Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben: “Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out, though they are few in number.”
Parallel translations
- WEB “Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.”
- KJV Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
- BSB Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.”
- NKJV “Let Reuben live, and not die, Nor let his men be few.”
- NASB ¶“May Reuben live and not die, Nor may his people be few.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses blesses Reuben with survival and continuity, that his people not dwindle away. Even the firstborn tribe, once disgraced, receives mercy to endure.
Overview
Reuben had forfeited his birthright privileges through sin (Gen. 49:3-4), yet Moses prays for the tribe's continued life and strength. This shows God's mercy preserving even those who have stumbled. It reflects the gospel pattern in which grace upholds the undeserving and gives life where there might have been only decline.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 49:8“Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.
- Num 32:31–32The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do.
- Josh 22:1–9Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
- Gen 49:3–4“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.
Resources, by level
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 33:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.