Beerah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Beerah was a leader of the tribe of Reuben, described in Scripture as a prince of the Reubenites. The source note identifies him as another name for Beera, a leader of the tribe of Reuben. He appears in the genealogical record of Reuben’s descendants found in 1 Chronicles 5, a chapter that traces the family line of the tribe and recounts how their inheritance was established east of the Jordan.
The single verse that names him records a sobering event: “Beerah his son, whom Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites” (1 Chronicles 5:6). Beerah is thus remembered not for a victory or a great deed, but for being taken into exile by the Assyrian king. As prince of the Reubenites, he stood at the head of his tribe at the time of its removal from its land.
The setting is the period of Assyrian expansion, when the northern tribes of Israel were deported from their territory. The chronicler includes Beerah in the genealogy to show the line of Reuben continuing down to the moment of captivity. Scripture says nothing more of his character, his reign, or his later life. What is recorded is simply his position and his fate: a prince of Reuben who was carried away captive. His brief mention serves as a historical marker, tying the tribe’s ancestry to the disaster that overtook them.
The Name
The name Beerah is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable from the text itself. It is related to the name Beera, which appears elsewhere in the genealogies of Reuben. Some Hebrew names built on similar roots have been associated with ideas such as a well or a spring, but the precise meaning of this particular name is not well established, and no certain definition can be given. It is better to say plainly that the meaning is uncertain than to assign one that Scripture does not confirm.
A Closing Thought
Beerah’s life is remembered in a single line, and that line is about loss. A prince of Reuben, he was carried away captive, and his tribe with him. Yet even in a record of exile, God’s Word preserves his name. No descendant of Reuben is forgotten before the Lord, however dark the chapter in which they appear. For those who feel their own story is small or marked by defeat, Beerah’s brief mention is a quiet reminder that God keeps account of His people, and that being named in His book matters more than the length or the splendor of our days.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 5:6 — Beerah his son, whom Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.