John, Peter and Andrew). Also most of the apostles were Galilean and according to John 1:44-45 Philip and Nathaniel came from the same town as Peter and Andrew. Tribal allotments and laws of inheritance tended to keep the tribes together. Therefore it would seem to be impossible for all 12 tribes to be represented among the 12 apostles.