Reuben
(fl. ?19th-16th cent, BCE)
Eldest son of
Jacob and
Leah. He opposed his brothers' plot to kill
Joseph (Genesis 37). When
Jacob learned of Reuben's incestuous relations with
Bilhah, he transferred his rights as firstborn to Joseph (Genesis 48-49).
Dictionary of Jewish Biography.
Dan Cohn-Sherbok.