Genesis 37:29

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

Genesis 41:14

41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned 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, “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” (Reuben said this so he could rescue Joseph from them and take him back to his father.)

Genesis 37:28

37:28 So when the Midianite merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him 10  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites 11  then took Joseph to Egypt.


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.

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

tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”

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

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

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

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

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

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).

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.

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