Meaning of the Name Reuben
Reuben comes from the Hebrew Re'uven and is usually explained as 'see, a son' (re'u, 'see', and ben, 'son'). In Genesis Leah links the name with the verb 'to see', saying that the LORD has seen her affliction. This interpretation is widely accepted, and her hope of her husband's love also echoes in the sound of the name.
Origin
The name Reuben is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Reuben in the Bible?
Reuben is Jacob's firstborn son by Leah and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. He tries to save Joseph when his brothers want to kill him, yet loses the pre-eminence of the firstborn because he slept with his father's concubine Bilhah. The tribe of Reuben later settles east of the Jordan River.
The story of Reuben in the Bible
Reuben is Jacob's firstborn son. His mother Leah knows that her husband loves her sister Rachel more; when she bears her first son she says that the LORD has seen her affliction and hopes that now her husband will love her. As a boy Reuben brings his mother mandrakes from the field. As firstborn he holds a privileged place, but he dishonors it by sleeping with his father's concubine Bilhah. The Joseph story shows another side of Reuben: when the brothers decide to kill Joseph, he persuades them to throw him into a pit instead, secretly planning to rescue him and bring him back to their father. Finding the pit empty, he tears his clothes. Years later in Egypt, when the brothers are in trouble, he is the one who reminds them that it has come because of what they did to Joseph; he even offers his own two sons as a pledge for Benjamin's safe return. On his deathbed Jacob calls Reuben the firstfruits of his strength, yet says that, unstable as water, he will not excel. Before Israel enters Canaan, the tribe of Reuben asks for pastureland east of the Jordan and settles there.
Is Reuben mentioned in the Quran?
The name Reuben does not appear in the Quran; in the Quran's story of Joseph, Joseph's brothers are mentioned without names. In the Bible, Reuben is Jacob's firstborn son and the ancestor of one of Israel's tribes.
Verses where Reuben appears
- Genesis 29:32 —
Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me.”
- Genesis 37:21 —
Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.”
- Genesis 49:3 —
“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.