Reu (Hebrew: רְעוּ, Re'u) is a post-Flood patriarch recorded in the Old Testament genealogy connecting Noah’s son Shem to Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation. Appearing in the lineage of Genesis 11, Reu represents the middle generation of the post-Babel world, standing precisely between his father Peleg—during whose days the earth was divided—and his son Serug. Although the biblical narrative provides few explicit details about his personal life, Reu’s record within Scripture holds significant genealogical and messianic importance, establishing the unbroken preservation of God's covenantal promise through human history down to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Introduction

The account of Reu belongs to the post-diluvian genealogical records preserved in the Book of Genesis, which trace the godly line from Noah through Shem to Terah and ultimately Abraham. In the ancient Near Eastern context, genealogical lists served far more than an administrative or chronological function; they were theological declarations of God’s provident governance and covenantal continuity across successive generations. Reu lived during a tumultuous epoch marked by the aftermath of the Tower of Babel judgment and the subsequent dispersion of human populations across the ancient Near East.

While the Scriptures do not record specific speeches, battles, or personal deeds performed by Reu, his inclusion in three major biblical genealogies—Genesis 11, 1 Chronicles 1, and the Gospel of Luke 3—underscores his indispensable role in the sacred line of redemption. As a patriarch in the line of Shem, Reu lived for 239 years according to the Hebrew Masoretic Text, witnessing both the declining lifespans of post-Flood humanity and the initial stages of post-Babel nations scattering across the Fertile Crescent.

Etymology and Name Meaning

The Hebrew name Reu (רְעוּ) is commonly understood by biblical linguists to derive from roots associated with companionship, friendship, or pastoral oversight. In Hebrew, the root r‘h relates to pasturing, shepherding, or associating with another. Consequently, scholars translate Reu as meaning 'friend', 'companion', or 'shepherd'.

In the Septuagint—the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament—his name is rendered as Ragai (Ῥαγαῦ), a form that also appears in the Lucan genealogy of the New Testament (Luke 3:35). Some historical geographers have suggested potential linguistic connections between Reu’s name and ancient Mesopotamian placenames, such as Ragu or Re'i in northern Mesopotamia, mirroring the common patriarchal pattern where personal names and regional geographic names frequently aligned during the third and second millennia BC.

Genealogical Position and Historical Context

Within the linear genealogy recorded in Genesis 11:10–26, Reu represents the sixth generation following Shem, the son of Noah. His immediate line of descent is outlined as follows:

  • Great-Great-Grandfather: Arpachshad
  • Great-Grandfather: Shelah
  • Grandfather: Eber
  • Father: Peleg
  • Son: Serug
  • Grandson: Nahor
  • Great-Grandson: Terah
  • Great-Great-Grandson: Abraham

Reu was born when his father, Peleg, was thirty years old according to the Masoretic Text (or 130 years according to the Septuagint chronology). The biblical note accompanying Peleg’s birth states that 'in his days the earth was divided' (Genesis 10:25), widely understood by biblical commentators as referencing the division of humanity into distinct languages and territories at Babel. Reu therefore grew up and lived during the immediate aftermath of this global realignment, an era when mankind began migrating and establishing early city-states and pastoral communities throughout the Fertile Crescent.

Chronology and Lifespan

The textual transmission of Genesis 11 presents subtle differences regarding the patriarchal ages at fatherhood and total lifespans between the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT), the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP), and the Greek Septuagint (LXX):

  • Masoretic Text: Reu was 32 years old when he fathered Serug, lived an additional 207 years after Serug’s birth, and died at the total age of 239 years (Genesis 11:18–21).
  • Septuagint: Reu was 132 years old at the birth of Serug and lived 207 years after, reaching an age of 339 years.
  • Samaritan Pentateuch: Reu was 132 years old at Serug's birth and lived 107 years after, dying at the age of 239 years.

Regardless of the minor textual variations regarding age of paternity, all ancient text traditions agree that Reu’s overall lifespan reflects the dramatic post-diluvian decline in human longevity. Where early post-Flood figures like Shem lived for six centuries, subsequent generations saw rapid diminishment: Eber lived 464 years, Peleg 239 years, Reu 239 years, Serug 230 years, and Nahor 148 years. Reu's lifespan thus marks a consistent transition toward the standard longevity of the later patriarchal period.

Reu in New Testament and Later Biblical Tradition

Reu makes his single New Testament appearance in the Gospel of Luke, where Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus Christ backward from Joseph to Adam and ultimately to God (Luke 3:23–38). In Luke 3:35, Reu is listed as 'the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg' (using the Greek spelling Ragau).

Luke's inclusion of Reu serves an essential christological purpose. Unlike Matthew’s Gospel, which emphasizes Jesus' royal heritage from Abraham and David to show Him as the Messiah of Israel, Luke traces Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam. By including post-Flood patriarchs like Reu, Luke demonstrates that Jesus Christ is the promised Redeemer for all of humanity, fulfilling the universal scope of the Abrahamic and Noahic covenants.

Important Biblical Passages