Reuben

Technical Profile

• Name Meaning: Hebrew Reʾuven (“See, a son”), reflecting Leah’s naming in Genesis 29:32.
• Period/Era: Patriarchal Period
• Main References: Genesis 29:32; 35:22; 37:21–22, 29–30; 42:22, 37; 49:3–4; 1 Chronicles 5:1–2
• Key Connections: Son of Jacob and Leah; brother of Joseph; ancestor of the tribe of Reuben within Israel.

Who was Reuben?

Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob by Leah and the first named among Jacob’s sons.
He appears in narratives surrounding Joseph’s fate and in later family sayings about inheritance and status.
His actions affected his standing among his brothers and shaped how his lineage was remembered in Israel’s tribal genealogies.

Key Events & Achievements

• Event 1: Intervened when Joseph was attacked, urging that he be thrown into a pit rather than killed (Genesis 37:21–22).
• Event 2: Committed an offense involving Bilhah, his father’s concubine, recorded as a serious breach within the household (Genesis 35:22).
• Event 3: Received Jacob’s pronouncement that his firstborn status would not carry the expected preeminence (Genesis 49:3–4).

Life Lesson & Legacy

Reuben’s story shows how leadership status in a patriarchal household could be diminished by conduct and remembered through tribal history.

Key Verse

"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power." — Genesis 49:3, ESV