Reuben

Revision History

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10/6/2024, 9:08 PM Mike C update #116
12/8/2017, 12:41 PM Mike C update #97
10/20/2016, 1:17 AM Mike C update #93
10/10/2012, 5:50 PM Mike C update #84
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Masculine
Usage Biblical, Hebrew, English
Scripts רְאוּבֵן(Hebrew)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈɹuː.bən/(English)

Meaning & History

Means "behold, a son" in Hebrew, derived from רָאָה (raʾa) meaning "to see" and בֵּן (ben) meaning "son". In the Old Testament he is the eldest son of Jacob and Leah and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Reuben was cursed by his father because he slept with Jacob's concubine Bilhah. It has been used as a Christian name in Britain since the Protestant Reformation.