Reubenite

Reubenite is a term used in biblical and historical contexts to refer to a member of the Tribe of Reuben, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name derives from Reuben, the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah; in Hebrew, the given name Reuben means “Behold, a son.” The demonym is formed with the suffix -ite, as with other tribal names.

In the biblical narrative, the Reubenites are descendants of Reuben and are counted among the Israelites in the Exodus and subsequent settlements. They inhabited the Transjordan region to the east of the Jordan River, together with the tribes of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land described as the territory of Reuben in Joshua 13 and 1 Chronicles 5:9–10. The eastern land included areas around the Arnon and Bashan regions, with various cities and towns associated with the tribe.

Reubenite genealogy traces Reuben’s descendants: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi are listed as his sons in Genesis 46:9 and 1 Chronicles 4:1–4; later genealogies place the Reubenites within broader tribal lists. Historically, the tribe is primarily remembered for its eastern settlement rather than as a prolonged, independent political entity in the later biblical period. After the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, distinct tribal identities, including the Reubenites, largely faded from historical records.

In modern usage, “Reubenite” is chiefly a scholarly term for the inhabitants or descendants of the ancient Reuben tribe, appearing in biblical exegesis and historical geography.