Reuben
Pronunciation
R??uven
Born
1569 BCE
Paddan Aram
Died
1445 BCE or 1444 BCE (aged 125)
Resting place
Tomb of Reuben, Israel
31°55'46?N 34°44'02?E
Children
· Hanok (son)
· Pallu (son)
· Hezron (son)
· Karmi (son)
Parents
· Jacob (father)
· Leah (mother)
Relatives
Simeon (brother)
Levi (brother)
Judah (brother)
Dan (half brother)
Naphtali (half brother)
Gad (half brother)
Asher (half brother)
Issachar (brother)
Zebulun (brother)
Dinah (sister)
Joseph (half brother)
Benjamin (half brother)
Rachel (aunt/stepmother)
Reuben was the first of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's oldest son), according to the Book of Genesis. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Reuben.
Etymology[1]
The text of the Torah gives two different etymologies[1] for the name of Reuben, which textual scholars attribute to different sources: one to the Yahwist[3] and the other to the Elohist; the first explanation given by the Torah is that the name refers to God having witnessed Leah's misery, regarding her status as the less-favorite of Jacob's wives, implying that the etymology of Reuben derives from raa beonyi, meaning he has seen my misery; the second explanation is that the name refers to Leah's hope that Reuben's birth will make Jacob love her, implying a derivation from yeehabani, meaning he will love me.
In the Torah, Reuben is briefly described as having had sexual activity with Bilhah, his stepmother's maid, and father's concubine. On his deathbed, Jacob declares that Reuben "will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it." Reuben's behavior angered Jacob to the extent that he gave Reuben's birthright (as firstborn) to Joseph: a comment within 1 Chronicle 5:1 makes the same point. Classical rabbinical sources argue that the birthright had included the right of his descendants (the tribe of Reuben) to become rulers over the tribes (transferred to Judah) and priests (transferred to Levi). However, some of these sources argue that Reuben had not had sexual activity with Bilhah but instead had supported the cause of his mother Leah by harming Bilhah, angering Jacob; in these sources, it is argued that after the death of Rachel (Jacob's favorite wife), Jacob sought to give the preference to Bilhah, as he had formerly preferred her as his mistress. Reuben removed Bilhah's bed from where Jacob wished to have it. The classical rabbinical texts argue that Reuben immediately showed remorse for his actions regarding Bilhah and thus was the first penitent; initially, according to these sources, Reuben practiced penitence by secretly meditating and also by abstaining from meat and wine, but when Judah confessed to the matter of Tamar, Reuben admitted what he had done, lest his other brothers might be suspected of his deed and punished for it. The classical sources state that in honor of this voluntary penance and confession, God gave the tribe of Reuben Hosea as a member, and Reuben was given a reward in the future world.
Although part of the plot against Joseph, Reuben persuades the others not to kill Joseph, tries to rescue him, and later concludes that the trouble the brothers run into in Egypt was divine punishment for the plot. In classical rabbinical literature, Reuben is described as being motivated by a sense of responsibility for his brothers (since he was the eldest) and as having become angry when he discovers that Joseph had gone missing as a result of his brothers selling him to Ishmaelites (textual scholars attribute this version of the narrative to the Yahwist) or Joseph being found and taken by Midianites (textual scholars attribute this version of the narrative to the Elohist). The rabbinical sources argue that the first cities of refuge were located in the territory of the tribe of Reuben since Reuben (the individual) had tried to save Joseph from the mob of his brothers. Classical rabbinical sources argue that Reuben was born on 14 Kislev and died at 125. The midrashic Book of Jasher argues that when he died, Reuben's body was placed in a coffin and was later taken back to Israel, where it was buried.
Reuben's family
According to Genesis 46:9, Reuben had four sons: Hanoch, Phallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The name(s) of his wife/wives are not given. According to Joshua 15:6, a stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben, marked a point along the boundary of the land allocated to the tribe of Judah. According to the Book of Jasher, Chapter 45, Reuben's wife was Eliuram, the daughter of Ewi the Canaanite (of Timnah).
Tomb
Reuben's tomb in the ruins of the ancient Arab village of Nabi Rubin is NOW IN THE PALMACHIM NATIONAL PARK, ISRAEL
There is a tradition that Reuben was buried at a shrine in the former village of Nabi Rubin; the site was a place of pilgrimage and an annual festival before the 1948 establishment of the State of Israel. The ruins of the shrine containing the Tomb of Reuben and those of an adjacent mosque, nowadays abandoned, are today part of the Palmachim National Park in Israel.
INFORMATION REGARDING REUBEN
Reuben started strong and had some moments of honor, but he made unwise decisions that negatively impacted the ongoing trajectory of his tribe.
1. REUBEN IN THE BIBLE: THE LOST TRIBE & LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
Reuben, the first of Jacob's offspring, was said to be as "turbulent as the waters" Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruits of my strength.
Reuben or Reuven was the first of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's oldest son), according to the Book of Genesis. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Reuben.
Reuben [Reo¯o¯'ben]— behold a son or vision of the son. The firstborn of Jacob by Leah and founder of a tribal family (Gen. 29:32; 30:14). In Jacob's dying blessing (Gen. 49:3, 4) are circumstances concerning Reuben that seem to summarize his tragic story; The privileges that should have been his. The Man of Forfeited Privileges.
2. REUBEN | THE AMAZING NAME REUBEN.
The name is Reuben: Summary, which means Behold A Son, Son Of Vision. Etymology From (1) the verb ( ra'a ), to see or understand, and (2) the noun ( ben ), son. He was named Reuben by his mother Leah, which means Lord has seen my misery; surely my husband will love me now. Genesis 29:32.
3. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE TRIBE OF REUBEN?
Reuben, the firstborn of the twelve sons, was to Jacob his "might, the first sign of my strength" (Genesis 49:3), indicating that to him were all the rights and prerogatives of a firstborn son. At first, he excelled in honor and power.
4. DIGNITY
"They [Joseph's brothers] would have executed their purpose but for Reuben. He shrank from participating in the murder of his brother and proposed that Joseph be cast alive into a pit and left there to perish, secretly intending to rescue him and return him to his father. Having persuaded all to consent to this plan, Reuben left the company, fearing that he might fail to control his feelings and that his real intentions would be discovered."
"[After the other brothers had sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites], Reuben returned to the pit, but Joseph was not there. In alarm and self-reproach, he rent his garments and sought his brothers, exclaiming, 'The child is not; and I, whither shall I go' (Genesis 37:30)?"
5. THE PERMEATING STAIN OF SIN
What particular sin adversely affected the entire course of Reuben's life? Genesis 35:22, first part; 49:4. What did he forfeit as a consequence of this sin? I Chronicles 5:1.
Note: "[Genesis 49:3 quoted.] Thus the father pictured what should have been the position of Reuben as the firstborn son, but his grievous sin at Edar had made him unworthy of the birthright blessing.
"The priesthood was apportioned to Levi, the kingdom and the Messianic promise to Judah, and the double portion of the inheritance to Joseph."
6. WEAKNESS IN THE PROGENY (offspring, children)
How does God visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children "unto the third and fourth generation"? Exodus 20:5, 34:7.
Note: "As a rule, children inherit the dispositions and tendencies of their parents, and imitate their example; so that the children practice the sins of the parents from generation to generation." "Every sinful gratification tends to numb (dull) the faculties and deaden the mental and spiritual perceptions, and the word or the Spirit of God can make but a feeble impression upon the heart."
Note: "Through temptations addressed to the appetite, he [Satan] has, to a large extent, led men into sin from the time when he induced Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. By this same means, he led Israel to murmur against God. Intemperance in eating and drinking, leading as it does to the indulgence of the lower passions, prepares the way for men to disregard all moral obligations. When assailed by temptation, they have little power of resistance."
7. "Children generally have transmitted to them as a legacy, the appetite and passions of their parents, intensified." "It was by the indulgence of appetite that our first parents sinned and fell. Christ redeemed man's failure. In the wilderness of temptation, he endured the test that man had failed to bear. While he was suffering the keenest pangs of hunger, weak and emaciated from fasting, Satan was at hand with his manifold temptations to assail the Son of God, take advantage of his weakness and overcome him, and thus thwart the plan of salvation. However, Christ was steadfast. He overcame on behalf of the race that he might rescue them from the degradation of the fall. He showed that we can overcome in his strength."
8. THE SECRET OF VICTORY
Despite the weak, unstable tendencies of the tribe of Reuben, what prophecies did Moses and John the Revelator utter both on behalf of his descendants and those believers who, by nature, bear similar character traits? Deuteronomy 33:6; Revelation 7:5, middle part. What change is within our reach?
Note: "Some who engage in missionary service are weak, nerveless, spiritless, easily discouraged. They lack push. They have not those positive traits of character that give the power to do something—the spirit and energy that kindle enthusiasm. Those who would win success must be courageous and hopeful. They should cultivate not only the passive but the active virtues. While they are to give the soft answer that turns away wrath, they must possess the courage of a hero to resist evil. With the charity that endures all things, they need the force of character that will make their influence a positive power.
"Some have no firmness of character. Their plans and purposes have no definite form and consistency. They are of but little practical use in the world. This weakness, indecision, and inefficiency should be overcome."
General Notes:
[1] Etymology: the history of a linguistic form (such as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates[2] in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates[2] to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language
[2] Cognates: of the same or similar nature : generically alike; the cognate fields of film and theater
[3] Yahwist: the author of the Yahwistic or J passages of the Old Testament which refer to God as Yahweh and which are believed to have emanated from Judah, the southern kingdom of the ancient Israelites. Also, a worshiper of Yahweh.
[4] Elohist: According to the documentary hypothesis, the Elohist (or simply E) is one of four source documents underlying the Torah, together with the Jahwist (or Yahwist), the Deuteronomist and the Priestly source. The Elohist is so named because of its pervasive use of the word Elohim to refer to the Israelite God.
