Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
Parallel translations
- WEB These are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
- KJV And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
- NKJV Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.
- NASB Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
- NLT These are the names of the descendants of Israel—the sons of Jacob—who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son.
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
The narrative begins listing the names of Israel's children who came to Egypt, starting with Reuben the firstborn. The record preserves the founding family of the nation.
Overview
Scripture records the names of those who entered Egypt, beginning with Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. Such genealogies anchor Israel's identity and trace God's faithfulness through real people and families. This roster marks the seed from which the twelve tribes of Israel will grow.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Chr 2:1–55These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
- Exod 1:1–5These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
- Deut 33:6Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.”
- Num 1:5These are the names of the men who are to assist you: From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;
- Exod 6:14–18These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
- 1 Chr 8:1–40Benjamin was the father of Bela, his firstborn; Ashbel was the second born, Aharah the third,
- Gen 49:1–33Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:
- Gen 29:32And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
- Gen 35:22–23While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
- Num 1:20–21From the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
- Gen 29:1–30Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.
- Num 26:4–11“Take a census of the men twenty years of age or older, as the LORD has commanded Moses.” And these were the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt:
- Num 2:10–13On the south side, the divisions of Reuben are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of Shedeur,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 46:8 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.