Numbers 26:5:1Num.26.5.W1TAB

רְאוּבֵן֙

reuven

Reuben

Transliteration
re-u-VEN
Extended
reh-uu-VEHN
IPA
/rɛ.ʔuˈveːn/

Meaning by language

English
Reuben

Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
רְא + וּ + בֵן֙
re + u + ven
reuven

Alphabet Analysis

Reshr guttural, like the French r
Shevavocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable
Alephsilent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points
Vavv as in vine; marks long ō / ū
Betb with dagesh; v without dagesh
Tserelong 'ey' as in they
Nun Sofitfinal form of Nun — at word end

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Vowels (Niqqud)

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The word

Word in context

  1. word

    re-u-VEN

  2. sentence

    re-u-VEN be-KHOR yis-ra-EL be-NEI re-u-VEN kha-NOKH mish-pa-KHAT ha-kha-no-KHI le-pal-LU mish-pa-KHAT ha-pal-LU-i

Exegesis

The verse opens with Reuben {רְאוּבֵן | reʾū-vēn} in apposition to bekhor yisrāʼēl {בְּכוֹר יִשְׂרָאֵל | bə-khôr yiś-rā-ʼēl} ‘firstborn of Israel’, expressing primogeniture through nominal apposition.

The genitive construct benei reuven {בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן | bə-nê reʾū-vēn} ‘sons of Reuben’ governs an enumeration of subtribal groups.

Root and etymology

ר־א־ב

see a son

In contextNumbers 26:5

Reuben was the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben were Hanok—the clan of the Hanokite—and Pallu—the clan of the Palluite.

About this coordinate

Numbers 26:5:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Numbers 26:5, so the Hebrew word רְאוּבֵן֙ (reuven) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Num.26.5.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.26.5.W1.S1) and character.