[roo-buh
n] 
| 1. | the eldest son of Jacob and Leah. Gen. 29, 30. |
| 2. | one of the 12 tribes of Israel, the tribe traditionally descended from him. |
| 3. | Reuben sandwich. |
| 4. | a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “behold a son.” |
| Reu·ben 1 (rōō'bən) In the Bible, a son of Jacob and Leah and the forebear of one of the tribes of Israel. |
| Reu·ben 2 (rōō'bən) n. A hot sandwich consisting of corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut usually served on rye bread. [From the name Reuben.] |
Reuben
behold a son!, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29:32). His sinful conduct, referred to in Gen. 35:22, brought down upon him his dying father's malediction (48:4). He showed kindness to Joseph, and was the means of saving his life when his other brothers would have put him to death (37:21,22). It was he also who pledged his life and the life of his sons when Jacob was unwilling to let Benjamin go down into Egypt. After Jacob and his family went down into Egypt (46:8) no further mention is made of Reuben beyond what is recorded in ch. 49:3,4.
Reuben
one of the 12 tribes of Israel that in biblical times comprised the people of Israel who later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after the oldest of Jacob's sons born of Leah, his first wife.
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