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Genesis 37:22

in Genesis 37

“Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him: that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.

KJV

And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

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This verse in Genesis 37

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands

on Genesis 37:21-22

Reuben is the firstborn, and he had already forfeited that standing by lying with his father's concubine at Genesis 35:22. Here he works to get the boy out alive, and he does it by steering his brothers toward the pit. Jacob takes the birthright from him at Genesis 49:4.

This site's exposition

Throw him into this pit in the wilderness

The pit Reuben names is a bor, a cistern cut into the rock to hold rainwater, narrow at the mouth and wide below. A man thrown into one could die with no blood shed and no hand laid on him. Jeremiah was lowered into such a pit at Jeremiah 38:6.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

Every kind of honour and happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written, "My beloved ate and drank, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked." [Deuteronomy 32:15] Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And Reuben said unto them, shed no blood,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Reuben's temper seems to have been soft and effeminate, which had betrayed him to the sin of uncleanness; while the temper of the next two brothers, Simeon and Levi, was fierce, which betrayed them to the sin of murder, a sin which Reuben startled at the thought of.

The words behind it

24 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • אֲלֵהֶ֣ם׀to them

    ʾalehemH413 →5510 times

  • רְאוּבֵן֮Reuben

    reuvenH7205 →72 times

  • אַל־may not

    ʾal-H408 →724 times

  • תִּשְׁפְּכוּ־you shed

    tishpekhu-H8210 →114 times

  • דָם֒blood

    damH1818 →360 times

  • הַשְׁלִ֣יכוּthrow

    hashlikhuH7993 →125 times

  • אֹת֗וֹ<obj.> him

    ʾotoH853 →10935 times

  • אֶל־into

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • הַבּ֤וֹרthe pit

    haborH953 →66 times

  • הַזֶּה֙<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר[is] in the wilderness

    bamidbarH4057 →270 times

  • וְיָ֖דand a hand

    veyadH3027 →1618 times

  • אַל־may not

    ʾal-H408 →724 times

  • תִּשְׁלְחוּ־you stretch out

    tishlechu-H7971 →845 times

  • ב֑וֹon <the> him

    vo

  • לְמַ֗עַןso as

    lemaanH4616 →272 times

  • הַצִּ֤ילto rescue

    hatzilH5337 →212 times

  • אֹתוֹ֙<obj.> him

    ʾotoH853 →10935 times

  • מִיָּדָ֔םfrom hand their

    miyadamH3027 →1618 times

  • לַהֲשִׁיב֖וֹto restore him

    lahashivoH7725 →1056 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • אָבִֽיו׃father his

    ʾavivH1 →1212 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

9 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Genesis 45:24Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way!”3 worksJeremiah 36:25Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.3 worksGenesis 42:22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”2 worksExodus 24:11But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.2 worksDeuteronomy 13:9Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.2 worksMatthew 27:24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”2 works
The other 3 cross-references, with their words ▾
Acts 12:1About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.2 worksGenesis 22:12“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”2 worksGenesis 37:27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Acts 12:1

    About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 24:9

      Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

    • John 15:20

      Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours…

    • Matthew 10:17–18

      But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues.

    • John 16:2

      They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.

    • Luke 22:53

      Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this hour belongs to you and to the power of darkness.”

  • Through

    Matthew 27:24

    When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he…

    it leads to

    • Matthew 27:4

      “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”

    • 2 Corinthians 5:21

      God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

    • Psalms 26:6

      I wash my hands in innocence that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,

Where this verse is studied

About Genesis

Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Genesis: the study guide →Read Genesis 37 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Clement of Rome, Clement's First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapters 3-4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Genesis 37 →