Reuben
“Behold, a son”
Summary
Reuben was Jacob's firstborn son by Leah, whose impetuous nature and grievous sin against his father cost him the birthright and left his tribe without distinction in Israel's history.
☩Character and Actions
Reuben was Jacob's firstborn, the son of Leah, whose name expresses joy at the accomplishment of long-deferred hope: 'Behold ye a son.' The notices of him in Genesis give a favorable view of his disposition on the whole. To him alone the preservation of Joseph's life appears due—he persuaded his brothers not to kill Joseph but to cast him into a pit, secretly intending to rescue him. His anguish at Joseph's disappearance, his recollection of the painful scene years later, and his offer to stake his own sons' lives for Benjamin's safety all testify to a warm and kindly nature. Yet his sin with Bilhah, his father's concubine, was a grievous offense that forfeited his birthright. Jacob's dying words characterized him as 'unstable as water,' boiling up like a vessel over a rapid fire and quickly subsiding.
☩The Tribe of Reuben
At the Exodus, Reuben's tribe numbered 46,500 men fit for war, but by the borders of Canaan had fallen to 43,730. The Reubenites maintained their forefathers' pastoral calling and requested territory east of the Jordan, in the well-watered region of the 'Mishor' (modern Belka), valued by Arab sheep-masters to this day. They faithfully kept their promise to Moses, crossing Jordan to help conquer Canaan, then returning to their allotment. However, their geographical isolation led to religious decline; they eventually went after foreign gods and were among the first carried into captivity by Assyria.
☩Prophetic Assessment
Jacob's dying blessing on Reuben acknowledged his position as firstborn—'my might, the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and power'—but declared, 'Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.' The chieftainship went to Judah, the double portion to Joseph. Moses' blessing was briefer: 'Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few,' implying a warning and deprecation of deserved evils. True to prophecy, no judge, prophet, or hero arose from Reuben; they preferred their flocks to the struggle for national independence, having 'great thoughts of heart' but remaining by their sheepfolds.
Related Verses71 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Reuben," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Reuben," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Reuben," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Reuben," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).