Parallel Verses

Youngs Literal Translation

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

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.

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].

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.

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 'Be assembled, and hear, sons of Jacob, And hearken unto Israel your father. 3 Reuben! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength; 4 Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!

Cross References

Deuteronomy 21:17

But the first-born, son of the hated one, he doth acknowledge, to give to him a double portion of all that is found with him, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him is the right of the first-born.

Genesis 29:32

and Leah conceiveth, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Reuben, for she said, 'Because Jehovah hath looked on mine affliction; because now doth my husband love me.'

Psalm 78:51

And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

Psalm 105:36

And He smiteth every first-born in their land, The first-fruit of all their strength,

Genesis 46:8

And these are the names of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt: Jacob and his sons, Jacob's first-born, Reuben.

Genesis 48:18

and Joseph saith unto his father, 'Not so, my father, for this is the first-born; set thy right hand on his head.'

Numbers 1:20

And the sons of Reuben, Israel's first-born -- their births, by their families, by the house of their fathers, in the number of names, by their polls, every male from a son of twenty years and upward, every one going out to the host --

Numbers 26:5

Reuben, first-born of Israel -- sons of Reuben: of Hanoch is the family of the Hanochite; of Pallu the family of the Palluite;

1 Chronicles 2:1

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

1 Chronicles 5:1

As to sons of Reuben, first-born of Israel -- for he is the first-born, and on account of his profaning the couch of his father hath his birthright been given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, and he is not to be reckoned by genealogy for the birthright,

1 Chronicles 5:3

Sons of Reuben, first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and 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