1 Chronicles 2:1

Israel’s Descendants

2:1 These were the sons of Israel: ¹ 

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

Issachar and Zebulun;

Genesis 29:32

29:32 So Leah became pregnant ²  and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, ³  for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. ⁴  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 49:3

49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,

my might and the beginning of my strength,

outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.

Exodus 6:14

The Ancestry of the Deliverer

6:14 ⁵ These are the heads of their fathers’ households: ⁶ 

The sons ⁷  of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans ⁸  of Reuben.

Numbers 1:5

1:5 Now these are the names of the men who are to help ⁹  you:

from ¹⁰  Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

Numbers 16:1

The Rebellion of Korah

16:1 ¹¹ Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, who were Reubenites, ¹²  took men ¹³ 

Numbers 26:5

Reuben

26:5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The Reubenites: from ¹⁴  Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; from Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

[2:1]  ¹ tn The groupings in the list that follows, as well as the conjunctions (vav-consecutives in Hebrew), reflect those of the Hebrew text.

[29:32]  ² tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).

[29:32]  ³ sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”

[29:32]  ⁴ tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”

[6:14]  ⁵ sn This list of names shows that Moses and Aaron are in the line of Levi that came to the priesthood. It helps to identify them and authenticate them as spokesmen for God within the larger history of Israel. As N. M. Sarna observes, “Because a genealogy inherently symbolizes vigor and continuity, its presence here also injects a reassuring note into the otherwise despondent mood” (Exodus [JPSTC], 33).

[6:14]  ⁶ tn The expression is literally “the house of their fathers.” This expression means that the household or family descended from a single ancestor. It usually indicates a subdivision of a tribe, that is, a clan, or the subdivision of a clan, that is, a family. Here it refers to a clan (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 46).

[6:14]  ⁷ tn Or “descendants.”

[6:14]  ⁸ tn Or “families,” and so throughout the genealogy.

[1:5]  ⁹ tn The verb is עָמַד (’amad, “to stand”). It literally then is, “who will stand with you.” They will help in the count, but they will also serve as leaders as the camp moves from place to place.

[1:5]  ¹⁰ tn The preposition lamed (ל) prefixed to the name could be taken in the sense of “from,” but could also be “with regard to” (specification).

[16:1]  ¹¹ sn There are three main movements in the story of ch. 16. The first is the rebellion itself (vv. 1-19). The second is the judgment (vv. 20-35). Third is the atonement for the rebels (vv. 36-50). The whole chapter is a marvelous account of a massive rebellion against the leaders that concludes with reconciliation. For further study see G. Hort, “The Death of Qorah,” ABR 7 (1959): 2-26; and J. Liver, “Korah, Dathan and Abiram,” Studies in the Bible (ScrHier 8), 189-217.

[16:1]  ¹² tc The MT reading is plural (“the sons of Reuben”); the Smr and LXX have the singular (“the son of Reuben”).

[16:1]  ¹³ tn In the Hebrew text there is no object for the verb “took.” The translation presented above supplies the word “men.” However, it is possible that the MT has suffered damage here. The LXX has “and he spoke.” The Syriac and Targum have “and he was divided.” The editor of BHS suggests that perhaps the MT should be emended to “and he arose.”

[26:5]  ¹⁴ tc The Hebrew text has no preposition here, but one has been supplied in the translation for clarity. Cf. vv. 23, 30, 31, 32.