37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph 1 from their hands, 2 saying, 3 “Let’s not take his life!” 4
1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).
3 tn Heb “and he said.”
4 tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”
1 tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.
2 tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”
3 tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”
4 tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”
5 sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.
1 sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.
2 tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Or “because.”
4 sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.
5 tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”
1 tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”
2 sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.
3 tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.