Birth: Genesis 29:32
Death: Exodus 1:6
Fathers: Jacob
Mother: Leah
Brothers: Joseph, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ben-Oni/Benjamin
Sister: Dinah
Sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi
Post-flood lineage: Abraham > Isaac >
Jacob > Reuben
Abraham > Isaac >
Jacob > Reuben > Eliab > Pallu > Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram
On the eve of his wedding, Jacob got tricked into having sex with Leah instead of her younger sister, Rachel in
Genesis 29. So, Jacob agreed to marry both Leah and Rachel; but, Leah was the first to yield children.
Reuben was Leah's first-born son. He had a minor appearance in Genesis 30:14 and had a nefarious mention in
Genesis 35:23 for sleeping with his father Jacob's concubine Bilhah.
Because Reuben was one of 12 sons of Jacob (aka Israel), there are several mentions of the 12 tribes of Israel including
1 Chronicles 2:1 and Exodus 1:1-6.
1. These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
3. Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
4. Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
5. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
Reuben's sons were stated in Exodus 6:14.
Since it's noted that all the sons of Jacob (Israel) had died by this point, references to Reuben after this were to the tribe (descendants) of Reuben.
During the first Census, a descendant named Elizur son of Shedeur was mentioned in Numbers 1:5;
2:10; 7:30 and 10:18.
When Moses sent spies into Canaan, Shammua son of Zaccur represented the tribe of Reuben - Numbers 13:4.
The Reubenite numbers were stated as 46,500 in the first Census (Numbers 1:21) and dropped to 43,730 in the 2nd Census
(Numbers 26:7).
Numbers 26:5-10:
5. The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were: through Hanoch, the Hanochite clan; through Pallu, the Palluite clan;
6. through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Carmi, the Carmite clan.
7. These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.
8. The son of Pallu was Eliab,
9. and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah's followers when they rebelled against the LORD.
10. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign.
Moses led the Israelites to the fringe of Canaan. Numbers 32 told of the Gadites and Reubenites receiving lands during the fighting.
Numbers 32:33-38:
33. Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan--the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.
34. The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35. Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
36. Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks.
37. And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim,
38. as well as Nebo and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.
Deuteronomy 11:6 warned what happened to Eliab's sons when they chose to be disobedient to God.
When making preparations to enter Canaan, Moses prepped the Israelites to make a fresh start in Deuteronomy 27:
9. Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all Israel, "Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the LORD your God.
10. Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today."
11. On the same day Moses commanded the people:
12. When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.
13. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.
Despite the overtones of that passage, Moses blessed the Reubenites in Deuteronomy 33:6.
Although the Gadites and Reubenites had already been granted land east of the Jordan river, he asked in Joshua 1:10-15 that they continue fighting until Canaan was conquered.
Before Joshua and the Israelites took Jericho, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half-tribe of Manasseh led when crossing the Jordan River with the help of the Ark of the Covenant in
Joshua 4:12. Joshua 12:6 gave Moses credit with the victories over the kingdom of Sihon & Amorites that were given to the Gadites and
Reubenites. Joshua 13:15-23 stated the area that was allotted to the tribe of Reuben:
15. This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan:
16. The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba
17. to Heshbon and all its towns on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,
18. Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
19. Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley,
20. Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth
21. --all the towns on the plateau and the entire realm of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled at Heshbon. Moses had defeated him and the Midianite chiefs, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba--princes allied with Sihon--who lived in that country.
22. In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.
23. The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Reubenites, clan by clan.
A couple of references appear for the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben in Joshua 15:6 and 18:17.
Joshua 20:8 named Bezer within the region assigned to the tribe of Reuben as a city of refuge.
To make room for priests from the line of Merari, Joshua 21:7 said 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun were given up.
The following passage stated the towns that the tribe of Reuben contributed in Joshua 21:
34. The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given: from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah,
35. Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands--four towns;
36. from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz,
37. Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands--four towns;
A parallel passage was written in 1 Chronicles 6:63,78-81.
Before the death of his father, Eleazar, Phinehas scorned the Reubenites and the Gadites for building an altar; but, instead of using it for sacrifices, it was dedicated to the Lord in Joshua 22.
In the time of Judges, Judges 5:15-16 mentioned the territory of Reuben while Deborah was praised for her role in eliminating the threat to Israel.
Men from the tribe of Reuben served in king David's army as shown in 1 Chronicles 12:37. One was mentioned by name in
1 Chronicles 11:42:
42. Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,
There were a couple more Reubenite references in 1 Chronicles.
1 Chronicles 26:31-32:
31. As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families. In the fortieth year of David's reign a search was made in the records, and capable men among the Hebronites were found at Jazer in Gilead.
32. Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives, who were able men and heads of families, and King David put them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.
1 Chronicles 27:16:
16. The officers over the tribes of Israel: over the Reubenites: Eliezer son of Zicri; over the Simeonites: Shephatiah son of Maacah;
By the time the houses of David and Saul had split the kingdom into Judah and Israel, an Aramean named Hazael was foretold to become king by the prophet Elisha. To protect their territories,
Israel and Judah had worked together against the Moabite revolt, but in the process, Joram king of Israel was mortally wounded. Hazael prepared to make his move as stated in
2 Kings 10:32-33:
32. In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory
33. east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.
1 Chronicles 5:1-10:
1. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father's marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright,
2. and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph)--
3. the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
4. The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5. Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
6. and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites.
7. Their relatives by clans, listed according to their genealogical records: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,
8. and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in the area from Aroer to Nebo and Baal Meon.
9. To the east they occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased in Gilead.
10. During Saul's reign they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead.
Possibly during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel 48:6-7 tried to comfort the Reubenites to let them know they would one day again have land to call their own:
6. "Reuben will have one portion; it will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.
7. "Judah will have one portion; it will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.
The only New Testament reference to Reuben appeared in Revelation 7:5.
