In the Bible, Reuben means “behold, a son,” derived from the Hebrew words “ra” (to see) and “ben” (son). He was the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, and his descendants formed one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Scripture
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”
33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.
34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.
35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.
Meaning of Reuben in the Bible
The name Reuben, meaning “behold, a son,” establishes a significant identity within the biblical narrative, reflecting both the expectations and complexities of birthright in the ancient context. As the firstborn of Jacob and Leah (Genesis 29:32), Reuben’s arrival was a moment of considerable hope for Leah, who felt unloved compared to her sister Rachel. Reuben’s name encapsulates her longing and desire for acknowledgment from Jacob, highlighting the deep emotional and social dynamics that govern familial relationships. Additionally, in Genesis 49:3-4, Jacob pronounces a blessing on Reuben, acknowledging his strength and potential but simultaneously cursing his impulsive nature, which cost him the fulfillment of his birthright.
The broader meaning of Reuben extends beyond individual narrative to encapsulate the notion of responsibility and leadership expected of firstborn sons within the Israelite tradition. This theme echoes throughout the history of the tribes of Israel, where Reuben’s lineage, while significant, ultimately loses its preeminence due to Reuben’s moral failings, such as the incident involving Bilhah (Genesis 35:22). Thus, Reuben’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the weight of inheritance, the impact of personal choices, and the complex interplay between identity, expectation, and divine purpose within the broader story of Israel, as detailed in scripture. Through Reuben, we see the simultaneous promise and peril of leadership, encapsulating how one’s actions can determine historical legacy and spiritual destiny.
Reuben’s role in the biblical narrative is further illuminated by the perspective of the tribes of Israel as they journey through their history. Despite being the firstborn, Reuben’s eventual loss of status reflects the delicate balance of divine favor and human frailty. This tension is particularly evident in the context of the Israelite community’s formation and their quest for identity in a land fraught with challenges. The tribe of Reuben, while part of the larger coalition of Israelite tribes, often finds itself in a subordinate position, illustrating the consequences of Reuben’s earlier indiscretions and the psychological weight carried by descendants who inherit both promise and disgrace.
Furthermore, the narrative of Reuben serves as a thematic vehicle for exploring themes of redemption and repentant leadership. While his actions led to a decline in his standing among his brothers, Reuben later exhibits a desire for redemption, as seen during the critical moments in the story of Joseph. His attempts to ensure the safety of his younger brother Benjamin express a glimpse of the compassion and protective instincts that reside within him, serving as a counterpoint to the impulsive choices of his youth. Thus, through his complex lineage and actions, Reuben embodies the intricate tapestry of divine mercy, historical consequence, and the possibility of redemption within the life of Israel, a motif that resonates throughout the biblical canon.
The Significance of Reuben as the Firstborn
Reuben, as the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, carries the weight of primogeniture, which in biblical times signified a special status and responsibility. The firstborn was traditionally entitled to a double portion of the inheritance and was expected to lead the family. Reuben’s position highlights themes of leadership, responsibility, and the expectations placed upon him, which resonate throughout the narrative of the Israelite tribes.
The Symbolism of Reuben’s Name
The name “Reuben” translates to “behold, a son,” reflecting Leah’s hope and joy in bearing a child. This name symbolizes the deep emotional and spiritual significance of motherhood and the desire for recognition and love. Reuben’s name serves as a reminder of the struggles and aspirations of women in the biblical narrative, particularly in the context of familial relationships and societal expectations.
The Consequences of Reuben’s Actions
Reuben’s actions, particularly his involvement in the incident with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, illustrate the complexities of human behavior and the consequences of moral failings. His actions led to a loss of status and blessing within the family, serving as a cautionary tale about the importance of integrity and the repercussions of one’s choices. This aspect of Reuben’s story emphasizes themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the enduring impact of one’s legacy.
How to Embrace Your Role as a Faithful Christian
Embracing your role as a faithful Christian is a beautiful journey that begins with a sincere desire to deepen your relationship with God. Start by immersing yourself in Scripture, allowing the Word to guide your thoughts and actions; it’s in the pages of the Bible that we find the heart of God and the teachings of Jesus that inspire us to love and serve others. Prayer is your lifeline—make it a daily practice to communicate with God, sharing your joys, struggles, and seeking His guidance. Surround yourself with a community of believers who can encourage and challenge you in your faith; remember, we are called to bear one another’s burdens. Finally, look for opportunities to serve, whether through your church, local charities, or simply by being a kind neighbor. Each act of love and service is a reflection of Christ’s love for us, and in doing so, you’ll find that your faith not only grows but also becomes a beacon of hope for those around you.
Bible References to the Meaning of Reuben:
Genesis 35:22-26: 22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it.
23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant: Gad and Asher.
Genesis 37:18-30: 18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.
19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.
20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”
22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.
24 Then they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened to him.
28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes
30 Then he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”
Genesis 42:21-24: 21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”
22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”
23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.
24 He turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
Genesis 46:8-9: 8 Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
Genesis 49:3-4: 3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, and the firstfruits of my strength,
preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
because you went up to your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!
Exodus 1:1-2: 1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Numbers 1:20-21: 20 The people of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
21 those listed of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
Numbers 2:10-16: 10 “On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur,
11 and his army as listed were 46,500.
12 Those listed of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
13 and his army as listed were 59,300.
14 Then the tribe of Gad, the people of Gad, by their fathers’ houses, and the number of their men of war, who could draw the sword, was 45,650.
15 “The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.”
16 All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450.
Numbers 7:30-35: 30 one male goat for a sin offering;
31 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
32 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
33 and one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering
34 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a peace offering, were brought by Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
35 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
Numbers 16:1-2: 1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.
Numbers 26:5-11: 5 Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites;
6 Of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites.
7 These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43,730.
8 And the sons of Pallu: Eliab.
9 The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord,
10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning.
11 But the sons of Korah did not die.
Deuteronomy 33:6: 6 “Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few.”
Joshua 13:15-23: 15 Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans.
16 So their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba;
17 Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon,
18 but to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.
19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley,
20 and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth,
21 all the cities of the tableland and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.
22 Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain.
23 And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.
Judges 5:15-16: 15 the princes of Issachar came with Deborah, and Issachar faithful to Barak; into the valley they rushed at his heels.
16 “Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.”
1 Chronicles 2:1-2: 1 These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
2 Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
1 Chronicles 5:1-10: 2 Joel, Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
2 Joel, Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
3 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son;
4 The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 They were recorded by genealogy in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
6 Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chief of the Reubenites.
7 and his kinsmen by their clans, when the genealogy of their generations was recorded: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 and Bela the son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon.
9 In the east they settled as far as the entrance of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their livestock had multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10 In the days of Saul they waged war against the Hagrites, who fell into their hand. And they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead.
1 Chronicles 12:37-38: 37 From the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle, 120,000.
38 All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king.
Ezekiel 48:6-7: 6 “And alongside the portion set apart as the holy district, you shall assign for the property of the city an area five thousand cubits broad and twenty-five thousand cubits long. It shall belong to the whole house of Israel.
7 And alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an allotment 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole length shall be 25,000 cubits and the breadth 20,000.
Reverend Ogunlade is a seasoned Church Minister with over three decades of experience in guiding and nurturing congregations. With profound wisdom and a serene approach, Reverend Ogunlade has carried out various pastoral duties, including delivering uplifting sermons, conducting religious ceremonies, and offering sage counsel to individuals seeking spiritual guidance. Their commitment to fostering harmony and righteousness within their community is exemplified through their compassionate nature, making them a beloved and trusted figure among the congregation.