Reuben, Tribe of

The Tribe of Reuben, descended from Jacob's firstborn, settled on the eastern side of the Jordan in the plateau of Moab, between the Arnon River in the south and the territory of Gad to the north (Numbers 32:1–5; Joshua 13:15–23). Their territory included Heshbon, Dibon, and Medeba. At the first census in the wilderness, Reuben numbered 46,500 men of war (Numbers 1:20–21), but by the second census had declined to 43,730 (Numbers 26:7). Rubenite warriors crossed the Jordan to assist in the conquest of Canaan and then returned to their inheritance (Joshua 22:1–9).

After the conquest, the Reubenites built an altar at the Jordan — which nearly sparked civil war until they explained it was a memorial rather than a rival sanctuary (Joshua 22:10–34). The Tribe of Reuben faded from prominence in later history: the Song of Deborah reproaches Reuben for failing to join the battle against Sisera (Judges 5:15–16), and the tribe appears infrequently in the subsequent narrative. By the 9th century, their territory had been largely absorbed by Moab, as the Mesha Stele and prophetic references indicate.