Joseph, the son of Jacob in the Old Testament, had 11 brothers , meaning there were 12 sons of Jacob in total (the “twelve tribes of Israel”).

Quick Scoop: Who Were Joseph’s Brothers?

When people ask “how many brothers did Joseph have,” they’re usually talking about Joseph in the Book of Genesis , not Joseph the husband of Mary in the New Testament. In that Genesis story, Jacob (also called Israel) has twelve sons, with Joseph being one of them.

So the count works like this:

  • Total sons of Jacob: 12
  • One of them is Joseph
  • The other 11 are his brothers

These brothers are traditionally listed as:

  • Reuben
  • Simeon
  • Levi
  • Judah
  • Dan
  • Naphtali
  • Gad
  • Asher
  • Issachar
  • Zebulun
  • Benjamin

Benjamin is often highlighted as Joseph’s full brother (same mother, Rachel), while the others are his half‑brothers through Jacob’s other wives and concubines, but they are all referred to as his brothers in the narrative.

Mini takeaways

  • Joseph in Genesis = 11 brothers.
  • Together they form the core of the twelve tribes of Israel.
  • The family conflict (jealousy, being sold into slavery, later reconciliation) all happens among these 11 brothers.

TL;DR: Joseph in the Old Testament had 11 brothers, making 12 sons of Jacob in total.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.