Parallel Verses

Amplified


“Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might, the beginning of my strength and vigor,
Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power [that should have been your birthright].

New American Standard Bible

“Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might and the beginning of my strength,
Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

King James Version

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

Holman Bible

Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my strength and the firstfruits of my virility,
excelling in prominence, excelling in power.

International Standard Version

"Reuben, you're my firstborn, my strength, and the first fruit of my vitality. You excel in rank and excel in power.

A Conservative Version

Reuben, thou are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

American Standard Version

Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

Bible in Basic English

Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:

Darby Translation

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.

Julia Smith Translation

Reuben, my first-born, thou my strength, and the beginning of my strength, the abundance of elevation, and the abundance of might

King James 2000

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

Lexham Expanded Bible

Reuben, you [are] my firstborn, my strength, and the firstfruit of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power.

Modern King James verseion

Reuben, you are my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

"Reuben, thou art mine eldest son, my might and the beginning of my strength, chief in receiving and chief in power.

NET Bible

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.

New Heart English Bible

"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

The Emphasized Bible

Reuben, my first-born, thou, My vigour, and the first-fruit of my strength, - Pre-eminence of elevation and pre-eminence of power:

Webster

Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellence of dignity, and the excellence of power:

World English Bible

"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

Youngs Literal Translation

Reuben! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength;

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
ראוּבן 
R@'uwben 
Usage: 72

thou art my firstborn
בּכור 
B@kowr 
Usage: 117

my might
כּוח כּח 
Koach 
Usage: 126

and the beginning
ראשׁית 
Re'shiyth 
Usage: 51

of my strength
און 
'own 
Usage: 12

of dignity
שׂאת 
S@'eth 
Usage: 14

Context Readings

Jacob Blesses His Twelve Sons

2
“Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob;
And listen to Israel (Jacob) your father.
3 
“Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might, the beginning of my strength and vigor,
Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power [that should have been your birthright].
4
“But unstable and reckless and boiling over like water [in sinful lust], you shall not excel or have the preeminence [of the firstborn],
Because you went up to your father’s bed [with Bilhah];
You defiled it—he went up to my couch.


Cross References

Deuteronomy 21:17

Instead he shall acknowledge the son of the unloved as the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he was the beginning of his strength (generative power); to him belongs the right of the firstborn.

Genesis 29:32

Leah conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Reuben (See, a son!), for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my humiliation and suffering; now my husband will love me [since I have given him a son].”

Psalm 78:51


He killed all the firstborn in Egypt,
The first and best of their strength in the tents [of the land of the sons] of Ham.

Psalm 105:36


He also struck down all the firstborn in their land,
The first fruits and chief substance of all their strength.

Genesis 46:8

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

Genesis 48:18

Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on Manasseh’s head.”

Numbers 1:20

The sons of Reuben, Israel’s (Jacob’s) firstborn, their generations, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, 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:

Numbers 26:5

Reuben, the firstborn of Israel (Jacob), the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

1 Chronicles 2:1

These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

1 Chronicles 5:1

Now [we come to] the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—for Reuben was the eldest, but because he defiled his father’s bed [with Bilhah his father’s concubine], his birthright was given to [Manasseh and Ephraim] the sons of Joseph [the favorite] son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.

1 Chronicles 5:3

the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain