(Old Testament) a son of Jacob and a forebear of one of the tribes of Israel

Ninth son of Jacob (Genesis 30:18) and the tribe of Israel descended from him.

Issachar or Yissachar was the fifth son of Jacob and his first wife Leah. Issachar's name is explained in Genesis 30:18: "Leah said, 'God has given me my reward because I gave my maidservant to my husband (as a wife)', and called him Issachar."