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Reuben
Reuben ♂ Biblical name (said to mean ‘behold, a son’ in Hebrew), borne by one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and so the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Genesis 29:32 explains it as follows: ‘and Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me’. In Genesis 30:14–15, Reuben is depicted as a devoted son to his mother, but he incurred his father's wrath for seducing his concubine Bilhah and on his deathbed Jacob, rather than blessing him, cursed Reuben because of this incident (Genesis 49:4). Despite this, the name has enjoyed steady popularity as a Jewish name. Among Christians (chiefly Nonconformists) it came into use after the Reformation, survived into the 20th century, and is currently enjoying a modest revival.
Variant (esp. Jewish): Reuven. |
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Reuben." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Reuben." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Reuben.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Reuben." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Reuben.html |
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Reuben
Reuben Son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29: 32), and ancestor of the tribe of Reuben. The story of Reuben, the first-born son whose behaviour (Gen. 35: 22) led to his losing the right attaching to that position (Gen. 49: 3–4) is in fact the story of the tribe told in the person of the founder: once pre-eminent, the Reubenites (Gen. 49: 4) lost their power to the tribes of Judah and Joseph. Reuben is mentioned first in the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33: 6) but in the Song of Deborah (Judg. 5: 15–16) Reubenites refuse to join the campaign against Sisera and are reproved. Settled in the Transjordan with the tribe of Gad (Num. 32: 33), the Reubenites may have become absorbed into that tribe (2 Kgs. 10: 33) until overcome by the assyrian invasion of 732 BCE.
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Cite this article
W. R. F. BROWNING. "Reuben." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Reuben." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Reuben.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Reuben." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Reuben.html |
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Reuben
Reuben in the Bible, a Hebrew patriarch, eldest son of Jacob and Leah; in the story of Joseph, it is Reuben who persuades his brothers not to kill the boy by prophesying that if they do his blood will be required of them. Later, Reuben loses his birthright as the eldest son because he has slept with his father's concubine; Jacob on his deathbed (Genesis 49:4) says to him, ‘Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.’
From the early 19th century in North America, the name Reuben has been used to suggest the conventionally conceived figure of a farmer or rustic, a country bumpkin (there is no evident link with the biblical figure). |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Reuben." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Reuben." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Reuben.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Reuben." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Reuben.html |
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Reuben
Reuben , in the Bible, Jacob's eldest son and eponymous ancestor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He interceded for his brother Joseph's life and guaranteed the safe return from Egypt of another brother, Benjamin. When Palestine was occupied his tribe, with that of Gad, was allotted the pasture lands E of the Jordan; Reuben was given the region adjoining the Dead Sea and S of Gad. After this the Reubenites are unreported until, with the Gadites, they were deported to Assyria by King Tiglathpileser in his campaign of 733-32 BC |
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"Reuben." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Reuben." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Reuben.html "Reuben." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Reuben.html |
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Reuben
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JOHN BOWKER. "Reuben." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Reuben." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Reuben.html JOHN BOWKER. "Reuben." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Reuben.html |
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Reuben
Reuben •agin, akin, begin, Berlin, bin, Boleyn, Bryn, chin, chin-chin, Corinne, din, fin, Finn, Flynn, gaijin, gin, Glyn, grin, Gwyn, herein, Ho Chi Minh, in, inn, Jin, jinn, kin, Kweilin, linn, Lynn, mandolin, mandoline, Min, no-win, pin, Pinyin, quin, shin, sin, skin, spin, therein, thin, Tientsin, tin, Tonkin, Turin, twin, underpin, Vietminh, violin, wherein, whin, whipper-in, win, within, Wynne, yin
•weigh-in • lutein • lie-in • Samhain
•Bowen, Cohen, Owen, throw-in
•heroin, heroine
•benzoin
•bruin, ruin, shoo-in
•Bedouin • Islwyn
•genuine, Menuhin
•cabin, Scriabin
•Portakabin • sin bin • swingbin
•bobbin, dobbin, robin
•haemoglobin (US hemoglobin)
•Reuben • dubbin • dustbin • Jacobin
•kitchen, lichen
•Cochin • urchin
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Cite this article
"Reuben." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Reuben." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Reuben.html "Reuben." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Reuben.html |
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