Deuteronomy 33:6

Reuben is the eldest of the sons of Jacob. There is a difficulty in the second half of this v., in which AV has inserted a negative not in the original. It may be better to read with RV 'yet let his men be few.' In the earlier blessing of Jacob it is said that Reuben will not endure, or have preeminence, on account of his misdeed (Genesis 35:22). Owing to their position on the E. of the Jordan the Reubenites had a somewhat precarious hold of their territory. The Ammonites were troublesome (Judges 10:11); on the Moabite Stone (see on Numbers 21:29) most of the Reubenite cities are said to be occupied by the Moabites; and TiglathPileser carried them captive to Assyria (1 Chronicles 5:6; 1 Chronicles 5:22; 1 Chronicles 5:26; 2 Kings 15:29. This constant danger of extinction may be alluded to here. But the text may be corrupt, and some words may have dropped out. Some MSS of LXX insert Simeon äs the subject of the second clause. It will be observed that he is not otherwise mentioned at all, though the omission may be explained by the fact that the tribe of Simeon was absorbed in that of Judah (Joshua 19:9).