Genesis 29:32

29:32 So Leah became pregnant ¹  and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, ²  for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. ³  Surely my husband will love me now.”

Genesis 46:8

46:8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt – Jacob and his sons:

Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob.

Genesis 48:18

48:18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

Numbers 1:20

1:20 And they were as follows:

The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually.

Numbers 26:5

Reuben

26:5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The Reubenites: from ⁴  Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; from Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

Numbers 26:1

A Second Census Required

26:1 ⁵ After the plague the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ⁶ 

Numbers 2:1

The Arrangement of the Tribes

2:1 ⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron:

Numbers 5:1

Separation of the Unclean

5:1 ⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

Numbers 5:3

5:3 You must expel both men and women; you must put them outside the camp, so that ⁹  they will not defile their camps, among which I live.”

¹ tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).

² sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”

³ tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”

⁴ tc The Hebrew text has no preposition here, but one has been supplied in the translation for clarity. Cf. vv. 23, 30, 31, 32.

⁵ sn The breakdown of ch. 26 for outlining purposes will be essentially according to the tribes of Israel. The format and structure is similar to the first census, and so less comment is necessary here.

⁶ tc The MT has also “saying.”

⁷ sn For this chapter, see C. E. Douglas, “The Twelve Houses of Israel,” JTS 37 (1936): 49-56; C. C. Roach, “The Camp in the Wilderness: A Sermon on Numbers 2:2,” Int 13 (1959): 49-54; and G. St. Clair, “Israel in Camp: A Study,” JTS 8 (1907): 185-217.

⁸ sn The fifth chapter falls into four main parts: separation of the unclean (vv. 1-4), restitution for sin (vv. 5-10), the jealousy ordeal (vv. 11-28), and the summary (vv. 29-31). There is a good deal of literature on the biblical theme of holiness (for which see the notes on Leviticus primarily). But with regard to this chapter, see (with caution), Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger; J. Neusner, The Idea of Purity in Ancient Judaism; and K. Milgrom, “Two Kinds of h£at£t£a„át,” VT 26 (1976): 333-37.

⁹ tn The imperfect tense functions here as a final imperfect, expressing the purpose of putting such folks outside the camp. The two preceding imperfects (repeated for emphasis) are taken here as instruction or legislation.