Genesis 37:29

29 Re'uven returned to the cistern, and, upon seeing that Yosef wasn't in it, tore his clothes in mourning.

Genesis 37:29 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 37:29

And Reuben returned unto the pit
It is very probable he had pretended to go somewhere on business, with an intention to take a circuit, and come to the pit and deliver his brother, and go home with him to his father. The Jews say F2 he departed from his brethren, and sat down on a certain mountain, that he might descend in the night and take Joseph out of the pit, and accordingly he came down in the night, and found him not. So Josephus F3 says, it was in the night when Reuben came to the pit, who calling to Joseph, and he not answering, suspected he was killed:

and, behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit;
for neither by looking down into it could he see him, nor by calling be answered by him, which made it a clear case to him he was not there:

and he rent his clothes;
as a token of distress and anguish of mind, of sorrow and mourning, as was usual in such cases; Jacob afterwards did the same, ( Genesis 37:34 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F2 Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 38.)
F3 Antiqu. l. 2. c. 3. sect. 3.

Genesis 37:29 In-Context

27 Come, let's sell him to the Yishma'elim, instead of putting him to death with our own hands. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers paid attention to him.
28 So when the Midyanim, merchants, passed by, they drew and lifted Yosef up out of the cistern and sold him for half a pound of silver shekels to the Yishma'elim, who took Yosef on to Egypt.
29 Re'uven returned to the cistern, and, upon seeing that Yosef wasn't in it, tore his clothes in mourning.
30 He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I go now?"
31 They took Yosef's robe, killed a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.