Zevulun was the tenth son of Yaakov and the sixth born to Leah. At his birth Leah said, "God has given me a good gift; this time my husband will dwell with me, for I have borne him six sons," and she called him Zevulun. Rashi connects the name to the root "zevul", a dwelling. His sons Sered, Elon and Yahleel founded the clans of the tribe.

According to the Yalkut Shimoni, Zevulun was born on 7 Tishrei in the year 2198 from Creation, during Yaakov's years in Charan, and died at the age of one hundred and ten; Rabbeinu Bachya, who follows the same tradition, gives his age as one hundred and fourteen.

Before his death Yaakov blessed him: "Zevulun shall dwell at the shore of the seas; he shall be a haven for ships, and his border shall reach Sidon." Moshe later said: "Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents." Rashi explains that the two tribes formed a partnership: Zevulun traded by sea and provided for Issachar, who devoted himself to Torah study, which is why Moshe mentions Zevulun first, since Issachar's Torah came about through him. The arrangement gave its name to the "Issachar-Zevulun agreement" between a scholar and the one who supports him.

The tribe received its inheritance in Lower Galilee. According to Sefer HaYashar, the bones of Issachar and Zevulun were buried in Sidon, in the portion that fell to their descendants, and Seder HaDorot records that outside the city stands "the tomb of Zevulun under a dome, with a synagogue there." The site, today in Lebanon, is closed to Israelis. A separate Druze tradition identifies his tomb with the shrine of Nabi Sabalan above Hurfeish in the Galilee.