one of the 12 tribes of Israel that in biblical times comprised the people of Israel who later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after the oldest of Jacob's sons born of Leah, his first wife.

After the Exodus out of Egypt, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and divided the territory among the 12 tribes. The tribe of Reuben apparently settled east of the Dead Sea in the same general area occupied by the tribe of Gad and played a secondary role in the history of the Jewish people. After the death of King Solomon (922 BC), the 10 northern tribes formed the Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam I that in 721 BC fell to Assyrian conquerors. In time these northern tribes lost their identity through assimilation with other peoples, and thus the tribe of Reuben became known in legend as one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.