Exodus 6:14
in Exodus 6These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
KJV
These be the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.
⋯
This verse in Exodus 6
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThese be the heads - ראשי rashey, the chiefs or captains. The following genealogy was simply intended to show that Moses and Aaron came in a direct line from Abraham, and to ascertain the time of Israel’s deliverance. The whole account from Exo 6:14-26 inclusive, is a sort of parenthesis, and does not belong to the narration; and what follows from Exo 6:28 is a recapitulation of what was spoken in the preceding chapters.
This site's exposition
The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel
on Exodus 6:14-15
The roll begins in birth order with Reuben and Simeon, then stops at Levi and goes no further, because its business is to place Moses and Aaron rather than to list the tribes. Reuben is named the firstborn of Israel and the record moves straight past him, which is what Genesis had already done at 49:3 and 49:4. Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman is kept in the list exactly as Genesis 46:10 had him, with nothing added and nothing removed.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
There is no doubt that this is a mysterious passage. The Scripture wishes to demonstrate the origin of Moses, because his action now required it. His descent began from the firstborn of Jacob, that is, Reuben, and then to Simeon, and then to Levi. It went no further, because Moses was descended from Levi. These men who are mentioned here had already been mentioned among the seventy-five men in whom Israel entered Egypt. For God did not want the first or the second tribe, but the third—that is, the tribe of Levi—to be the priestly tribe.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The heads of the houses of three of the tribes are here named, agreeing with the accounts we had, Gen. xlvi, 8-27. Reuben and Simeon seem to be mentioned only for the sake of Levi, from whom Moses and Aaron descended, and all the priests of the Jewish church.
4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
These be the heads of their father's houses,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
These be the heads - We have in the following verses, not a complete genealogy, but a summary account of the family of the two brothers. Moses records for the satisfaction of Hebrew readers, to whom genealogical questions were always interesting, the descent and position of the designated leaders of the nation. See Exo 6:26-27.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
THE SONS OF REUBEN…. Scripture did not wish to begin with the statement, And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations, 80 Verse. so that it should not appear that henceforth in honor of Moses, Levi is first in genealogy.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Rashi wrote: “The purport of this command is explained in the second section, 71 Further, Verses 29-30. after the order of genealogy.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֵ֖לֶּה | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
| רָאשֵׁ֣י | rashei | [were] [the] heads of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| בֵית־ | veit- | [the] household of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אֲבֹתָ֑ם | ʾavotam | ancestors their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| בְּנֵ֨י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| רְאוּבֵ֜ן | reuven | Reuben | H7205 → | 72 times |
| בְּכֹ֣ר | bekhor | [the] firstborn of | H1060 → | 122 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| חֲנ֤וֹךְ | chanokh | [were] Hanoch | H2585 → | |
| וּפַלּוּא֙ | ufalu' | and Pallu | H6396 → | |
| חֶצְר֣וֹן | chetzron | Hezron | H2696 → | |
| וְכַרְמִ֔י | vekharmi | and Carmi | H3756 → | |
| אֵ֖לֶּה | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
| מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת | mishpechot | [were] [the] clans of | H4940 → | 303 times |
| רְאוּבֵֽן׃ | reuven | Reuben | H7205 → | 72 times |
אֵ֖לֶּהthese
ʾelehH428 →746 times
רָאשֵׁ֣י[were] [the] heads of
rasheiH7218 →599 times
בֵית־[the] household of
veit-H1004 →2046 times
אֲבֹתָ֑םancestors their
ʾavotamH1 →1212 times
בְּנֵ֨י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
רְאוּבֵ֜ןReuben
reuvenH7205 →72 times
בְּכֹ֣ר[the] firstborn of
bekhorH1060 →122 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
חֲנ֤וֹךְ[were] Hanoch
chanokhH2585 →
וּפַלּוּא֙and Pallu
ufalu'H6396 →
חֶצְר֣וֹןHezron
chetzronH2696 →
וְכַרְמִ֔יand Carmi
vekharmiH3756 →
אֵ֖לֶּהthese
ʾelehH428 →746 times
מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת[were] [the] clans of
mishpechotH4940 →303 times
רְאוּבֵֽן׃Reuben
reuvenH7205 →72 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Chronicles 5:3The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
it leads to
- Genesis 46:9
The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
- Numbers 26:5–9
Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. These were the descendants of Reuben: The Hanochite clan from Hanoch, the Palluite clan from Pallu,
- Genesis 46:9
Through
1 Chronicles 7:7The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, heads of their families—five in all. There were 22,034 mighty men of valor listed in their genealogies.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 17:17–18
From Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 armed with bows and shields;
- 1 Chronicles 21:1–5
Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 17:17–18
Through
1 Chronicles 8:6These were the descendants of Ehud who were the heads of the families living in Geba and were exiled to Manahath:
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 2:54
The descendants of Salma:
- Judges 3:20–30
Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.
- Genesis 46:21
The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
- 1 Chronicles 2:52
These were the descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim:
- 1 Chronicles 2:54
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, QUESTIONS ON EXODUS 15; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.