Reuben in the Bible

Story, name meaning and life lessons

In brief

Reuben is the oldest son of Jacob and the first child of Leah, whom the Lord saw humiliated because she was not loved. He is the firstborn of Israel, but he loses his preeminence because of a grave sin against his father. He tries to save Joseph when his brothers want to kill him, and later he pledges himself for Benjamin. Jacob recalls his sin in his final blessing. Reuben is the ancestor of the tribe of Reuben.

What does the name Reuben mean?

The name Reuben is generally linked to the Hebrew expression “see, a son.” The Bible gives an explanation: Leah says that the Lord has seen her affliction and that her husband will now love her (Genesis 29:32).

The world of Reuben

Reuben is born in Paddan Aram, by the usual reckoning in the second millennium BC, in the house of Laban, where Jacob has come to find refuge and a wife. Jacob had served seven years to obtain Rachel, but Laban gave him Leah, the elder, and he had to serve seven more years to marry Rachel as well (Genesis 29:18-30). Jacob's house becomes a place of rivalry: Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah, Leah bears children, Rachel remains childless for a long time, and the two sisters give their servants to their husband (Genesis 30). Reuben is the first fruit of this story, and his name carries Leah's longing to be recognized. In the world of the Bible, the firstborn holds a particular place in the family, which the text calls the birthright. That place is at the heart of Reuben's story, for he will lose it. Later, Jacob's family returns to Canaan and settles in the region of Hebron, and the brothers' jealousy toward Joseph leads to his being sold into Egypt. When the famine comes, the brothers go down to find grain and find themselves before Joseph without knowing it. To understand Reuben, keep in mind this divided family, where each brother is tested by his choices.

The story of Reuben

  1. Leah's firstborn

    Genesis 29:31-35

    Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Yahweh sees that Leah is hated, and he opens her womb, while Rachel is barren. Leah conceives and bears a son whom she names Reuben, for she says: “Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” Simeon, Levi and then Judah follow, and of Judah she says: “This time I will praise Yahweh.” Reuben thus opens the series of Leah's sons. He is Jacob's firstborn and carries, from his birth, the hope of a mother who longs to be loved.

  2. Reuben's mandrakes

    Genesis 30:14-18

    In the days of wheat harvest, Reuben goes out into the fields and finds mandrakes. He brings them to Leah, his mother. Rachel, who has no child, asks Leah for some of these mandrakes. Leah answers her: “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes, also?” Rachel then proposes that Jacob lie with Leah that night in exchange for the mandrakes. God listens to Leah, who bears Issachar. The text reports no word from Reuben, but it shows him attentive to his mother, and caught up, without having sought it, in the rivalry that divides the house.

  3. A serious fault

    Genesis 35:22-23

    While Israel lives in that land, Reuben goes and lies with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel hears of it. The text is brief and reports no dialogue and no immediate reaction from Jacob. It immediately recalls that the sons of Jacob were twelve, and that Reuben was the firstborn. This act touches the honor of his father and the order of the family. It will have lasting consequences for Reuben's place among his brothers, as Jacob's blessing at the end of his life will show.

  4. Reuben prevents the murder of Joseph

    Genesis 37:18-24

    The brothers see Joseph coming from afar and conspire to kill him. They say: “Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits.” Reuben hears it and delivers him out of their hand. He says: “Let’s not take his life.” He proposes to throw Joseph into a pit in the wilderness, without laying a hand on him. The text states his purpose: he meant to deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. The brothers strip Joseph of his tunic and throw him into the pit, which is empty: there is no water in it.

  5. The empty pit

    Genesis 37:25-36

    The brothers sit down to eat and see a caravan of Ishmaelites coming, with camels bearing spices, balm and myrrh, going down to Egypt. Judah proposes to sell Joseph rather than kill him, and his brothers listen to him. Joseph is drawn up out of the pit and sold for twenty pieces of silver. Reuben returns to the pit, and Joseph is no longer there. He tears his clothes, goes back to his brothers and says: “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?” The text does not say where he was in the meantime. The brothers dip the tunic in the blood of a goat and bring it to Jacob, who mourns for many days.

  6. The reminder in Egypt

    Genesis 42:21-24

    Before Joseph, whom they do not recognize, the brothers are put in custody for three days, then released, except for one of them. They say to one another: “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen.” Reuben speaks up: “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.” They do not know that Joseph understands, for there is an interpreter between them. Joseph turns away to weep, then has Simeon bound before their eyes.

  7. He pledges himself for Benjamin

    Genesis 42:35-38

    Back in Canaan, the brothers empty their sacks and each finds his bundle of money. They are afraid, they and their father. Jacob complains that everything falls on him. Reuben then speaks to him and offers a pledge: “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.” Jacob refuses: his son shall not go down, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. He fears that harm may come to him on the way. Reuben's offer is not accepted, and it is Judah who will later obtain his father's consent.

  8. Reuben goes down to Egypt

    Genesis 46:1-9

    When Jacob learns that Joseph is alive, he sets out for Egypt. At Beersheba, God speaks to him in a vision: “Don’t be afraid to go down into Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation.” The text lists the sons of Israel who come into Egypt and opens the list with Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. It names his four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. Reuben thus appears in his place as the eldest in the list: the order of birth remains written in the text, even though Jacob will soon say that he will not excel.

  9. What Jacob says to Reuben before dying

    Genesis 49:3-4; 1 Chronicles 5:1-2

    When Jacob blesses his sons, he begins with Reuben: “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.” Then he pronounces a verdict: “Boiling over like water, you shall not excel.” The reason is given: Reuben went up to his father's bed. The book of Chronicles returns to this episode. It explains that Reuben's birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, that Judah prevailed above his brothers, and that a prince came from him. Reuben thus remains the firstborn by birth, but he loses the first place.

Reuben's family

father
Jacob Genesis 29:32
mother
Leah Genesis 29:32
brother
Simeon Genesis 29:33
brother
Levi Genesis 29:34
brother
Judah Genesis 29:35
half-brother
Joseph Genesis 30:24
half-brother
Benjamin Genesis 35:18
sister
Dinah Genesis 30:21
son
Hanoch Genesis 46:9
son
Pallu Genesis 46:9
son
Hezron Genesis 46:9
son
Carmi Genesis 46:9

What Reuben teaches us

  • God sees the humiliation of those who feel unloved, like Leah, and Reuben's birth bears the mark of it.
  • A serious sin leaves lasting consequences, and Reuben loses the firstborn's preeminence because of his sin against his father.
  • Good intentions are not enough: Reuben wanted to save Joseph, but he did not openly stand against his brothers.
  • Conscience eventually speaks, and repentance begins when we name our sin, as the brothers do in Egypt.

Key verses

Genesis 29:32

Leah names her son Reuben, saying that the Lord has seen her affliction. The verse shows a God who pays attention to the suffering of the one who is neglected.

Genesis 37:21-22

Reuben stops Joseph from being killed and proposes throwing him into a pit. The text specifies that he intended to rescue him and return him to his father.

Genesis 49:3-4

Jacob recalls Reuben's place as firstborn, then announces that he will not have preeminence. The text ties this verdict to his sin, without denying what he was in the family.

Bible verses to meditate on

Sermons about Reuben

Frequently asked questions

Why did Reuben lose his birthright?

The Bible reports that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine (Genesis 35:22). In his blessing, Jacob tells him that he will not have preeminence, because he went up to his father's bed (Genesis 49:3-4).

What does the name Reuben mean?

The name Reuben is generally linked to the Hebrew expression “see, a son.” The Bible specifies that Leah named him this way, saying that the Lord had seen her affliction and that her husband would now love her (Genesis 29:32).

Where can I find the story of Reuben in the Bible?

His birth is told in Genesis 29:32. His sin appears in Genesis 35:22, his role with Joseph in Genesis 37, his intervention in Egypt in Genesis 42, and Jacob's blessing in Genesis 49:3-4.

Who received the birthright in place of Reuben?

The first book of Chronicles answers: because Reuben defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel (1 Chronicles 5:1). Joseph was nevertheless not recorded in the genealogies as the firstborn. The text adds that Judah prevailed above his brothers and that the prince came from him, but that the birthright was Joseph's (5:2). Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, are counted as two tribes of Israel. In Jacob's blessing, Judah also receives the praise of his brothers and the scepter (Genesis 49:8-10). The first place is therefore shared between Joseph and Judah.

Did Reuben take part in the sale of Joseph?

No, according to the account. Reuben proposed not to kill Joseph, with the purpose of restoring him to his father (Genesis 37:21-22). It is Judah who then suggests selling him to the Ishmaelites, and his brothers listen to him (37:26-27). Joseph is drawn out of the pit when Midianite merchants pass by, and is sold for twenty pieces of silver (37:28). Reuben afterward returns to the pit and finds it empty (37:29). The text does not say where he was, and it does not say that he agreed to the sale. In Egypt, Reuben reminds his brothers that he had warned them not to sin against the child (42:22).

Why did Reuben offer the lives of his two sons to his father?

Jacob refuses to send Benjamin to Egypt, for fear of losing this son too. Reuben tries to reassure him: “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you” (Genesis 42:37). He thus puts at stake what is most precious to him to guarantee his word. The text does not say which of his sons he has in mind, and it names four of them later on (46:9). Jacob does not take up this offer. It is Judah who later obtains his father's consent by pledging himself personally (43:8-9). Each of the two brothers shows, in his own way, a new sense of responsibility.

What became of Reuben's descendants?

Moses blesses the tribe before his death: “Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few” (Deuteronomy 33:6). The first book of Chronicles specifies that the Reubenites lived east of the Jordan, from Aroer to Nebo and Baal Meon, with large herds in Gilead (1 Chronicles 5:8-9). With the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they had valiant men, and in a battle they cried out to God, who answered them because they trusted in him (5:18-20). But they later sinned against the God of their fathers, and Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria carried them away captive (5:25-26).

Did Reuben repent of his fault?

The text reports no word of repentance from Reuben concerning Genesis 35:22. It shows, however, a man who tries to save Joseph (37:21-22), who reproaches his brothers for their crime (42:22) and who offers his sons as a pledge for Benjamin (42:37). Jacob reminds him of his fault in the blessing (49:4), and Chronicles specify its consequences (1 Chronicles 5:1). Yet Reuben is not rejected from the people of God: his tribe receives an inheritance and a blessing (Deuteronomy 33:6). The Bible thus shows that sin leaves consequences, without erasing the place that a man keeps in the people of God.

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