Bible Encyclopedia: Reuben

Jump to: Hitchcock's • Smith's • ATS • ISBE • Easton's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Greek • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

REUBEN

roo'-ben, ru'-ben (re'ubhen; Rhouben): The eldest son of Jacob, born to him by Leah in Paddan-aram (Genesis 29:32).

1. Jacob's Oldest Son:

This verse seems to suggest two derivations of the name. As it stands in Massoretic Text it means "behold a son"; but the reason given for so calling him is "The Lord hath looked upon my affliction," which in Hebrew is ra'ah be`onyi, literally, "He hath seen my affliction." Of his boyhood we have only the story of the mandrakes (Genesis 30:14). As the firstborn he should really have been leader among his father's sons. His birthright was forfeited by a deed of peculiar infamy (Genesis 35:22), and as far as we know his tribe never took the lead in Israel. It is named first, indeed, in Numbers 1:5, 20, but thereafter it falls to the fourth place, Judah taking the first (Numbers 2:10, etc.). To Reuben's intervention Joseph owed his escape from the fate proposed by his other brethren (Genesis 37:29). Some have thought Reuben designed to set him free, from a desire to rehabilitate himself with his father. But there is no need to deny to Reuben certain noble and chivalrous qualities. Jacob seems to have appreciated these, and, perhaps, therefore all the more deeply lamented the lapse that spoiled his life (Genesis 49:3 f). It was Reuben who felt that their perils and anxieties in Egypt were a fit recompense for the unbrotherly conduct (Genesis 42:22). To assure his father of Benjamin's safe return from Egypt, whither Joseph required him to be taken, Reuben was ready to pledge his own two sons (Genesis 42:37). Four sons born to him in Canaan went down with Reuben at the descent of Israel into Egypt (Genesis 46:8 f).

The incidents recorded are regarded by a certain school of Old Testament scholars as the vague and fragmentary traditions of the tribe, wrought into the form of a biography of the supposed ancestor of the tribe. This interpretation raises more difficulties than it solves, and depends for coherence upon too many assumptions and conjectures. The narrative as it stands is quite intelligible and self-consistent. There is no good reason to doubt that, as far as it goes, it is an authentic record of the life of Jacob's son.

2. Tribal History:

At the first census in the wilderness Reuben numbered 46,500 men of war (Numbers 1:21); at the second they had fallen to 43,730; see NUMBERS. The standard of the camp of Reuben was on the south side of the tabernacle; and with him were Simeon and Gad; the total number of fighting men in this division being 151, 450. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says that the standard was a deer, with the legend "Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord." On the march this division took the second place (Numbers 2:10). The prince of the tribe was Elizur ben Shedeur, whose oblation is described in Numbers 7:30;. The Reubenite among the spies was Shammua ben Zaccur (13:4). It is possible that the conspiracy against Moses, organized by the Reubenites Dathan and Abiram, with the assistance of Korah the Levite (Numbers 16), was an attempt on the part of the tribe to assert its rights as representing the firstborn. It is significant that the children of Korah did not perish (26:11). May not the influence of this incident on Moses' mind be traced in his "blessing," wishing for the continuance of the tribe, indeed, but not in great strength (Deuteronomy 33:6)? This was a true forecast of the tribal history.

When the high plateau East of the Dead Sea and the Jordan fell into the hands of the Israelite invaders, these spacious pastoral uplands irresistibly attracted the great flock-masters of Reuben and Gad, two tribes destined to be neighbors during succeeding centuries. At their earnest request Moses allowed them their tribal possessions here subject to one condition, which they loyally accepted. They should not "sit here," and so discourage their brethren who went to war beyond the Jordan. They should provide for the security of their cattle, fortify cities to protect their little ones and their wives from the inhabitants of the land, and their men of war should go before the host in the campaign of conquest until the children of Israel should have inherited every man his inheritance (Numbers 32:1-27). Of the actual part they took in that warfare there is no record, but perhaps "the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben" (Joshua 15:6; Joshua 18:17) marked some memorable deed of valor by a member of the tribe. At the end of the campaign the men of Reuben, having earned the gratitude of the western tribes, enriched by their share of the spoils of the enemy, returned with honor to their new home. Along with their brethren of Gad they felt the dangers attaching to their position of isolation, cut off from the rest of their people by the great cleft of the Jordan valley. They reared therefore the massive altar of Ed in the valley, so that in the very throat of that instrument of severance there might be a perpetual witness to themselves and to their children of the essential unity of Israel. The western tribes misunderstood the action and, dreading religious schism, gathered in force to stamp it out. Explanations followed which were entirely satisfactory, and a threatening danger was averted (Joshua 22). But the instincts of the eastern tribes were right, as subsequent history was to prove. The Jordan valley was but one of many causes of sundering. The whole circumstances and conditions of life on the East differed widely from those on the West of the river, pastoral pursuits and life in the open being contrasted with agricultural and city life.

The land given by Moses to the tribe of Reuben reached from the Arnon, Wady el-Mojib, in the South, to the border of Gad in the North. In Numbers 32:34 cities of Gad are named which lay far South, Aroer being on the very lip of the Arnon; but these are probably to be taken as an enclave in the territory of Reuben. From Joshua 13:15; it is clear that the northern border ran from some point North of the Dead Sea in a direction East-Northeast, passing to the North of Heshbon. The Dead Sea formed the western boundary, and it marched with the desert on the East. No doubt many districts changed hands in the course of the history. At the invasion of Tiglath-pileser, e.g., we read that Aroer was in the hands of the Reubenites, "and eastward.... even unto the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates" (1 Chronicles 5:8 f). Bezer the city of refuge lay in Reuben's territory (Joshua 20:8, etc.). A general description of the country will be found under MOAB; while the cities of Reuben are dealt with in separate articles.

Reuben and Gad, occupying contiguous districts, and even, as we have seen, to some extent overlapping, are closely associated in the history. Neither took part in the glorious struggle against Sisera (Judges 5:15). Already apparently the sundering influences were taking effect. They are not excepted, however, from "all the tribes of Israel" who sent contingents for the war against Benjamin (Judges 20:10; Judges 21:5), and the reference in Judges 5:15 seems to show that Reuben might have done great things had he been disposed. The tribe therefore was still powerful, but perhaps absorbed by anxieties as to its relations with neighboring peoples. In guarding their numerous flocks against attack from the South, and sudden incursions from the desert, a warlike spirit and martial prowess were developed. They were "valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war" (1 Chronicles 5:18). They overwhelmed the Hagrites with Jetur and Naphish and Nodab, and greatly enriched themselves with the spoil. In recording the raid the Chronicler pays a compliment to their religious loyalty: "They cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him" (1 Chronicles 5:19). Along with Gad and Manasseh they sent a contingent of 120,000 men "with all manner of instruments of war for the battle,.... men of war, that could order the battle array," men who "came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king" (1 Chronicles 12:37 f). Among David's mighty men was Adina, "a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him" (1 Chronicles 11:42). In the 40th year of David's reign overseers were set over the Reubenites "for every matter pertaining to God, and for the affairs of the king" (1 Chronicles 26:32). Perhaps in spite of the help given to David the Reubenites had never quite got over their old loyalty to the house of Saul. At any rate, when disruption came they joined the Northern Kingdom (1 Kings 11:31).

The subsequent history of the tribe is left in much obscurity. Exposed as they were to hostile influences of Moab and the East, and cut off from fellowship with their brethren in worship, in their isolation they probably found the descent into idolatry all too easy, and the once powerful tribe sank into comparative insignificance. Of the immediate causes of this decline we have no knowledge. Moab established its authority over the land that had belonged to Reuben; and Mesha, in his inscription (M S), while he speaks of Gad, does not think Reuben worthy of mention. They had probably become largely absorbed in the northern tribe. They are named as suffering in the invasion of Hazael during the reign of Jehu (2 Kings 10:32 f). That "they trespassed against the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land" is given as the reason for the fate that befell them at the hands of Pul, king of Assyria, who carried them away, "and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river of Gozan" (1 Chronicles 5:25 f).

The resemblance of Reuben's case to that of Simeon is striking, for Simeon also appears to have been practically absorbed in the tribe of Judah. The prestige that should have been Reuben's in virtue of his birthright is said to have passed to Joseph (1 Chronicles 5:1). And the place of Reuben and Simeon in Israel is taken by the sons of Joseph, a fact referred to in the blessing of Jacob (Genesis 48:5).

Ezekiel finds a place for Reuben in his picture of restored Israel (48:6). He appears also-in this case preceded by Judah only-in Revelation 7:5.

W. Ewing

Greek

4502. Rhouben -- Reuben, a son of Jacob, also a tribe of Isr.
... Rhouben. 4503 . Reuben, a son of Jacob, also a tribe of Isr. ... Word Origin of Hebrew
origin Reuben Definition Reuben, a son of Jacob, also a tribe of Isr. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4502.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

7205. Reuben -- "behold a son!" oldest son of Jacob, also his desc ...
... 7204, 7205. Reuben. 7206 . "behold a ... desc. Transliteration: Reuben Phonetic
Spelling: (reh-oo-bane') Short Definition: Reuben. Word ...
/hebrew/7205.htm - 6k

7206. Reubeni -- descendant of Reuben
... descendant of Reuben. Transliteration: Reubeni Phonetic Spelling: (reh-oob-ay-nee')
Short Definition: Reubenites. Word Origin from Reuben Definition desc. ...
/hebrew/7206.htm - 6k

4158. Mophaath -- a Levitical city in Reuben
... a Levitical city in Reuben. Transliteration: Mophaath or Mephaath or Mephaath
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-fah'-ath) Short Definition: Mephaath. ...
/hebrew/4158.htm - 6k

932. Bohan -- "closing," a descendant of Reuben
... Bohan. 933 . "closing," a descendant of Reuben. Transliteration: Bohan Phonetic
Spelling: (bo'han) Short Definition: Bohan. ... of Reuben NASB Word Usage Bohan (2) ...
/hebrew/932.htm - 6k

6396. Pallu -- a son of Reuben
... 6395, 6396. Pallu. 6397 . a son of Reuben. Transliteration: Pallu Phonetic
Spelling: (pal-loo') Short Definition: Pallu. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/6396.htm - 6k

6932. Qedemoth -- a city in Reuben
... 6931, 6932. Qedemoth or Qedemoth. 6933 . a city in Reuben. Transliteration:
Qedemoth or Qedemoth Phonetic Spelling: (ked-ay-mothe') Short Definition: Kedemoth ...
/hebrew/6932.htm - 6k

2585. Chanok -- four Israelites, sons of Cain, Jered, Midian and ...
... Chanok. 2586 . four Israelites, sons of Cain, Jered, Midian and Reuben.
Transliteration: Chanok Phonetic Spelling: (khan-oke') Short Definition: Enoch. ...
/hebrew/2585.htm - 6k

1221. Betser -- "fortress," a city in Reuben, also a descendant of ...
... Betser. 1222 . "fortress," a city in Reuben, also a descendant of Asher.
Transliteration: Betser Phonetic Spelling: (beh'-tser) Short Definition: Bezer. ...
/hebrew/1221.htm - 6k

6890. Tsereth Hashshachar -- "Zereth of the dawn," a city in ...
... "Zereth of the dawn," a city in Reuben. Transliteration: Tsereth Hashshachar Phonetic
Spelling: (tseh'-reth hash-shakh'-ar) Short Definition: Zereth-shahar. ...
/hebrew/6890.htm - 6k

203. On -- a chief of the tribe of Reuben.
... 202, 203. On. 204 . a chief of the tribe of Reuben. ... Word Origin from
the same as on Definition a chief of the tribe of Reuben. On ...
/hebrew/203.htm - 5k

Library

Recreant Reuben
... THE BOOK OF JUDGES RECREANT REUBEN. ... At the watercourses of Reuben there were
great searchings of heart.'"Judges 5:16 (RV). I. The fight. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/recreant reuben.htm

Reuben Johnson Pardoned.
... Reuben Johnson Pardoned. I ... afterward. The first name was called"'Reuben
Johnson'"and he held out the pardon, but not a man moved. ...
/.../moody/moodys anecdotes and illustrations/reuben johnson pardoned.htm

The Testament of Reuben Concerning Thoughts.
... The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. I."The Testament of Reuben Concerning
Thoughts. ... I counsel you, hear ye Reuben your father. ...
/.../i the testament of reuben concerning.htm

Letter A
... 1819 * Ahair, John "Received 1791, Died 1794 * Aikin, John E. "Received 1832 * Aikins,
James "Received 1801, Died 1823 * Ailsworth, Reuben A. "Received ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bangs/an alphabetical list of m e preachers/letter a.htm

The Reason of the Order of the Sons of Leah.
... Judah, Reuben, Gad, Aser, constitute, as you see, the first quaternion of the sons
of Leah, as superior to the rest in respect to Him of whom the type points ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the reason of the order.htm

Joseph, the Castaway.
... But Reuben, the eldest, said,. "Let us not kill him; but cast him into this pit,"
hoping to take him out secretly, and send him to his father. ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter vi joseph the castaway.htm

Works of Rufinus. I. Original Works which Still Survive.
... The text on which he comments is very faulty: for instance, in the Blessing of Reuben,
instead of the words "the excellency of dignity and the excellency of ...
/.../works of rufinus i original.htm

Joseph the Dreamer.
... very proud of this coat, but the others hated both it and him, believing that he
would get the best of everything from their father"all but Reuben, the eldest ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/joseph the dreamer.htm

Man's Passions and God's Purpose
... Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph
was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/mans passions and gods purpose.htm

Joseph --The Savior of his People.
... Then Reuben, who had tried to save Joseph from the pit long before, told his brothers
that all this trouble had come upon them for their wickedness to their ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter viii josephthe savior of.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Reuben

who sees the son; the vision of the son

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Reuben

(behold a son), Jacob's firstborn Child, (Genesis 29:32) the son of Leah. (B.C. 1753.) The notices of the patriarch Reuben give, on the whole a favorable view of his disposition. To him and him alone the preservation of Joseph's life appears to have been due and afterward he becomes responsible for his safety. (Genesis 37:18-30; 42:37) Of the repulsive crime which mars his history, and which turned the blessing of his dying father into a curse --his adulterous connection with Bilhah-- we know from the Scriptures only the fact. (Genesis 35:22) He was of an ardent, impetuous, unbalanced but not ungenerous nature; not crafty and cruel, as were Simeon and Levi, but rather, to use the metaphor of the dying patriarch, boiling up like a vessel of water over a rapid wood fire, and as quickly subsiding when the fuel was withdrawn. At the time of the migration into Egypt, Reuben's sons were four. (Genesis 46:9; 1 Chronicles 5:3) The census at Mount Sinai, (Numbers 1:20,21; 2:11) shows that at the exodus the men of the tribe above twenty years of age and fit for active warlike service numbered 46,600. The Reubenites maintained the ancient calling of their forefathers. Their cattle accompanied them in their flight from Egypt. (Exodus 12:38) Territory of the tribe . --The portion of the promised land selected by Reuben had the special name of "the Mishor," with reference possibly to its evenness. Under its modern name of the Belka it is still esteemed beyond all others by the Arab sheep-masters. It was a fine pasture-land east of the Jordan, lying between the river Arnon on the south and Gilead on the north. Though the Israelites all aided the Reubenites in conquering the land, and they in return helped their brothers to secure their own possessions, still there was always afterward a bar, a difference in feeling and habits, between the eastern and western tribes. The pile of stones which they erected on the west bank of the Jordan to mark their boundary was erected in accordance with the unalterable habits of Bedouin tribes both before and since. This act was completely misunderstood and was construed into an attempt to set up a rival altar to that of the sacred tent. No Judge, no prophet, no hero of the tribe of Reuben is handed down to us. The Reubenites disliked war clinging to their fields and pastures even when their brethren were in great distress. Being remote from the seat of the national government and of the national religion, it is not to be wondered at that the Reubenites relinquished the faith of Jehovah. The last historical notice which we possess of them, while it records this fact, records also as its natural consequence that they and the Gadites and the half-tribe Manasseh were carried off by Pul and Tiglath-pileser. (1 Chronicles 5:26)

ATS Bible Dictionary

Reuben

Behold, a son! The eldest son of Jacob and Leah, so-called in reference to the sentiment of his mother, "The Lord hath looked on my affliction," Genesis 29:32. Reuben, having defiled his father's concubine Bilhah, lost his birthright and all the privileges of primogeniture, the preeminence in the family being given to Judah, and the double portion to the two sons of Joseph, Genesis 35:22 48:5 49:3,4,8,10 1 Chronicles 5:1,2. He shared in his brother's jealousy of Joseph, and yet interposed to save his life at Dothan with the design of restoring him privately to his father, Genesis 37:18-30. See also his well-meant proposal in Genesis 42:27. His tribe was never numerous or powerful in Israel. Dathan, Abiram, and On were members of it. It was the ninth of the tribes in the order of population when they entered Canaan, Numbers 1:21 26:7. Their inheritance was the fine pastureland east of the Jordan, between the Arnon on the south and Gilead on the north; it is now called Belka, Numbers 32:1-42 Joshua 22:1-34. We afterwards find them reproved by Deborah for remissness, Jud 5:15,16. Their position on the frontier exposed them to many assaults from the east, 2 Kings 10:33; and they were among the first captives to Assyria, 1 Chronicles 5:26, B. C. 740.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Behold a son!, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah (Genesis 29:32). His sinful conduct, referred to in Genesis 35:22, brought down upon him his dying father's malediction (48:4). He showed kindness to Joseph, and was the means of saving his life when his other brothers would have put him to death (37:21, 22). It was he also who pledged his life and the life of his sons when Jacob was unwilling to let Benjamin go down into Egypt. After Jacob and his family went down into Egypt (46:8) no further mention is made of Reuben beyond what is recorded in ch. 49:3,4.

Reuben, Tribe of

At the Exodus numbered 46,500 male adults, from twenty years old and upwards (Numbers 1:20, 21), and at the close of the wilderness wanderings they numbered only 43,730 (26:7). This tribe united with that of Gad in asking permission to settle in the "land of Gilead," "on the other side of Jordan" (32:1-5). The lot assigned to Reuben was the smallest of the lots given to the trans-Jordanic tribes. It extended from the Arnon, in the south along the coast of the Dead Sea to its northern end, where the Jordan flows into it (Joshua 13:15-21, 23). It thus embraced the original kingdom of Sihon. Reuben is "to the eastern tribes what Simeon is to the western. `Unstable as water,' he vanishes away into a mere Arabian tribe. `His men are few;' it is all he can do `to live and not die.' We hear of nothing beyond the multiplication of their cattle in the land of Gilead, their spoils of `camels fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand' (1 Chronicles 5:9, 10, 20, 21). In the great struggles of the nation he never took part. The complaint against him in the song of Deborah is the summary of his whole history. `By the streams of Reuben,' i.e., by the fresh streams which descend from the eastern hills into the Jordan and the Dead Sea, on whose banks the Bedouin chiefs met then as now to debate, in the `streams' of Reuben great were the `desires'", i.e., resolutions which were never carried out, the people idly resting among their flocks as if it were a time of peace (Judges 5:15, 16). Stanley's Sinai and Palestine.

All the three tribes on the east of Jordan at length fell into complete apostasy, and the time of retribution came. God "stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria," to carry them away, the first of the tribes, into captivity (1 Chronicles 5:25, 26).

Thesaurus

Reuben (73 Occurrences)
... After Jacob and his family went down into Egypt (46:8) no further mention is made
of Reuben beyond what is recorded in ch. 49:3,4. Reuben, Tribe of. ...
/r/reuben.htm - 46k

Reuben's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Reuben's (1 Occurrence). Deuteronomy 33:6 Let life not
death be Reuben's, let not the number of his men be small. (BBE). ...
/r/reuben's.htm - 6k

Pallu (6 Occurrences)
... Separated, the second son of Reuben (1 Chronicles 5:3); called Phallu, Genesis
46:9. He was the father of the Phalluites (Exodus 6:14; Numbers 26:5, 8). Int. ...
/p/pallu.htm - 9k

Gadites (32 Occurrences)
... Numbers 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great
multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of ...
/g/gadites.htm - 17k

Reubenites (37 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia REUBENITES. roo'-ben-its (ha-re'ubheni; demoi
Rhouben): Members of the tribe of Reuben (Numbers 26:7, etc.). ...
/r/reubenites.htm - 19k

Phallu (5 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Separated, the second son of Reuben (Genesis 46:9). ... Genesis
46:9 And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. ...
/p/phallu.htm - 8k

Hanoch (6 Occurrences)
... (2) The eldest son of Reuben (Genesis 46:9 Exodus 6:14 1 Chronicles 5:3). The
descendants of Hanoch were known as Hanochites (Numbers 26:5). ...
/h/hanoch.htm - 8k

Elizur (5 Occurrences)
... elitsur; Septuagint Eleiour, Elisour, "My God is a rock"; compare Zuriel "my rock
is God" (Numbers 3:35)): A chief or prince of the tribe of Reuben (Numbers 1:5 ...
/e/elizur.htm - 8k

Carmi (8 Occurrences)
... Vine-dresser. (1.) The last named of the four sons of Reuben (Genesis 46:9). ... Genesis
46:9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ...
/c/carmi.htm - 10k

Shedeur (5 Occurrences)
... shed'-e-ur, she-de'-ur (shedhe'ur, "daybreak"; Codex Vaticanus Sediour, Ediour):
The father of Elizur, the chief of Reuben (Numbers 1:5; Numbers 2:10; Numbers 7 ...
/s/shedeur.htm - 8k

Bible Concordance

Reuben (73 Occurrences)

Revelation 7:5 of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand, of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 29:32 Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 30:14 Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 35:22 It happened, while Israel lived in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 35:23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 37:21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, "Let's not take his life."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 37:22 Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"-that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 37:29 Reuben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn't in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 42:22 Reuben answered them, saying, "Didn't I tell you, saying,'Don't sin against the child,' and you wouldn't listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 42:37 Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons, if I don't bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 46:8 These are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 46:9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 48:5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, will be mine.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 49:3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 1:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 6:14 These are the heads of their fathers' houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 1:5 These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: Of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 1:20 The children of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, one by one, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 1:21 those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 2:10 "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their divisions. The prince of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 2:16 "All who were numbered of the camp of Reuben were one hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty, according to their armies. They shall set out second.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 7:30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 10:18 The standard of the camp of Reuben went forward according to their armies. Elizur the son of Shedeur was over his army.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 13:4 These were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men :
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 26:5 Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 26:7 These are the families of the Reubenites; and those who were numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that behold, the place was a place for livestock;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Numbers 32:6 Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:25 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, "Your servants will do as my lord commands.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:29 Moses said to them, "If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle, before Yahweh, and the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:31 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, "As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:33 Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities of it with their borders, even the cities of the surrounding land.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 32:37 The children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 34:14 for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their fathers' houses, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to their fathers' houses, have received, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received, their inheritance:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 11:6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 27:13 These shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 33:6 "Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 4:12 The children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 13:15 Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 13:23 The border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and its villages.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 15:6 The border went up to Beth Hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth Arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 18:7 For the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 18:17 It extended northward, went out at En Shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim. It went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 20:8 Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 21:7 The children of Merari according to their families had twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 21:36 Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, Jahaz with its suburbs,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:9 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they owned, according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:10 When they came to the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look at.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:11 The children of Israel heard this, "Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertains to the children of Israel."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Joshua 22:13 The children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:15 They came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:25 For Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no portion in Yahweh."' So your children might make our children cease from fearing Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:30 When Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:31 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, "Today we know that Yahweh is in the midst of us, because you have not committed this trespass against Yahweh. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of Yahweh."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:32 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:33 The thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad lived.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 22:34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar "A Witness Between Us that Yahweh is God."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 5:15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah. As was Issachar, so was Barak. They rushed into the valley at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben, there were great resolves of heart.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 5:16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the whistling for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 10:33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 2:1 These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 5:1 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but, because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 5:3 the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 5:18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, that were able to go forth to war.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 6:63 To the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 6:78 and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its suburbs, and Jahzah with its suburbs,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 12:37 On the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, one hundred twenty thousand.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 48:6 By the border of Ephraim, from the east side even to the west side, Reuben, one portion.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 48:7 By the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one portion.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 48:31 and the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel, three gates northward: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Patriotism: Lacking in The Tribes of Reuben, Asher, and Dan

Reuben

Reuben: Adroitly Seeks to Save Joseph from the Conspiracy of his Brothers

Reuben: Brings Mandrakes (An Aphrodisiac) to his Mother

Reuben: Commits Incest With One of his Father's Concubines, And, in Consequence, Forfeits his Birthright

Reuben: His Children

Reuben: Jacob's Prophetic Benediction Upon

Reuben: Son of Jacob

the Tribe of Reuben: Assisted in Building the Altar of Witness Which offended The

the Tribe of Reuben: Bounds of Their Inheritance

the Tribe of Reuben: Carried Away by Tiglathpileser