Simeon was the second son of Jacob and Leah, and father of the
tribe of Simeon. The Hebrew meaning of his name is "HaShem has
heard that I was unloved." He and his brother Levi destroyed the
entire village of Shechem in retribution for the rape of their
sister Dinah. Simeon was a part of the plot to sell his brother
Joseph into slavery. When the family bought food for Egypt during
the famine in Canaan, he was appointed as the individual to stay in
Egypt as collateral for Benjamin so that his brothers would return
from Canaan.
After the Exodus, the tribe of Simeon chose to settle in the
southernmost portion of the land, in the heart of Judah’s
territory. When the tribes later divided following the death of
King Solomon, Simeon became one of the 10 nations of Israel who
refused to be ruled by David’s dynasty.