וּבְנֵ֖י רְאוּבֵ֑ן חֲנ֥וֹךְ וּפַלּ֖וּא וְחֶצְר֥וֹן וְכַרְמִֽי׃
Anak-anak Ruben ialah Henokh, Palu, Hezron, dan Karmi.
Chizkuni
Compare one in Genesis 46,9 ובני ראובן חנוך ופלוא. Pelet and Phalu are identical, Eliav being the son of latter. We know this from Numbers 26,8. Seeing that the Torah previously had written in Numbers 14,35: במדבר הזה יתמו ושם ימותו, “in this desert they will be consumed, there they will die,” the Torah here explains why some of them died as the result of other specific occurrences, not just the sin of the spies. These people were quite numerous, including the twenty four thousand who died during the last year of the wanderings at Shittim as a result of sleeping with Moabite women and having worshipped the deity, Baal Peor of those women. Not a single one of the adult males who had left Egypt and who were alive during that debacle survived the march through the desert. (Numbers 26,64)
Ramban
MY TWO SONS ‘TAMITH’ (THOU SHALT SLAY). Under penalty of a curse,170Ramban’s intent is to explain that the word tamith is not to be understood literally as meaning that Reuben was ready to forfeit the lives of his two sons. Instead, the word is to be understood in a general sense, i.e., that Reuben is willing to be punished, but not that Jacob slay Reuben’s sons. Reuben obligated himself to return Benjamin to his father, as he said to him, My two sons ‘tamith,’ meaning, “May thy punishment be upon me if I do not bring him back to you.” This is similar in intent to that which Judah said: Then I shall have sinned against thee all my days.171Further, 43:9.
Now Reuben said, My two sons, although he actually had four.172Ibid., 46:9. His intent in saying “two” was to state that “in place of one of your sons, it should be visited doubly upon my sons.”
Now Jacob did not rely upon Reuben as he did upon Judah,173For when Judah gave his promise to his father that he would bring back Benjamin, he finally consented to send him along (43: 9-13), but Reuben’s plea went unanswered. for Judah prevailed upon his brethren.174I Chronicles 5:2. Thus suggesting that Judah’s great influence upon his brothers would assure their cooperation in bringing back Benjamin under all circumstances. Moreover, Reuben had already sinned against his father,175Above, 35:22. and therefore he would no longer rely upon him. Generally, Judah’s counsel was sound: i.e., to leave the patriarch alone until there was no bread in the house, for then he would listen. This — [Judah’s reference to the complete absence of food] — is indicated by Judah’s words to his father: That we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.176Further 43:8.
Now Reuben said, My two sons, although he actually had four.172Ibid., 46:9. His intent in saying “two” was to state that “in place of one of your sons, it should be visited doubly upon my sons.”
Now Jacob did not rely upon Reuben as he did upon Judah,173For when Judah gave his promise to his father that he would bring back Benjamin, he finally consented to send him along (43: 9-13), but Reuben’s plea went unanswered. for Judah prevailed upon his brethren.174I Chronicles 5:2. Thus suggesting that Judah’s great influence upon his brothers would assure their cooperation in bringing back Benjamin under all circumstances. Moreover, Reuben had already sinned against his father,175Above, 35:22. and therefore he would no longer rely upon him. Generally, Judah’s counsel was sound: i.e., to leave the patriarch alone until there was no bread in the house, for then he would listen. This — [Judah’s reference to the complete absence of food] — is indicated by Judah’s words to his father: That we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.176Further 43:8.