דברי הימים א, פרק ב׳, פסוק ב׳

The list of Jacob's sons does not follow the exact order in which they were born. Instead, a deeper internal logic guides the arrangement of their names. Dan is placed before Joseph and Benjamin. The reason traces back to Rachel, who was blessed with children only after she gave her maidservant Bilhah to Jacob. Since Bilhah gave birth to Dan first, Dan's birth is viewed as the underlying merit that allowed Rachel to eventually give birth to Joseph and Benjamin. As a result, Dan's name is placed ahead of theirs [מלבי״ם, חומת אנך]. This specific arrangement is not unique to this list; it also mirrors the order of the Israelite camps as they traveled through the wilderness [מלבי״ם].

Following Joseph and Benjamin, the names of Naphtali, Gad, and Asher are recorded. Chronologically, these sons of the maidservants were born before Rachel's children. However, they are shifted later in the sequence to give priority and honor to Joseph and Benjamin, reflecting their status as the sons of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife [ביאור שטיינזלץ].