Thematic Bible: The tribe of Reuben


Thematic Bible



In the days of Pekah, king of Israel, came Tiglathpileser, king of Assyria, and took Ijon, Abelbethmaachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali and carried them captive to Assyria.

Beerah, his son, whom Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, carried away captive. He was prince of the Reubenites.

And for this the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, and he carried away the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh and brought them unto Halah and Habor and Hara and to the River Gozan, unto this day.


And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, , who fell by their hand, and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.

The sons of Reuben and of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword and to shoot with bow and skillful in war were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, that went out to the war. And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur and Nephish and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand and all that were with them, for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them because they put their trust in him. read more.
And they took away their livestock; fifty thousand camels and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep and two thousand asses and one hundred thousand persons. For there fell down many slain because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.


Presiding, likewise, over the tribes of Israel: over the Reubenites was prince Eliezer, the son of Zichri; over the Simeonites, Shephatiah, the son of Maachah.

And his brethren, men of valour, were two thousand seven hundred chief fathers, whom King David made rulers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God and affairs of the king.


Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock, and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, it seemed unto them that the place was a place for livestock. And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke unto Moses and to Eleazar, the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, Ataroth and Dibon and Jazer and Nimrah and Heshbon and Elealeh and Shebam and Nebo and Beon, read more.
the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and thy slaves have livestock. Therefore, they said, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy slaves for a possession and do not make us pass the Jordan. And Moses said unto the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? Why do ye discourage the heart of the sons of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them? Thus did your fathers when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land. For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the sons of Israel that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them. And the LORD's anger was kindled the same time, and he swore, saying, Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they were not perfect in following me, except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua, the son of Nun, for they were perfect in following the LORD. And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was consumed. And, behold, ye are risen up in the place of your fathers, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel. For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave you in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people. Then they came near unto him and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones, but we ourselves will go arm ourselves and go with diligence before the sons of Israel until we have brought them unto their place, and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return unto our houses until the sons of Israel have inherited each man his inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan or forward because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of Jordan eastward. Then Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will prepare yourselves to go before the LORD to the war and will all pass the Jordan armed before the LORD until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward ye shall return and be guiltless before the LORD and before Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye shall have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will catch up with you. Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth. And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke unto Moses, saying, Thy slaves will do as my lord commands. Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our beasts, shall be there in the cities of Gilead; but thy slaves, each one armed for war, will pass before the LORD to battle, as our lord saith. So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar, the priest, and Joshua, the son of Nun, and the princes of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel. And Moses said unto them, If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben will pass the Jordan with you, each one armed to battle, before the LORD, after the land shall be subdued before you, then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD has said unto thy slaves, so will we do. We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance on this side of the Jordan shall be ours. Thus Moses gave unto the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben and unto half the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with its cities and borders, even the cities of the country round about.

And I commanded you at that time, saying, The LORD your God has given you this land to possess it; ye shall pass armed before your brethren, the sons of Israel, all that are valiant. Only your wives and your little ones and your livestock (for I know that ye have much livestock) shall abide in your cities which I have given you until the LORD has given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also inherit the land which the LORD your God has given them beyond the Jordan; then shall ye return each man unto his possession, which I have given you.


Unstable as water, thou shalt not be principal because thou didst go up to thy father's bed; then thou became defiled, going up to my couch.

Let Reuben live and not die, and let not his men be few.


And the sons of Pallu: Eliab. And the sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, who were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD.

Reuben, firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: Enoch, of whom was the family of the Enochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.


Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, of the sons of Reuben, took men;

And the sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, who were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD. And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men and they became an example.


And of the other side of the Jordan, of those of Reuben and those of Gad and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, one hundred and twenty thousand. All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel; and likewise, all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.


And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon, half the valley for a border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the sons of Ammon, the plain also and the Jordan and the border thereof from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdothpisgah eastward.


Adina, the son of Shiza, the Reubenite, head of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,


And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal to pronounce the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.


In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short, and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel, from the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, all the land of Gilead, of Gad, of Reuben, and of Manasses, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, to Gilead and to Bashan.


And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim and Nebo and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Shibmah and gave other names unto the cities which they built.


And when they came unto the borders of the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar there next to the Jordan, a great altar to look upon. And the sons of Israel heard it said, Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of the Jordan, at the passage of the sons of Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them. read more.
And the sons of Israel sent unto the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half tribe of Manasseh into the land of Gilead, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was the head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. And they came unto the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half tribe of Manasseh unto the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD in that ye have built an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD? Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, for which there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD? And ye turn away this day from following the LORD; and it will be, seeing ye rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. If the land of your possession seems unto you to be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, in which the LORD's tabernacle dwells and take possession among us; but do not rebel against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building yourselves an altar in addition to the altar of the LORD our God. Peradventure did Achan, the son of Zerah, not commit a trespass in the anathema, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity. Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knows and let Israel also know; if it is in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD (save us not this day) that we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD or if to offer thereon burnt offering or present or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it; likewise, if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, Peradventure tomorrow your children shall speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel? The LORD has put the Jordan for a border between us and you, O sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD, so shall your sons make our sons cease from fearing the LORD. Therefore we said, Let us now work to build us an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between us and you and our generations after us, to do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD. Therefore we said, that it shall be, if they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may reply, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between us and you. Let it never happen that we should rebel against the LORD or that we should turn today from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for presents, or for sacrifices, in addition to the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.


On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the sons of Reuben. His offering was one silver charger of the weight of one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a present; one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; read more.
one young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; one he goat as the sin; and for a sacrifice of peace: two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Elizur, the son of Shedeur.


And the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, by their generations, after their families, by the houses of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.


Also princes of Issachar were with Deborah; and Issachar, like Barak, went on foot into the valley. From the divisions of Reuben, great are the thoughts of the heart. Why didst thou abide among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? From the divisions of Reuben great are the searchings of the heart.


Then the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies, and over his host was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.


Then Joshua called the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the slave of the LORD commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. read more.
And now the LORD your God has given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them; therefore now return and go to your tents and unto the land of your possessions which Moses the slave of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. Only that with diligence ye keep yourselves doing the commandment and the law, which Moses, the slave of the LORD, charged you: to love the LORD your God and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cleave unto him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. So Joshua, blessing them, sent them; and they went unto their tents. Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given possession in Bashan; but unto the other half Joshua gave inheritance among their brethren on this side of the Jordan to the west. And Joshua also sent these to their tents, after having blessed them, And he spoke unto them, saying, Return with great riches unto your tents and with a great amount of cattle with silver, with gold, with brass, with iron, and with very much clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, departing from the sons of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, of which they were the possessors, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.


And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, Surely the LORD has looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.


And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua, the son of Zaccur.


These are the families of the Reubenites; and those numbered were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.


The standard of the camp of Reuben shall be towards the Negev, by their hosts and the prince of the sons of Reuben, Elizur, the son of Shedeur.


And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben, Elizur, the son of Shedeur;