the Second Week after Easter
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible
Genesis 37:29
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- CondensedParallel Translations
Re'uven returned to the pit; and saw that Yosef wasn't in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
Then Reuben returned to the pit and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes.
When Reuben came back to the well and Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes to show he was upset.
Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! He tore his clothes,
Now Reuben [unaware of what had happened] returned to the pit, and [to his great alarm found that] Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his clothes [in deep sorrow].
Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
Afterwarde Reuben returned to the pit, and beholde, Ioseph was not in the pit: then he rent his clothes,
Then Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow.
Re'uven returned to the cistern, and, upon seeing that Yosef wasn't in it, tore his clothes in mourning.
And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and he rent his garments,
Reuben had been gone, but when he came back to the well, he saw that Joseph was not there. He tore his clothes to show that he was upset.
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes
And then Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
When Reuben came back to the well and found that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes in sorrow.
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.
And Reuben came back to the pit. And, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
Now whan Ruben came agayne vnto the pytt, & founde not Ioseph therin, he rent his clothes,
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
Now when Reuben came back to the hole, Joseph was not there; and giving signs of grief,
Then Ruben came agayne vnto the pit, and beholde, Ioseph [was] not in the pit: then he rent his clothes,
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
And Reuben returned vnto the pit, and behold, Ioseph was not in the pit: and he rent his clothes.
And Ruben returned to the pit, and sees not Joseph in the pit; and he rent his garments.
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
And Ruben turnede ayen to the cisterne, and foond not the child;
And Reuben returneth unto the pit, and lo, Joseph is not in the pit, and he rendeth his garments,
And Reuben returned to the pit; and, look, Joseph wasn't in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
And Reuben returned to the pit; and behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit: and he rent his clothes.
Reuben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn't in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief.
Then Reuben returned to the hole. When he saw that Joseph was not in the hole, he tore his clothes.
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes.
And Reuben returned unto the pit, and lo Joseph was not in the pit, so he rent his clothes;
And Ruben returning to the pit, found not the boy:
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his clothes
Later Reuben came back and went to the cistern—no Joseph! He ripped his clothes in despair. Beside himself, he went to his brothers. "The boy's gone! What am I going to do!"
Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
he rent: Genesis 37:34, Genesis 34:13, Numbers 14:6, Judges 11:35, 2 Kings 19:1, Job 1:20, Joel 2:13, Acts 14:14
Reciprocal: Genesis 29:32 - his name Genesis 42:22 - Spake I Genesis 44:13 - General Leviticus 13:45 - his clothes Joshua 7:6 - rent 2 Samuel 1:2 - clothes 2 Samuel 1:11 - rent 2 Samuel 3:31 - Rend 2 Samuel 13:31 - arose 2 Kings 18:37 - with their clothes rent Ecclesiastes 3:7 - time to rend Jeremiah 48:37 - upon the loins
Cross-References
But because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, Jacob's sons answered him and his father Hamor deceitfully.
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes
As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back."
On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting,
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Reuben returned unto the pit,.... It is very probable he had pretended to go somewhere on business, with an intention to take a circuit, and come to the pit and deliver his brother, and go home with him to his father. The Jews say b he departed from his brethren, and sat down on a certain mountain, that he might descend in the night and take Joseph out of the pit, and accordingly he came down in the night, and found him not. So Josephus c says, it was in the night when Reuben came to the pit, who calling to Joseph, and he not answering, suspected he was killed:
and, behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; for neither by looking down into it could he see him, nor by calling be answered by him, which made it a clear case to him he was not there:
and he rent his clothes; as a token of distress and anguish of mind, of sorrow and mourning, as was usual in such cases; Jacob afterwards did the same, Genesis 37:34.
b Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 38.) c Antiqu. l. 2. c. 3. sect. 3.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Joseph Was Sold into Egypt
17. דתין dotayı̂n Dothain, “two wells?” (Gesenius)
25. נכאת neko't “tragacanth” or goat’s-thorn gum, yielded by the “astragalus gummifer”, a native of Mount Lebanon. צרי tsērı̂y “opobalsamum,” the resin of the balsam tree, growing in Gilead, and having healing qualities. לט loṭ, λῆδον lēdon, “ledum, ladanum,” in the Septuagint στακτή staktē. The former is a gum produced from the cistus rose. The latter is a gum resembling liquid myrrh.
36. פוטיפר pôṭı̂yphar Potiphar, “belonging to the sun.”
The sketch of the race of Edom, given in the preceding piece, we have seen, reaches down to the time of Moses. Accordingly, the history of Jacob’s seed, which is brought before us in the present document, reverts to a point of time not only before the close of that piece, but before the final record of what precedes it. The thread of the narrative is here taken up from the return of Jacob to Hebron, which was seventeen years before the death of Isaac.
Genesis 37:1-5
Joseph is the favorite of his father, but not of his brethren. “In the land of his father’s sojournings.” This contrasts Jacob with Esau, who removed to Mount Seir. This notice precedes the phrase, “These are the generations.” The corresponding sentence in the case of Isaac is placed at the end of the preceding section of the narrative Genesis 25:11. “The son of seventeen years;” in his seventeenth year Genesis 37:32. “The sons of Bilhah.” The sons of the handmaids were nearer his own age, and perhaps more tolerant of the favorite than the sons of Leah the free wife. Benjamin at this time was about four years of age. “An evil report of them.” The unsophisticated child of home is prompt in the disapproval of evil, and frank in the avowal of his feelings. What the evil was we are not informed; but Jacob’s full-grown sons were now far from the paternal eye, and prone, as it seems, to give way to temptation. Many scandals come out to view in the chosen family. “Loved Joseph.” He was the son of his best-loved wife, and of his old age; as Benjamin had not yet come into much notice. “A Coat of many colors.” This was a coat reaching to the hands and feet, worn by persons not much occupied with manual labor, according to the general opinion. It was, we conceive, variegated either by the loom or the needle, and is therefore, well rendered χιτὼν ποικίλος chitōn poikilos, a motley coat. “Could not bid peace to him.” The partiality of his father, exhibited in so weak a manner, provokes the anger of his brothers, who cannot bid him good-day, or greet him in the ordinary terms of good-will.
Genesis 37:5-11
Joseph’s dreams excite the jealousy of his brothers. His frankness in reciting his dream to his brothers marks a spirit devoid of guile, and only dimly conscious of the import of his nightly visions. The first dream represents by a figure the humble submission of all his brothers to him, as they rightly interpret it. “For his dreams and for his words.” The meaning of this dream was offensive enough, and his telling of it rendered it even more disagreeable. A second dream is given to express the certainty of the event Genesis 41:32. The former serves to interpret the latter. There the sheaves are connected with the brothers who bound them, and thereby indicate the parties. The eleven stars are not so connected with them. But here Joseph is introduced directly without a figure, and the number eleven, taken along with the eleven sheaves of the former dream, makes the application to the brothers plain. The sun and moon clearly point out the father and mother. The mother is to be taken, we conceive, in the abstract, without nicely inquiring whether it means the departed Rachel, or the probably still living Leah. Not even the latter seems to have lived to see the fulfillment of this prophetic dream Genesis 49:31. The second dream only aggravated the hatred of his brothers; but his father, while rebuking him for his speeches, yet marked the saying. The rebuke seems to imply that the dream, or the telling of it, appears to his father to indicate the lurking of a self-sufficient or ambitious spirit within the breast of the youthful Joseph. The twofold intimation, however, came from a higher source.
Genesis 37:12-17
Joseph is sent to Dothan. Shekem belonged to Jacob; part of it by purchase, and the rest by conquest. Joseph is sent to inquire of their welfare (שׁלום shālom “peace,” Genesis 37:4). With obedient promptness the youth goes to Shekem, where he learns that they had removed to Dothan, a town about twelve miles due north of Shekem.
Genesis 37:18-24
His brothers cast him into a pit. “This master of dreams;” an eastern phrase for a dreamer. “Let us slay him.” They had a foreboding that his dreams might prove true, and that he would become their arbitrary master. This thought at all events would abate somewhat of the barbarity of their designs. It is implied in the closing sentence of their proposal. Reuben dissuades them from the act of murder, and advises merely to cast him into the pit, to which they consent. He had a more tender heart, and perhaps a more tender conscience than the rest, and intended to send Joseph back safe to his father. He doubtless took care to choose a pit that was without water.
Genesis 37:25-30
Reuben rips his clothes when he finds Joseph gone. “To eat bread.” This shows the cold and heartless cruelty of their deed. “A caravan” - a company of travelling merchants. “Ishmaelites.” Ishmael left his father’s house when about fourteen or fifteen years of age. His mother took him a wife probably when he was eighteen, or twenty at the furthest. He had arrived at the latter age about one hundred and sixty-two years before the date of the present occurrence. He had twelve sons Genesis 25:13-15, and if we allow only four other generations and a fivefold increase, there will be about fifteen thousand in the fifth generation. “Came from Gilead;” celebrated for its balm Jeremiah 8:22; Jeremiah 46:11. The caravan road from Damascus to Egypt touches upon the land of Gilead, goes through Beth-shean, and passes by Dothan. “Spicery.” This gum is called tragacanth, or goats-thorn gum, because it was supposed to be obtained from this plant. “Balm,” or balsam; an aromatic substance obtained from a plant of the genus Amyris, a native of Gilead. “Myrrh” is the name of a gum exuding from the balsamodendron myrrha, growing in Arabia Felix. “Lot,” however, is supposed to be the resinous juice of the cistus or rock rose, a plant growing in Crete and Syria. Judah, relenting, and revolting perhaps from the crime of fratricide, proposes to sell Joseph to the merchants.
Midianites and Medanites Genesis 37:36 are mere variations apparently of the same name. They seem to have been the actual purchasers, though the caravan takes its name from the Ishmaelites, who formed by far the larger portion of it. Midian and Medan were both sons of Abraham, and during one hundred and twenty-five years must have increased to a small clan. Thus, Joseph is sold to the descendants of Abraham. “Twenty silver pieces;” probably shekels. This is the rate at which Moses estimates a male from five to twenty years old Leviticus 27:5. A man-servant was valued by him at thirty shekels Exodus 21:32. Reuben finding Joseph gone, rends his clothes, in token of anguish of mind for the loss of his brother and the grief of his father.
Genesis 37:31-36
The brothers contrive to conceal their crime; and Joseph is sold into Egypt. “Torn, torn in pieces is Joseph.” The sight of the bloody coat convinces Jacob at once that Joseph has been devoured by a wild beast. “All his daughters.” Only one daughter of Jacob is mentioned by name. These are probably his daughters-in-law. “To the grave.” Sheol is the place to which the soul departs at death. It is so called from its ever craving, or being empty. “Minister.” This word originally means eunuch, and then, generally, any officer about the court or person of the sovereign. “Captain of the guards.” The guards are the executioners of the sentences passed by the sovereign on culprits, which were often arbitrary, summary, and extremely severe. It is manifest, from this dark chapter, that the power of sin has not been extinguished in the family of Jacob. The name of God does not appear, and his hand is at present only dimly seen among the wicked designs, deeds, and devices of these unnatural brothers. Nevertheless, his counsel of mercy standeth sure, and fixed is his purpose to bring salvation to the whole race of man, by means of his special covenant with Abraham.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 37:29. Reuben returned unto the pit — It appears he was absent when the caravan passed by, to whom the other brethren had sold Joseph.
