Genesis 37:24

37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; ¹  there was no water in it.)

Genesis 37:29

37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! ²  He tore his clothes,

Genesis 37:20

37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild ³  animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” ⁴ 

Genesis 40:15

40:15 for I really was kidnapped ⁵  from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

Genesis 41:14

41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned ⁶  Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh.

Genesis 37:22

37:22 Reuben continued, ⁷  “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” ⁸  (Reuben said this ⁹  so he could rescue Joseph ¹⁰  from them ¹¹  and take him back to his father.)

Genesis 37:28

37:28 So when the Midianite ¹²  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ¹³  him ¹⁴  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ¹⁵  then took Joseph to Egypt.

¹ tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.

² tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.

³ tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.

⁴ tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”

⁴ tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.

⁵ tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.

⁶ tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”

⁷ sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.

⁸ tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.

⁷ sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

⁸ tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

⁹ tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.