The Tribe of Simeon or Bnei Shim'on (Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן "Hearkening; listening", Standard Hebrew Šimʿon, Tiberian Hebrew Šimʿôn) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Simeon son of Jacob. It was "divided and scattered" according to the prediction in Genesis 49:5-7. They gradually dwindled in number, and sank into a position of insignificance among the other tribes. They decreased in the wilderness by about two-thirds (compare Numbers 1:23; 26:14). Moses pronounces no blessing on this tribe; it is passed over in silence in Deuteronomy (chapter 33). Contemporary scholars believe that the tribe had been absorbed by Judah by the time that Moses' blessings were written.
This tribe received as their portion a part of the territory already allotted to Judah (Joshua 19:1-9). It lay in the south-west of the land, with Judah on the east and the Tribe of Dan on the north; but it is unlikely that it was a compact territory. In Jacob's blessings, Simeon is compared to his brother Levi, and the two were cursed for their massacre of the inhabitants of Shechem. Rather than being allotted a separate territory, Levi was given scattered cities in the territories of other tribes. It is therefore assumed that Simeon was also given scattered cities in the southern half of the Tribe of Judah.
Subsequent notices of this tribe are but few (1 Chronicles 4:24-43). Like the Tribe of Reuben on the east of Jordan, this tribe had little influence on the history of Israel.
Some Christian Identity followers believe themselves to be descendants of the Tribe of Simeon.
