Eldest son of Jacob by Leah. We have his history from (Gen. 29. 32.) through the relation of the patriarchs. His name is derived from Rahah, to see - - and Ben, son; so that the com pound may be, the son of vision.
TRIBE OF. This tribe, having much cattle, solicited and obtained from Moses possessions east of the Jordan; by which river it was separated from the main body of Israel: it was, in consequence, exposed to various inroads and oppressions from which the western tribes were free; and it was among the first carried into captivity by Tiglath-pileser, 1Ch 5:26.
Reu´ben (Behold a son), eldest son of Jacob by Leah (Gen 29:32; Gen 35:23; Gen 46:8). His improper intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine wife, was an enormity too great for Jacob ever to forget, and he spoke of it with abhorrence even on his dying bed (Gen 32:22; Gen 49:4). For his conduct in this matter, Jacob, in his last blessing, deprived him of the pre-eminence and double portion which belonged to his birth-right, assigning the former to Judah, and the latter to Joseph (Gen 49:3-4; comp. Gen 49:8-10; Gen 48:5). The doom, ’Thou shalt not excel,’ was exactly fulfilled in the destinies of the tribe descended from Reuben, which makes no figure in the Hebrew history, and never produced any eminent person. At the time of the Exodus, this tribe numbered 46,500 adult males, which ranked it as the seventh in population; but at the later census before entering Canaan, its numbers had decreased to 43,730, which rendered it the ninth, in population (Num 1:21; Num 26:5). The Reubenites received for their inheritance the fine pasture-land (the present Belka) on the east of the Jordan, which to a cattle-breeding people, as they were, must have been very desirable (Num 32:1 sq.; 34:14; Jos 1:14; Jos 15:17). This lay south of the territories of Gad (Deu 3:12; Deu 3:16), and north of the River Arnon. Although thus settled earlier than the other tribes, excepting Gad and half Manasseh, who shared with them the territory beyond the Jordan, the Reubenites willingly assisted their brethren in the wars of Canaan (Num 32:27; Num 32:29; Jos 4:12); after which they returned to their own lands (Jos 22:15); and we hear little more of them till the time of Hazael, king of Syria, who ravaged and for a time held possession of their country (2Ki 10:33). The Reubenites, and the other tribes beyond the river, were naturally the first to give way before the invaders from the East, and were the first of all the Israelites sent into exile by Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, B.C. 773 (1Ch 5:26).
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," Gen 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, Gen 35:22 48:5 49:3,4,8,10 1Ch 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, Gen 37:18-30 . See also his well-meant proposal in Gen 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, Num 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, Num 32:1-42 Jos 22:1-34 . We afterwards find them reproved by Deborah for remissness, Jdg 5:15,16 . Their position on the frontier exposed them to many assaults from the east, 2Ki 10:33 ; and they were among the first captives to Assyria, 1Ch 5:26, B. C. 740.\par
Reu’ben. (behold a son). Jacob’s firstborn child, Gen 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. Gen 37:18-30; Gen 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. Gen 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. Gen 46:9; 1Ch 5:3. The census at Mount Sinai, Num 1:20-21; Num 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. Exo 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. 1Ch 5:26.
Jacob’s firstborn, Leah’s son, born long after the marriage. The name expresses the parents’ joy at the accomplishment of long deferred hope: "Behold ye a son" (Gen 29:32). He gathered mandrakes for his mother, in boyhood (Gen 30:14).
The chieftainship was transferred to Judah, the double portion to Joseph; the firstborn of the beloved Rachel superseding the firstborn of slighted Leah, not however to gratify the father’s preference (Deu 21:15-17), but to fulfill God’s holy purpose. Impulses to good, as well as evil, were strong in Reuben. Impetuous, without due balance of mind, he was at the same time generous in disposition. He saved Joseph’s life from the crafty and cruel brothers, Levi, Simeon, Judah, and the rest, by insisting that his blood should not be shed, but he be cast into a pit, Reuben secretly intending to deliver him out of their hands. These took advantage of his temporary absence to sell Joseph (Gen 37:20 ff). He probably had gone to seek means to rescue Joseph. The writer’s omitting to explain Reuben’s absence is just what a forger would not have omitted, and proves the simplicity and truthfulness of the narrative.
Reuben was deeply moved to find Joseph gone; he rent his clothes, crying, "the child is not, and I, where shall I go?" Years after he reminded them of his remonstrance (Gen 42:22): "spoke I not unto you saying, Do not sin against the child, and ye would not hear? Therefore behold also his blood is required." Again, his offer to Jacob (Gen 42:37) to stake his own two sons’ lives for the safety of Benjamin, Joseph’s surviving brother, is another trait of kindliness. But consistent resoluteness was wanting; putting Joseph in the pit was a compromise with the brothers’ wickedness; decided, firm, unyielding resistance would have awed them and saved Joseph. Reuben had four sons at the migration into Egypt (Gen 46:9; 1Ch 5:3; Num 26:5-11). The conspirators Dathan, Abiram, and On sprang through Eliab and Pallu from Reuben (Num 16:1). At the Sinai census (Num 1:20-21; Num 2:11) Reuben numbered 46,500 men above 20 years of age, fit for service, and was sixth on the list: at the borders of Canaan (Num 26:7) - 43,730.
On march Reuben was S. of the tabernacle; Gad and Simeon were next Reuben on the same side (Num 2:10-16). Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh still retained their forefathers’ calling as tending flocks and herds (Num 32:1). So, at their request, they were allowed to occupy Og’s and Sihor’s territories E. of Jordan, "the mishor" or even downs, the modern Belka; well watered, with smooth short turf, stretching away into the vast nomadic tracts eastward. Reuben, faithfully keeping their promise to Moses (Num 32:16-33), left the wives, little ones, and flocks behind in this region, and marched W. of Jordan to help in the conquest of Canaan; subsequently they erected an altar shaped like the tabernacle altar, W. of Jordan, not for sacrifice but to attest their share in the national worship with their brethren on that side (Joshua 22). By a solemn protestation of their not intending political or religious schism in the name of
Typical of there being only one sacrificial altar, Christ, above; our earthly communion with His sacrifice being commemorative, spiritual, and real, not carnal and literal (Heb 13:10; Rev 8:3). Moses’ blessing on Reuben (Deu 33:6-7), "let Reuben live and not die, and let (not) his men be few," implies a warning and a deprecation of evils deserved. Reuben held the S. of the land E. of Jordan. Occupation with their flocks made them dilatory and unwilling to join in the struggle for national independence against Jabin (Jdg 5:15-16). Keil translated, "at the watercourses of Reuben were great resolutions (projects) of heart."
Reuben held meetings by their rural watercourses (
Reuben (reu’ben), behold a son: The eldest son of Jacob and Leah. Gen 29:32; Deu 33:6. He was deprived of the privileges of his birthright, in consequence of his improper intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. Gen 35:22; Gen 49:3-4. The portion of the Promised Land assigned to the tribe of Reuben lay on the east of the Jordan, in the district now called the Belka, and is still famous for its fine pasture lands, as in ancient times. Num 32:1-38; Num 34:14; Jos 1:12-18; Deu 3:12-16.
[Reu’ben]
The firstborn of Jacob and of Leah, and head of one of the twelve tribes. The territory they possessed also bears his name. He saved the life of Joseph when his brothers thought to kill him, and when they went to buy corn in Egypt, he offered to be responsible for Benjamin’s safety. Jacob, when blessing his sons, said, "Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it." Gen 49:3-4. This speaks of failure in the firstborn, and implies loss of his birthright. (Joseph, type of Christ separated from His brethren, had the birthright.) Moses, when he blessed the tribes (showing more their relationship with God according to His government) said, "Let Reuben live, and not die: and let not his men be few." Deu 33:6. Reuben entered Egypt with his four sons, Hanoch, Phallu, Hezron and Carmi. Gen 46:9.
At the Exodus the tribe numbered 46,500 men fit to go to war; and at the close of the wanderings they had decreased to 43,730. At their request, Reuben had their possession on the east of the Jordan, because it was ’a place for cattle.’ It extended northward from the river Arnon about 25 miles, where it joined the possession of Gad.
The Reubenites do not appear to have taken any prominent part in the struggles under the Judges; they had ’great thoughts of heart,’ but remained with their flocks. Jdg 5:15-16. They made inroads upon the Bedouin tribes: being on the border of the wilderness doubtless this was unavoidable if they were to live in peace and safety. 1Ch 5:9-10; 1Ch 5:18; etc. The Reubenites, with the others on the east of the Jordan, went after the gods of the heathen, and Jehovah cut them short by Hazael, of Syria. 2Ki 10:32-33. Afterwards by Pul and Tiglath-pileser they were carried away captive unto Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river Gozan. 1Ch 5:26.
The east of the Jordan was a place of danger. Remaining there was a type of a Christian stopping short of the place of nearness God has given him - not realising his death and resurrection with Christ, and his true place in the heavenlies.
By: Executive Committee of the Editorial Board., Jacob Zallel Lauterbach, Wilhelm Bacher
—Biblical Data:
Eldest son of Jacob (Gen. xlvi. 8, xlix. 9) by Leah (ib. xxix. 32), to whom he once carried mandrakes which he had found in a field during the wheat harvest (ib. xxx. 14). He wronged his father by his conduct with the latter's concubine Bilhah (ib. xxxv. 22), and in punishment his rights as first-born (ib. xlix. 3) were transferred to the children of Joseph (I Chron. v. 1). When his other brothers planned to kill Joseph, Reuben tried to save him: secretly intending to rescue Joseph later and to restore him to his father, he advised his brothers to throw him into a pit instead of putting him to death outright. They acted on Reuben's suggestion, and the latter was therefore much distressed, when he came to the pit, to find that the boy was not there (Gen. xxxvii. 19-22, 29-30). Upon Jacob's refusal to allow Benjamin to go to Egypt with his brothers, Reuben offered two of his own four sons (ib. xlvi. 9; Ex. vi. 14) as a pledge, agreeing that they should be killed if he did not bring Benjamin back (Gen. xlii. 37).
E. C. J. Z. L.—In Rabbinical and Apocryphal Literature:
Reuben was born on the fourteenth day of the ninth month (Kislew) in the year 2122 after the Creation (Book of Jubilees, xxviii. 11; Midr. Tadshe viii., in Epstein, "Mi-Ḳadmoniyyot ha-Yebudim," p. xxii., Vienna, 1887). His name was interpreted to mean "behold the splendid son!" (
), since Leath referred to him with these words (Gen. R. lxxi. 4), although, according to another interpretation, she thus implied a distinction between her first-born and Esau, the eldest son of her father-in-law (Ber. 7b). The mandrakes which Reuben brought home at the time of the wheat harvest (see above) were Hefḳer; otherwise he would not have taken them (Sanh. 99b). He carried them to his mother without tasting them, because of his reverence for her (Gen. R. lxxii. 2). While some scholars interpreted the passage Gen. xxxv. 22 literally (Shab. 55b; Gen. R. xcviii. 7; comp. Test. Patr., Reuben, 3), others endeavored to explain away the wrong which Reuben committed against his father, by saying that he did not dishonor Bilhah, but that he merely espoused his mother's cause (Shab. 55b), since after Rachel's death Jacob sought to give the precedence to the handmaid Bilhah, as he had formerly preferred her mistress. Reuben, who would not countenance this, removed Bilhah's bed from the place where Jacob wished to have it (Gen. R. l.c.). In consequence of this sin Reuben lost both his birth-right and his claims to the priesthood and the crown, since the birthright would have given his children the prospect of becoming priests and kings (Gen. R. xcviii. 5, xcix. 6). He lamented his act, however, and showed contrition immediately. Thus he was the first penitent (Gen. R. lxxxii. 12, lxxxiv. 18); and in consideration of his remorse he became the ancestor of the prophet Hosea, who exhorted Israel to turn to the Lord (Hos. xiv. 2; Gen. R. lxxxiv. 18).
Reuben did penance in secret meditation, and he chastened himself by frequent abstinence from meat and wine (Test. Patr., Reuben, end; comp. Gen. R. l.c.). When, however, Judah confessed his sin and justified Tamar (Gen. xxxviii. 26), Reuben publicly acknowleged his own fault (Tan., Wayesheb, ed. Buber, p. 94b), lest his other brothers might be suspected (Soṭah 7b). In reward for this penitence and voluntary confession he was granted life in the future world.
The first cities of refuge were located in the territory of Reuben's descendants, since he had taken the first steps in saving Joseph by counseling his brothers not to kill him (Mak. 10a; Gen. R. l.c.). Reuben was not present when his brothers took Joseph out of the pit and sold him, because he had to serve his father on that day, and could not leave the house, of which he was obliged to take charge (Gen. R. lxxxiv. 14). When his work was finished, however, he hastened to the pasture, and was very angry when he did not find Joseph; for as the eldestsof the brothers he felt himself responsible for his safety (ib.). In Egypt Reuben was the patriarch of the brothers, this right of rulership being transferred after his death to Simon and then to Levi (Num. R. xiii. 10). He died at the age of 125 years (Midr. Tadshe l.c.; "Sefer fha-Yashar," section "Shemot," ed. princeps, p. 121a; Test. Patr., Reuben, 1, beginning), and his body was put into a coffin and given to his children, who carried it with them in the exodus from Egypt and interred it in Palestine ("Sefer ha-Yashar," l.c.; Test. Patr., Reuben, 7, end).
REUBEN.—The firstborn of Jacob by Leah, Gen 29:32 (J
The remarkable thing about Reuben is that he was of so little importance in the history of Israel, and yet in all the traditions he is represented as the firstborn. He, however, lost his birthright, the reason for which is apparently given by J
‘Reuben, thou wast my firstborn,
My strength, and the first of my virility;
Over-impetuous, exceedingly passionate,
Seething like water, thou shalt not excel;
For thou didst ascend thy father’s bed,
Then cursed I my couch thou didst ascend.’
[Reading the first part of the last line with Gunkel (p. 434) and the second part with LXX.
In the ‘Blessing of Moses’ (Deu 33:6) the curse has sealed his doom, and a pitiful remnant depleted in strength is all that remains:
‘Let Reuben live, and let him not die,
Yet, let his men be very few.’
The meaning of this alleged incest, stated in the language of tribal history, seems to be that the Reubenites committed some outrage upon the Bilhah clans, which was resented and punished by Israel, Dan, and Naphtali and perhaps other tribes. As Dan and Naphtali were settled together in the north, it is not improbable (and there are some indications of this) that at an earlier time they may have been neighbours in the south, and there have come into conflict with Reuben.
It is worth noticing in this connexion that two of the descendants of Reuben given in the genealogy of Reuben (Gen 46:9 etc.), viz. Hezron and Carmi, reappear as Judahites; Hezron as the grandson of Judah (Gen 46:12 etc.) and Carmi in Jos 7:1; Jos 7:18. Moreover, Shimei is a Reubenite 1Ch 5:4, a Simeonite 1Ch 4:27, and a Levite Exo 6:17. In Jos 15:6 P
P
Reuhen is linked with Gad (Num 32:1-42) in connexion with the conquest. The inviting pasturage of the East Jordan is said to have determined these pastoral tribes to settle on the east. Moses, however, requires of them that they shall first cross over and aid the other tribes in getting possession of their respective lots. When this was effected, we are told in Jos 22:7 ff. that Joshua sent them back with great riches of spoils to their tents (see Gad). Nothing is said, however, of the previous settlement of Judah; nor, indeed, are we told of that anywhere.
The territory of the tribe is said in Num 32:37-38 (P
Reuben is rebuked hi the Song of Deborah, because it did not participate in the war against Sisera, in words that reflect the pastoral occupation of its people. It is there followed by Gilead (Gad). In the Mesha inscription (9th cent.), though the ‘men of Gad’ are referred to as having dwelt in Ataroth ‘from of old,’ the name of Reuben is omitted, though some of the cities ascribed to the tribe in the genealogies are said to have been taken or rebuilt. As we have seen in the above reference to the Blessing of Moses (probably about the first half of the 8th cent.), the tribe was apparently reduced at that time to an inconsiderable remnant—‘men of number,’ i.e. so few that they might easily be counted. It is, however, still mentioned in 2Ki 10:32 as though it maintained its separate organization when Hazael of Damascus overran and smote the eastern Israelites. Its name appears more than one hundred years later, when Tiglath-pileser iii. deported the tribes to Assyria in 734 (1Ch 5:26). In all probability, however, it had long before ceased to exist as an independent unit (see Gad). See also Tribes.
James A. Craig.
(REUBEN.)A proper name which designates in the Bible: (1) a patriarch; (II) a tribe of Israel. I. THE PATRIARCHRuben, Jacob’s eldest son (Genesis 46:8; 49:3) by Lia, was born in Mesopotamia, and called Ruben ("see ye, a son") as an allusion to Lia’s distress because of Jacob’s previous dislike of her: "The Lord saw my affliction: now my husband will love me" (Genesis 29:32). Ruben was deprived of his birthright in punishment of an incest which he committed in Chanaan (Genesis 35:22; 49:4). It was at his suggestion that instead of killing Joseph, his brothers threw the latter into a pit, whence Ruben vainly hoped to rescue him (Genesis 37:18-24; 37:29-30; 42:22). When Jacob refused to allow Benjamin to go to Egypt with his brothers, Ruben offered two of his sons as a pledge that Benjamin would be brought back (Genesis 42:37). To these few biblical data concerning Jacob’s firstborn, numerous and worthless Haggadic details are added in rabbinical and apocryphal literature. II. THE TRIBE OF ISRAELSituated east of Jordan, and sharing with the tribe of Gad, the original territory of the Amorrhite king, Sehon, between the Arnon and the Jeboc and as far east as Jaser, the border of the Ammonites. The respective lot of Ruben and Gad cannot be given with perfect accuracy, although on the basis of Josue 13:15-23, Ruben’s territorial possessions are usually described as on the east of the Dead Sea and Jordan, between Gad on the north and Moab on the south. Among the prominent towns of the Rubenites were Baalmaon, Bethphogor, Cariathaim, Dibon, Hesebon, Jassa, Medaba, and Sabama. During the journey through the wilderness, the tribe of Ruben counted over 40,000 men (Numbers 1:21; 26:7) and marched with Gad and Simeon on the south side of Israel. To the same period are referred the rebellion of the Rubenite chiefs, Dathan and Abiron, against Moses, and its signal punishment (Numbers 16; Deuteronomy 11:6). After contributing to the conquest of Western Palestine and sharing in the various incidents connected with the erection of a great altar, the descendants of Ruben settled in a district favourable to pastoral pursuits (Numbers 32; Josue 22). Together with the Gadites, they held aloof from the war against Sisara (Judges 5), were smitten by Hazael (2 Kings 10:32-3), and carried into captivity by Teglathphalasar (734 B.C.). The Rubenites were pre-eminently a pastoral race, little fitted to resist invasion, and several of their cities fell into the hands of Moab long before the tribes east of Jordan were carried captive by the Assyrians (cf. Isaiah 15; MESA).-----------------------------------FRANCIS E. GIGOT Transcribed by Herman F. Holbrook Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Revelation 7.5 The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIIICopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
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
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 (Num 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 (Num 2:10 ff). The prince of the tribe was Elizur ben Shedeur, whose oblation is described in Num 7:30 ff. The Reubenite among the spies was Shammua ben Zaccur (Num 13:4). It is possible that the conspiracy against Moses, organized by the Reubenites Dathan and Abiram, with the assistance of Korah the Levite (Nu 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 (Num 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 (Deu 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 (Nu 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” (Jos 15:6; Jos 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 (Josh 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,
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 (Jdg 5:15 ff). 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 (Jdg 20:10; Jdg 21:5), and the reference in Jdg 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” (1Ch 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” (1Ch 5:19 ff). 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” (1Ch 12:37 f). Among David’s mighty men was Adina, “a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him” (1Ch 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” (1Ch 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 (1Ki 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 (2Ki 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” (1Ch 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 (1Ch 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 (Gen 48:5).
Ezekiel finds a place for Reuben in his picture of restored Israel (Eze 48:6). He appears also - in this case preceded by Judah only - in Rev 7:5.
See Tribes.
1) Son of Jacob (Israel). Ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel; 2) The tribe that bears his name.
As the eldest of Jacob’s twelve sons, Reuben had the right to the blessing of the firstborn (Gen 35:23; Gen 46:8). At times he showed qualities of character and leadership (Gen 37:21-30; Gen 42:22; Gen 42:37), but he lost the firstborn’s rights because of his immorality with one of his father’s concubines. As a result the civil leadership of Israel went to the tribe of Judah, the religious leadership to Levi, and the double portion of the inheritance to Joseph. This meant that Joseph received the right to have two tribes (which were descended from his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh) (Gen 35:22; Gen 49:3-4; 1Ch 5:1-2).
In the time of Moses, certain Reubenites were jealous that a man from the tribe of Levi (Moses), rather than one from the tribe of Reuben, was overall leader in Israel (Num 16:1-3; Num 16:12-14). God punished their rebellion in a dramatic judgment (Num 16:25-33).
When the Israelites conquered and divided Canaan in the time of Joshua, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan River in territory taken from the Amorites (Num 21:11-35; Jos 13:8-12). This entire eastern territory was often called Gilead, though strictly speaking Gilead was only one part of it (Jdg 10:8; Jdg 20:1). (For map and other details see GILEAD.) Reuben was the most southern of the eastern tribes, occupying land that originally belonged to Moab (that is, before Moab lost it to the Amorites) (Num 21:26; Jos 13:15-23). (For the physical features of the region see MOAB.)
The reason the two and a half tribes asked for this area was that it had good pasture lands and they had large flocks and herds (Num 32:1-5; Num 32:33). But their situation east of Jordan separated them from the other tribes, and at times led to tension and misunderstanding (Joshua 22; Jdg 5:16-17).
Further difficulties arose for the eastern tribes because their position left them more open to attack than the western tribes (1Ki 10:32-33). At the time of Israel’s collapse several hundred years later, the eastern tribes were among the first to be taken into captivity (2Ki 15:29).