TRIBAL TERRITORY OF REUBEN

fortress of Machaerus, territory of Reuben,
courtesy, Wikipedia

The Israelite tribal territory of Reuben is located in what is now the Arab-occupied Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on land that borders on its west, the northeastern coast of the Dead Sea and the southernmost portion of the Jordan River Valley. The tribe was descended from Reuben, the first born of Jacob and Leah. When Moses and the Israelite tribes arrived on the east side of the Jordan, wars broke out between the peoples of the land and between the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Menasheh. The Israelites became victorious and Moses allotted them their land on the condition that they help the other tribes conquer the land on the west side of the Jordan. To this, they agreed. Then they set about to take possession of their portion of territory. According to Biblical accounts beginning with Numbers 32:37 and continuing with Joshua 13:16, the cities of Reuben were listed as follows: Arnon, Aroer, Ashdot Pisgah, Baal Meon, Bamot Baal, Bet Peor, Bet Yeshimot, Dibon, El’aleh, Heshbon, Kedemot, Kiryataim, Medeba, Mephaat, Nebo, Pisgah, Shibmah, Yahtzah, and Zaret Shahar. As mentioned in Deut. 32:49, it was from Mt Nebo, located in the mountain range of Abarim in the tribal territory of Reuben, that Moses surveyed the Promised Land, and then passed away on this spot. According to Jewish tradition, god buried him on the top of Mt. Nebo but his exact resting place remains unknown to this day.

When the Kingdom of Israel split into north and south, Reuben became part of the Northern Kingdom. The population was deported by the Assyrian conquest in 722 BCE and never heard from again. Roman rule in the region began in 63 BCE, when the general Pompey declared Judea a Roman protectorate. Among the voices of opposition to Roman rule were John the Baptist, whose severed head was allegedly presented to Herod at the fortress of Machaerus in Reuben territory. In 66 CE, the forces behind the First Jewish Revolt took control of Machaerus, and held it until 72 CE, when a siege secured the defeat of local Jewish forces. Following the defeat of the Bar Kochba Revolt in 135, the Jewish communities of Reuben territory came under the direct control and decrees of subsequent Roman emperors. In the Byzantine era, the town of Medeba became an important Christian center. The map of the Land of Israel discovered at Medeba, probably compiled by a monk, became world famous among archaeologists and historians. When the Arabs conquered the Land of Israel in the 7^th century, the remaining Jewish communities of the region came under the decrees of the Arab caliphate. In the course of their conquests, they encountered Mount Nebo which they revered as the burial place of the Prophet Moses, and Arabized this mountain, naming it “Jebel Naba”. Since the end of the Crusader wars in 1291, the Jewish communities in Reuben territory, namely Dibon and Heshbon, still existed but were greatly devastated. Over the centuries, the region’s Jewish population, as with the other Jewish communities east of the Jordan, gradually declined, until no Jews were left. In the 16^th century appeared a “Prince” and “messiah” by the name of David Reubeni who claimed to be a member of the tribe of Reuben and a subject of the Jewish Kingdom of Khaibar, located in Arabia. His claims, however, were never proven and he was considered by many rabbis to be a fraud.

Today, some scholars believe that the present descendants of Reuben have settled in France, although this is just a theory. Reuben territory, along with the other ancient Israelite territories, is now ruled by Jordan. No Jew is allowed to live there and Jewish religious service conducted by tourists is illegal. (For further information, see Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Mount Nebo.)