Genesis 37:21-22
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Reuben’s action here isn’t just a simple rescue; it's a crucial moment revealing the tension between immediate violence and a more calculated, though still cruel, plan. He steps in not to fully save Joseph, but to redirect the brothers' rage from immediate murder to a less "bloody" but still deadly outcome: abandonment in a pit.
But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Joseph's jealous brothers, enraged by their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, conspire to kill him after sending him to spy on them. Reuben, the eldest, intervenes, not to save Joseph entirely, but to prevent his immediate murder by proposing they throw him into a pit instead, with the secret hope of returning him to Jacob later.
Joseph's brothers were consumed by jealousy, plotting his death. Yet, one voice rose against the tide of malice.
In the face of overwhelming hatred and a plot to murder Joseph, Reuben's conscience stirred. Despite his own past failings (Genesis 35:22), he couldn't stand by and let his brothers commit such an atrocity.
Reuben didn't just object; he offered an alternative. How did he navigate a situation where direct opposition might have failed?
Reuben's intervention was strategic. He didn't simply say 'no'; he proposed a less severe, albeit still harmful, course of action. This 'lesser evil' approach allowed him to salvage Joseph's life while still navigating the intense pressure from his enraged brothers.
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Understand the original words
bor · Hebrew Noun
A physical excavation in the ground, often used metaphorically in Scripture to represent a place of danger, imprisonment, death, or the grave (Sheol). It implies a state of being trapped or cut off from human society and divine deliverance.
dam · Hebrew Noun
The literal essence of life; in a legal and moral sense, it represents the life-force given by God. To "shed" it is to commit murder, violating the sanctity of life created in God's image.
midbar · Hebrew Noun
A place of desolation, testing, or separation from established society. In the Bible, it is often a place where humans encounter God or face extreme trials outside the protection of civilization.
This verse highlights a pivotal moment of internal conflict within Jacob's family. Reuben's plea to spare Joseph's life, though ultimately unsuccessful in preventing his sale, shows a flicker of conscience amidst his brothers' fierce hatred and envy, demonstrating how even in dark moments, a moral compass can attempt to guide actions.
c. 1800 BC
Jacob settles in Canaan
Abraham's grandson Jacob settles with his family in Canaan, a land promised to his descendants but not yet fully possessed.
c. 1750 BC
Jacob's family grows
Jacob's twelve sons are born, and the family begins to grow in number and influence within Canaan.
c. 1735 BC
Jacob favors Joseph
Jacob shows strong favoritism to his son Joseph, giving him a special robe and listening to his dreams, which causes resentment among his brothers.
c. 1735 BC— this verse
Brothers conspire to kill Joseph
Joseph's brothers, filled with envy and hatred, plot to murder him when he comes to visit them while they are tending their father's flocks.
c. 1735 BC
Reuben intervenes
Reuben, hearing the plot, persuades his brothers not to kill Joseph, suggesting they throw him into a pit instead.
c. 1735 BC
Joseph sold to Ishmaelites
Judah proposes selling Joseph to passing Ishmaelite traders, which the brothers do for twenty pieces of silver, thus avoiding direct bloodshed.
c. 1735 BC
Joseph taken to Egypt
The Ishmaelites take Joseph to Egypt, where he is eventually sold into slavery to Potiphar.
This verse highlights the strong envy and hatred directed towards David from the women's songs, mirroring the intense jealousy Joseph's brothers felt due to his favored status and dreams.
Psalm 105:17-18This passage directly references Joseph's suffering at the hands of his brothers, including being sold into slavery, framing his hardship as part of God's providential plan.
Matthew 27:3-5This account of Judas Iscariot, consumed by guilt after betraying Jesus, parallels Reuben's distress and regret after his brothers sold Joseph, showing the heavy burden of actions against an innocent party.
Proverbs 1:10-11This proverb warns against the destructive path of sinners who entice others into evil, reflecting the conspiracy of Joseph's brothers to harm him and the subtle ways malice can take root.
clarkeGenesis 37:21: "And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him."
Reuben heard it - Though Reuben appears to have been a transgressor of no ordinary magnitude, if we take Genesis 35:22 according to the letter, yet his bosom was not the habitation of cruelly. He determined, if possible, to save his brother from death, and deliver him safely to his father, with whose fondness for him he was sufficiently acquainted. Josephus, in his usual way, puts a lon…
calvinGenesis 37:1-36: "And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan."
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Istae sunt generationes Iahacob. Joseph filius septendecim annorum pascebat cum fratribus suis pecudes, et erat puer cum filiis Bil…
Reuben’s action here isn’t just a simple rescue; it's a crucial moment revealing the tension between immediate violence and a more calculated, though still cruel, plan. He steps in not to fully save Joseph, but to redirect the brothers' rage from immediate murder to a less "bloody" but still deadly outcome: abandonment in a pit.
Joseph's jealous brothers, enraged by their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, conspire to kill him after sending him to spy on them. Reuben, the eldest, intervenes, not to save Joseph entirely, but to prevent his immediate murder by proposing they throw him into a pit instead, with the secret hope of returning him to Jacob later.
Joseph's jealous brothers, enraged by their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, conspire to kill him after sending him to spy on them. Reuben, the eldest, intervenes, not to save Joseph entirely, but to prevent his immediate murder by proposing they throw him into a pit instead, with the secret hope of returning him to Jacob later.
"But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue hi…" — Reuben’s action here isn’t just a simple rescue; it's a crucial moment revealing the tension between immediate violence and a more calculated, though still cruel, plan. He steps in not to fully save…
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Last reviewed October 2026
