you are my firstborn
The term "firstborn" in Hebrew is "בְּכוֹר" (bekhor), which signifies the eldest son who traditionally held a place of preeminence in the family. This position was associated with authority, responsibility, and a double share of the inheritance. In the biblical context, the firstborn was often seen as the father's strength and the one who would carry on the family legacy. However, Reuben's actions later in life caused him to forfeit these rights, illustrating the biblical theme that privilege comes with responsibility.

my might
The Hebrew word for "might" is "כֹּחִי" (kochi), which conveys strength, vigor, and power. In the context of a patriarchal society, the firstborn son was seen as the embodiment of the father's strength and vitality. Reuben, as Jacob's firstborn, was initially viewed as the physical and symbolic representation of Jacob's power and potential. This phrase underscores the high expectations placed upon Reuben as the eldest son.

and the beginning of my strength
This phrase, "רֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי" (reshit oni), can be translated as "the firstfruits of my virility." It emphasizes the idea that Reuben was the first expression of Jacob's reproductive power and the continuation of his lineage. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the firstborn son was often seen as the father's prime achievement and the one who would carry forward the family name and heritage.

excelling in honor
The Hebrew word for "honor" is "יֶתֶר" (yeter), which can also mean "excellence" or "preeminence." This phrase suggests that Reuben was initially endowed with a position of high status and dignity. As the firstborn, he was expected to excel in character and leadership, setting an example for his siblings. However, Reuben's later actions did not align with this expectation, leading to a loss of honor.

excelling in power
The term "power" in Hebrew is "עָז" (oz), which denotes strength, might, and authority. Reuben was expected to be a leader and a figure of authority within the family, reflecting the power and influence of his father, Jacob. This phrase highlights the potential that Reuben had as the firstborn, but also foreshadows the disappointment that would come due to his failure to live up to these expectations.

The excellency . . . --We must here supply, "And therefore to thee as the firstborn belonged," first, the excellency of dignity, that is, the priesthood; and secondly, the excellency of power, that is, the kingly office. As a matter of history no king, judge, or prophet is recorded as having sprung from the tribe of Reuben. . . .

(1) by his position in the family, as Jacob's firstborn;

(2) by his relation to Jacob, as the patriarch's "might," כּחַ, or robur virile, and "the beginning" of his "strength," not "of his sorrow" (Vulgate, Aquila, Symmachus), though און might be so translated (cf. Genesis 35:18), and the sense would sufficiently accord with the allusion of ver. 4, but, as required by the parallelism, "of his vigor," און being here equivalent to כּחַ (Rosenmuller, Kalisch, Keil, 'Speaker's Commentary,' et alii); and

(3) by the natural prominence which as Jacob's eldest son belonged to him, "the excellency of dignity" or "elevation," i.e. the dignity of the chieftainship, and "the excellency of power," or authority, which the first born claimed and received as his prerogative. Yet the natural advantages enjoyed by Reuben as Jacob's firstborn were to be taken from him, as the patriarch proceeded to announce - Unstable as water, - literally, boiling over like water, the import of which is not effusus es sicut aqua (Vulgate), but either ἐξύβρισας ὡς ὑδωρ (LXX.), or lasciviousness (sc. was to thee) as the boiling of water (Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, etc.), the same root in Arabic conveying the notion of pride, and in Syriac that of wantonness - thou shalt not excel; - literally, thou shalt not have the ישׂנךללךשׂצך רו יֶרֶת (ver. 3), i.e. the pre-eminence belonging to the firstborn, a sense which the versions have more or less successfully expressed: μὴ περισσεύσης (Aquila), οὐκ ἔση περισσότερος (Symmachus), μὴ ἐκζέσης (LXX.), non crescas (Vulgate) - because thou wentest up to thy father's bed (vide Genesis 35:22; 1 Chronicles 5:1); then defiledst thou it: - the verb is used absolutely, as meaning that Reuben had desecrated what ought to have been regarded by him as sacred (cf. Deuteronomy 27:20) - he went up to my couch - literally, my couch he ascends; the order of the words and the change from the second to the third person helping to give expression to the horror and indignation with which, even at that distance of time, the venerable patriarch contemplated the shameful deed.

Parallel Commentaries ...