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Creation & Patriarchs

Birth of Reuben

Birth of Reuben is dated ≈ 1928 BC in the Modern reckoning and 1758 BC in the Traditional. It is told in Genesis 29:32. Reuben, Jacob (Israel), Leah are part of it.

And 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.”

Genesis 29:32 BSB
  1. a Reuben means Look, a son and also sounds like the Hebrew for He has seen my misery.

When did it happen?

Modern reckoning
≈ 1928 BC (placed between the dated events around it)
Traditional reckoning
1758 BC

Dates before about 900 BC depend on how the Bible's own numbers are added up. Why the two reckonings differ.

Where is it in the Bible?

Who was there, and where?

Which verses connect to Genesis 29:32?

The strongest cross-references of the key verse, ranked by reader votes (OpenBible.info).

  1. Deuteronomy 26:78 votes

    So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression.

  2. Exodus 3:77 votes

    The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.

  3. Exodus 4:317 votes

    and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.

  4. Genesis 31:425 votes

    If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

  5. Genesis 37:21–225 votes

    When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said. “Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

  6. Genesis 42:225 votes

    And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

Events, people and places: Theographic Bible Metadata (Robert Rouse), CC BY-SA 4.0, reshaped; dates also from the sources named on each anchor.