1. Name and Meaning
• Name: Reu (Hebrew: רְעוּ, Rᵊ‘û)
• Meaning: Possibly “friend” or “shepherd,” from the root rā‘a, meaning “to tend,” “to pasture,” or “to associate with”

2. Genealogical Placement and Lineage Role
• Position: Sixteenth generation from Adam; sixth generation after the flood in the Messianic line
• Father: Peleg – lived during the division of the earth
• Son: Serug – continued the genealogical descent toward Abraham
• Lineage Role: Maintains the faithful post-Babel generational chain; links the divided nations to the narrowing covenantal line through which Christ would come

3. Life Summary and Historical Setting
• Lived in the era immediately following the dispersion at Babel, as nations and languages formed across the earth
• No specific narrative is given about Reu’s personal actions or location
• Lifespan: 239 years (Genesis 11:20–21), consistent with the post-flood shortening of human life expectancy

4. Theological and Christological Significance
• Part of the divine preservation of the Messianic line during a time of international fragmentation
• Though no typological role is ascribed to him directly, Reu serves as a generational steward of the covenantal promise
• His inclusion affirms the continuity of God’s redemptive plan during historically obscure generations

5. Legacy and Interpretive Reflections
• A quiet but faithful figure who represents generational transmission during the early stages of ethnic and national diversification
• Featured in biblical genealogies without dispute; consistently affirmed as part of the lineage of Christ
• Valued as one of the keepers of divine promise between major biblical events (Babel and the call of Abraham)

6. Summary Insight
• Reu’s life serves as a testimony to God’s silent but sovereign hand in preserving the covenantal line through the post-Babel generations on the way to Christ.

7. Biblical References
• Genesis 11:18–21
• 1 Chronicles 1:25
• Luke 3:35