Add parallel Print Page Options

Descendants of Reuben

The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. (He was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright;(A) though Judah became prominent among his brothers and a ruler came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph.)(B) The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.(C) The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, Beerah his son, whom King Tiglath-pileser[a] of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chieftain of the Reubenites. And his kindred by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,(D) and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon.(E) He also lived to the east as far as the beginning of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead.(F) 10 And in the days of Saul they made war on the Hagrites, who fell by their hand, and they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead.(G)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 5.6 Heb Tilgath-pilneser

The Transjordan Tribes
The Tribe of Reuben

The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel:

(Though Reuben was the firstborn, because he defiled his father’s bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Israel’s son Joseph. So Reuben is not treated as firstborn in the genealogical records. Though Judah achieved superiority over his brothers and the ruler came from him, the birthright was Joseph’s.)

The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

Successive generations of descendants[a] of Joel were his son Shemaiah, his son Gog, his son Shimei, his son Micah, his son Reaiah, his son Baal, and his son Be’erah, whom Tiglath Pileser[b] king of Assyria carried away captive. He was the tribal leader of the Reubenites.

The following are his relatives as listed by their clans in the genealogical records. Jeiel was the head. Others were Zechariah, Bela son of Azaz, who was the son of Shema, who was the son of Joel, who lived in the territory of Aroer, all the way to Nebo and Baal Meon. They lived in the east, all the way to the beginning of the wilderness which extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased greatly in the land of Gilead. 10 In the days of Saul, they made war against the Hagraites, who fell by their hand. So they lived in their tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 5:4 Literally sons
  2. 1 Chronicles 5:6 The Hebrew has a variant spelling, Tilgath-pilneser, here and in verse 26.