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Person

Reuben

Mentioned in 70 verses across 9 books, first in Joshua 4:12. The verses below are the ones linked to this person (the Theographic dataset, with our sourced corrections).

In these stories

In the Bible

All 21 verses in Joshua, in Bible order. Text from the Berean Standard Bible; verse numbers follow the KJV.

Joshua

  • Joshua 4:12

    The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.

  • Joshua 13:15

    This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Reuben:

  • Joshua 13:23

    And the border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reubenites, including the cities and villages.

  • Joshua 15:6

    went up to Beth-hoglah, proceeded north of Beth-arabah, and went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

  • Joshua 18:7

    The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”

  • Joshua 18:17

    From there it curved northward and proceeded to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth facing the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

  • Joshua 20:8

    And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

  • Joshua 21:7

    And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

  • Joshua 21:36

    From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz,

  • Joshua 22:9

    So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses.

  • Joshua 22:10

    And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.

  • Joshua 22:11

    Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”

  • Joshua 22:13

    The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

  • Joshua 22:15

    They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them,

  • Joshua 22:21

    Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:

  • Joshua 22:25

    For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.

  • Joshua 22:30

    When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation—the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him—heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied.

  • Joshua 22:31

    Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”

  • Joshua 22:32

    Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead.

  • Joshua 22:33

    The Israelites were satisfied with the report, and they blessed God and spoke no more about going to war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived.

  • Joshua 22:34

    So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, for they said, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

Events

Events the dataset lists Reuben as taking part in. Dates follow its Ussher–Jones reckoning (one of several traditional counts), not established history.

  1. c. 1758 BC
    Birth of ReubenGenesis 29:32
  2. c. 1728 BC
    Joseph sold to EgyptGenesis 37:3–36 · at Egypt
  3. c. 1718 BC
    Joseph imprisonedGenesis 39:20–41:14 · at Egypt
  4. c. 1708 BC
    7 years of famineGenesis 41:54–43:34
  5. c. 1706 BC
    Joseph's brothers return to EgyptGenesis 43:1–45:28 · at Egypt

Dictionary

From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), as attached to this record by Theographic. The entry is for the name and can describe more than one person who bore it. Easton wrote in 1897, and some of his views are now debated.

Read Easton’s entry

Behold a son!, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29:32). His sinful conduct, referred to in Gen. 35:22, brought down upon him his dying father’s malediction (48:4). He showed kindness to Joseph, and was the means of saving his life when his other brothers would have put him to death (37:21, 22). It was he also who pledged his life and the life of his sons when Jacob was unwilling to let Benjamin go down into Egypt. After Jacob and his family went down into Egypt (46:8) no further mention is made of Reuben beyond what is recorded in ch. 49:3, 4.

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