Genesis 35:22

35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with ¹  Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

Genesis 49:4

49:4 You are destructive ²  like water and will not excel, ³ 

for you got on your father’s bed, ⁴ 

then you defiled it – he got on my couch! ⁵ 

Leviticus 18:8

18:8 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness. ⁶ 

Leviticus 20:11

20:11 If a man has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. ⁷  Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. ⁸ 

Deuteronomy 27:20

27:20 ‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with ⁹  his father’s former wife, ¹⁰  for he dishonors his father.’ ¹¹  Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Deuteronomy 27:1

The Assembly at Shechem

27:1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Pay attention to all the commandments ¹²  I am giving ¹³  you today.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹⁴  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

[35:22]  ¹ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

[49:4]  ² tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).

[49:4]  ³ tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).

[49:4]  ⁴ sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).

[49:4]  ⁵ tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.

[18:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “the nakedness of your father she is.” See the note on v. 7 above. This law refers to another wife of the man’s father, who is not that man’s mother. The laws in the Pentateuch sometimes assume the possibility that a man may have more than one wife (cf., e.g., Deut 21:15-17).

[20:11]  ⁷ sn See the note on Lev 18:7 above.

[20:11]  ⁸ tn See the note on v. 9 above.

[27:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “who lies with” (so NASB, NRSV); also in vv. 22, 23. This is a Hebrew idiom for having sexual relations (cf. NIV “who sleeps with”; NLT “who has sexual intercourse with”).

[27:20]  ¹⁰ tn See note at Deut 22:30.

[27:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he uncovers his father’s skirt” (NASB similar). See note at Deut 22:30.

[27:1]  ¹² tn Heb “the whole commandment.” See note at 5:31.

[27:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 10).

[1:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.