Thematic Bible: The tribe of Reuben


Thematic Bible



In the days of Pekah king of Israel Tiglathpileser king of Assyria captured Ijon and Abelbethmaacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee and all the land of Naphtali. He took the people captive to Assyria.

and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.


During Saul's reign they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead.

The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty men ready for military service, able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. read more.
They seized the livestock of the Hagrites, fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, and many others fell slain, because the battle was God's. And they occupied the land until the exile.


The following officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel: for the tribe of Reuben-Eliezer, son of Zichri for the tribe of Simeo, Shephatiah, son of Maacah

Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives, who were able men and heads of families, and King David put them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.


The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a large number of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was indeed a place suitable for livestock. They approached Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the leaders of the congregation and said: Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, read more.
the land Jehovah won for the congregation of Israel, is a good place for livestock. Gentlemen, we have livestock. Please give us this land as our property. Do not make us cross the Jordan River. Moses asked the tribes of Gad and Reuben: Are you going to stay here while the rest of the Israelites go to war? That might discourage them from entering the land Jehovah has given them. That is what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look at the land. They went as far as the Eshcol Valley. They saw the land. But then they discouraged the rest of the Israelites from entering the land Jehovah had given them. That day Jehovah became angry and swore this oath: None of the people twenty years old or older, who came from Egypt, will see the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath. This is because they did not wholeheartedly follow me. Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun will get to see the land. This is because they wholeheartedly followed Jehovah. Jehovah's anger blazed against the Israelites. Therefore he made them wander in the desert for forty years until the whole generation of those who had done evil in Jehovah's presence was gone. You are just like your parents! You are a bunch of sinners trying to make Jehovah angry at Israel again. If you turn away from him he will abandon all these people in the desert. You would be responsible for their destruction. The tribes of Gad and Reuben came to Moses and said: Allow us to build stone fences for our livestock and cities for our families here. Then we will be ready to march in battle formation ahead of the other Israelites until we have brought them to their land. Meanwhile our families will live in walled cities. They will be safe from the other people who live here. We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his own land. We will not take possession of any land on the other side of the Jordan River, to the west and beyond. We already have our land here, east of the Jordan. Moses answered: If you really mean what you say, then here in the presence of Jehovah get ready to go into battle. All your fighting men are to cross the Jordan and under Jehovah's command they are to attack our enemies until Jehovah defeats them and takes possession of the land. You may return after that, because you will have fulfilled your obligation to Jehovah and to the other Israelites. Then Jehovah will acknowledge that this land east of the Jordan is yours. If you do not keep your promise, I warn you that you will be sinning against Jehovah. Do not doubt this, you will be punished for your sin. So build your towns and the enclosures for your sheep, but do what you have promised! The men from Reuben and Gad answered Moses: Sir, we will do just what you have said. Our wives, children, sheep and cattle will stay here in the towns in Gilead. However those of us prepared for battle will cross the Jordan and fight for Jehovah. Moses said to Eleazar, Joshua, and the family leaders: Make sure the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you. If they do, then after the land is in your control, give them the region of Gilead as their tribal land. But if they break their promise, they will receive land on the other side of the Jordan, like the rest of the tribes. The tribes of Gad and Reuben replied: We are your servants and will do whatever Jehovah has commanded. We will enter Canaan as armed troops in Jehovah's presence. The land we will take possession of is here, east of the Jordan. So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. It was the whole land with its cities and its surrounding territory.

Then I gave them the following instructions: 'Jehovah our God gave you the land east of the Jordan to occupy. Now arm your fighting men and send them across the Jordan ahead of the other tribes of Israel, to help them occupy their land. Your wives, children, and livestock, for you have a lot of livestock, will remain behind in the towns I assigned to you. Help the other Israelites until they occupy the land Jehovah is giving them west of the Jordan and until Jehovah lets them live there in peace, just as he has done here for you. After that, you may return to the land I assigned to you.'


You are like a raging flood. But you will not be the most important, for you slept with my concubine. You dishonored your father's bed.

Do not let his men be few.


Eliab was the son of Pallu, and Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. It was Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who defied Moses and Aaron's authority. They joined Korah's followers when they defied Jehovah's authority.

Reuben was Israel's firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were the family of Hanoch, the family of Pallu, the family of Hezron, and the family of Carmi.


Korah son of Izhar, Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth dared to challenge Moses. Korah was a descendant of Kohath and Levi. Dathan, Abiram, and On were descendants of Reuben.

and Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. It was Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who defied Moses and Aaron's authority. They joined Korah's followers when they defied Jehovah's authority. The ground opened up and swallowed them along with Korah. They and their followers died when the fire consumed the two hundred and fifty men. This was a warning.


From the east side of the Jordan River where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh lived there were one hundred twenty thousand troops armed with every kind of weapon. All these men came in battle array to Hebron with the single purpose of making David the king of Israel. In fact, all Israel agreed that David should be their king.


I assigned the territory from Gilead to the Arnon River to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The middle of the river was their southern boundary, and their northern boundary was the Jabbok River, part of which formed the Ammonite border. On the west their territory extended to the Jordan River, from Lake Galilee in the north down to the Dead Sea in the south and to the foot of (Mount) Pisgah on the east.


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


For the curse, these will stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.


Jehovah began to reduce the size of Israel's territory. King Hazael of Syria conquered all the Israelite territory east of the Jordan, as far south as the town of Aroer on the Arnon River. This included the territories of Gilead and Bashan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh lived.


The tribe of Reuben rebuilt the cities of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, Nebo, Baal Meon whose names were changed, and Sibmah. These are the names they gave the cities they rebuilt.


The children of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manassah built a large altar by the borders of Jordan in the land of Canaan. The children of Israel heard that the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar in the land of Canaan on the side belonging to the sons of Israel, at the Jordan when they passed by. When the people of Israel heard this, the whole community came together at Shiloh to go to war against the eastern tribes. read more.
Then the people of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh in the land of Gilead. Ten leading men went with Phinehas, one from each of the western tribes and each one the head of a family among the clans. They came to the land of Gilead, to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, Speaking for the whole assembly of Jehovah's people they said: Why have you done this evil thing against the God of Israel? You have rebelled against Jehovah by building this altar for yourselves! You are no longer following him! Do you remember our sin at Peor, when Jehovah punished his own people with an epidemic? We are still suffering because of that. Was that not enough sin? Are you going to refuse to follow him now? If you rebel against Jehovah now, he will be angry with everyone in Israel. If your land is not fit to worship in, come over into Jehovah's land, where his Tabernacle is. Claim some land among us. But do not rebel against Jehovah or make rebels out of us by building an altar in addition to the altar of Jehovah our God. Remember how Achan son of Zerah would not obey the command about the things condemned to destruction. The whole assembly of Israel was punished for that. Achan was not the only one who died because of his sin. The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered the heads of the families of the western tribes: The Mighty, Divine One is God of Gods! He is Jehovah! The Mighty, Divine One is God of Gods! He is Jehovah! He knows why we did this, and we want you to know too! If we rebelled and did not keep faith with Jehovah, do not allow us to live any longer! If we disobeyed Jehovah and built our own altar to burn sacrifices on or to use for grain offerings or fellowship offerings, let Jehovah himself punish us. No! We did it because we were afraid that in the future your descendants would say to ours: What do you have to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel? He made the Jordan a boundary between the people of Reuben and Gad and us. You have nothing to do with Jehovah. Then your descendants might make our descendants stop worshiping Jehovah. We did not built an altar to burn sacrifices or make offerings, but instead, as a sign for our people and yours, and for the generations after us, that we do indeed worship Jehovah. We do this before his sacred Tabernacle with our offerings to be burned and with sacrifices and fellowship offerings. This was to keep your descendants from saying that ours have nothing to do with Jehovah. We thought that if this should ever happen, our descendants could say: 'You see our ancestors made an altar just like Jehovah's altar. It was not for burning offerings or for sacrifice, but as a sign for our people and yours.' We would certainly not rebel against Jehovah or stop following him now by building an altar to burn offerings on or for grain offerings or sacrifices. We would not build any other altar than the altar of Jehovah our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle of his presence.


On the fourth day the leader of the descendants of Reuben, Elizur, son of Shedeur, brought his gifts: a silver plate that weighed three and one quarter pounds and a silver bowl that weighed one and three quarter pounds using the standard weight of the holy place. Each dish was filled with flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering. He also brought a gold dish that weighed four ounces, filled with incense; read more.
a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb as a burnt offering; a male goat as an offering for sin; and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs as a fellowship offering. These were the gifts from Elizur, son of Shedeur.


The roster of families and households for the descendants of Reuben, Israel's firstborn son, listed every man by name that was at least twenty years old and eligible for military duty. The total for the tribe of Reuben was forty-six thousand.


The leaders of Issachar came with Deborah. Issachar came and Barak too, and they followed him into the valley. But the tribe of Reuben was divided; they could not decide to come. Why did they stay behind with the sheep? Did they listen to shepherds calling the flocks? Yes, the tribe of Reuben was divided; they could not decide to come.


Next, the banner of the division led by the tribe of Reuben would start out, company by company. Elizur son of Shedeur was in command.


Joshua called together the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. He said: You have done everything Jehovah's servant Moses ordered you to do. You have obeyed all my commands. You have never deserted the other Israelites. You have been careful to obey the commandments of Jehovah your God. read more.
Jehovah your God has given the other Israelites peace as he promised. So go back home to the land you claimed for your own, the land on the east side of the Jordan, that Moses, Jehovah's servant, gave you. Be sure you obey the Law that Moses commanded you. Love Jehovah your God. Do his will. Obey his commandments and be faithful to him. Serve him with all your heart and with all your being (Nephesh: living being). Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way. To the one half tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but he gave the other half to Joshua among their brothers on this side Jordan westward. Joshua sent them a way to their tents and he blessed them. He said: Return with much riches to your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers. So the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh went back home. They left the rest of the people of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and started out for their own land, the land of Gilead, which they had taken as Jehovah commanded them through Moses.


Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, because she said: Certainly, Jehovah has seen my misery. Now my husband will love me!


These are their names: Shammua, son of Zaccur, from the tribe of Reuben,


These were the families of Reuben. The total number of men was forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.


On the south side the armies led by Reuben will camp under their flag. The leader for the people of Reuben is Elizur, son of Shedeur


Here are the names of the men who will help you: Elizur, son of Shedeur, from the tribe of Reuben,