Jacob’s Twelve Sons — Reuben
“The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn”
(Genesis 35:23).
“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” (Genesis 29:32).
Reuben was the one who saved the life of Joseph when his brothers thought to kill him after Joseph was sent by his father to see how his brothers fared. “And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit” (Genesis 37:21-22).
Later on when they went to buy corn in Egypt, he offered to be responsible for Benjamin’s safety. Jacob, when blessing his sons, said, “Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch” (Genesis 49:3-4). This denotes the failure of the firstborn and implies the loss of his birthright.
