In Part 1 I mentioned several otherwise hidden Scriptural clues in my search for Paul’s actual birth year which continued to build toward a remarkable conclusion…

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I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

As inapplicable as it may initially appear, the first clue of note with reference to Paul’s birth year regarded the ages of the Hebrew patriarchs Joseph and Benjamin. These were the last two sons of Jacob (#11 and #12). Though there was technically not a “Tribe of Joseph,” he actually was given two tribes by his father Jacob—the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh—named after Joseph’s two sons. Though these were Jacob’s grandsons, they were given equal standing and rank as Jacob’s own sons and were counted as tribal progenitors of the Hebrew nation. Here is the list of Jacob’s twelve sons by birth order including the mother of each:

1. Reuben (Leah)
2. Simeon (Leah)
3. Levi (Leah)
4. Judah (Leah)
5. Dan (Bilhah)
6. Naphtali (Bilhah)
7. Gad (Zilpah)
8. Asher (Zilpah)
9. Issachar (Leah)
10. Zebulun (Leah)
11. Joseph (Rachel): Sons Ephraim and Manasseh
12. Benjamin (Rachel)

One might note that though they are generally referred to as the twelve tribes of Israel, there are actually thirteen tribes due to the inclusion of the two tribes descending from Joseph. It is interesting, however, that by the time of the writing of the Book of Revelation in the early 60s AD, the tribe list located there in chapter seven refers to the tribe of Ephraim as the tribe of Joseph and also does not mention the tribe of Dan. Hence, it is a list of twelve instead of thirteen. One might wonder what happened to Dan (I’ve done much past research on this) but that’s another study for another day.

The next clue I received/discovered concerned the age difference between Joseph and Benjamin. As I wrote in Part 1, I saw the Lord as Joseph and Paul as Benjamin.

This would mean the difference in ages between Joseph and Benjamin would be the same as that between the Lord and Paul.

MY WORKING THEORY

At the end of Part 1 I revealed that the scholarly consensus was that the man Benjamin, when he went to Egypt with the rest of his extended family, was 32-35 years of age. This is a reasonable estimate. But I decided on a specific age that was not only just as reasonable but scripturally foundational:

Benjamin was 30 when he went to Egypt.

I like this age number because it is significant in Scripture. Most importantly, it was the age of the Lord when He began His ministry. It was also the age of Joseph when the Lord raised him up to become second in power in Egypt. In addition to these, a Levite of Kohath/Gershon/Merari had to be at least 30 (to 50) to “enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting” (Numbers 4:3, 23, 30), as was also required of Levites such as the tent carriers. Both King Saul and King David were 30 when beginning their reigns. All of these prove that the age of 30 was chosen by God as the age of maturity for higher service and ministry in general.

Since Benjamin already had ten sons by the time he went to Egypt, he could have started his family early, maybe around 15-16 years old, since Jacob would have doted on him, and money, provision, shelter, etc. would not have been a problem. This is assuming, however, that Benjamin had only one wife, something Scripture does not address (or name), though the apocryphal book of Jasher (not likely the same one mentioned in the OT) claims he had two. A man would otherwise have to work very hard to build up his life in preparation for marriage and children and usually not be ready until his mid-twenties or so. Under that condition Benjamin would not have had the time to father ten sons. 

Here is another interesting indication: Jacob was 130 years old when he went to Egypt, at two years into the famine during the “bad seven.” This would mean, according to this scenario, that he fathered Benjamin when he was exactly 100, just as it was with Abraham and Isaac, which could definitely be another clue. Incidentally, Joseph was born when Jacob was 91 which, as I mentioned in Part 1, would make him 39 at that same time.

This means, according to my working theory, that there was a 9 year age difference between Joseph and Benjamin.

If Benjamin was indeed 30 at that time, which appears increasingly plausible, it is why the age of 30 also fits so perfectly for Paul at the time of his salvation and the effective beginning of his ministry. It is also in keeping with why the Lord decided to make such a significant unprecedented move at that particular time, at least in part:

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. [Acts 9:3-9][1]

The time had come. Paul had turned 30.

By appearing to Paul in a flash of light “brighter than the (midday) sun,” the Lord had chosen a dramatic way to get Paul straightened out and on the right track toward his destiny. It was probably the only thing that would have worked when dealing with a headstrong, stubborn, intensely driven and focused man set on achieving his fervent religious duty come hell or very high water.

In Part 3, the conclusion of this series, I will complete what I believe is a relatively solid case with additional clues and a general timeline based on a very important key date which leads to Paul’s actual birth year. See you then.

© 2025 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved. [To Be Continued…]

[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.