When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes
English Standard Version (ESV)
Reuben's tearing of his clothes isn't just about shock; it’s a dramatic expression of his failure to fulfill his promise to Jacob to protect Joseph. He had planned to secretly rescue Joseph later, but his absence allowed the brothers to sell him, thwarting Reuben's own compassionate intentions and leaving him with the immense guilt of his inaction.
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes
English Standard Version (ESV)
Reuben, who had previously devised a plan to save Joseph, returns to the empty pit hoping to rescue him. To his horror, he discovers Joseph is gone, and in his shock and despair, he tears his clothes. This moment highlights the swiftness of the brothers' treacherous actions and Reuben's delayed realization of their wicked deed.
Joseph's brothers had a plan to get rid of him, but one of them had a different idea. What was Reuben's secret intention?
The brothers, consumed by jealousy, devised a cruel plan: throw Joseph into a pit. But Reuben, perhaps feeling a pang of conscience or a sense of fraternal duty, had a secret agenda. He intended to return later, rescue Joseph, and secretly send him back home. This wasn't just a passive act; it was an active attempt to thwart the others' malice and rectify their sin. He even took a circuitous route, likely to delay his return and create an opportunity for his secret mission. His tearing of clothes upon finding the pit empty wasn't just an act of surprise, but a raw expression of his dashed hopes and horror at what might have transpired in his absence.
Imagine returning to a place where you left someone, only to find them gone. What does that discovery reveal about the situation and your own heart?
Reuben's return to the pit is met with a shocking emptiness. Joseph isn't there. This isn't just a moment of surprise; it's a visceral reaction that leads him to 'rent his clothes.' This tearing of garments was a profound expression of grief, horror, and anguish in ancient times. It signifies a deep inner turmoil. He realizes that whatever happened, it was swift and hidden from him. His plan to secretly save Joseph has been undone, and the very worst possibilities flood his mind. His cry, 'The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?' reveals his despair – not only for Joseph's fate but for his own accountability and inability to prevent the outcome.
Understand the original words
Ask a follow-up
qara' simlah · Hebrew Verb Phrase
A formal act of public mourning, distress, or repentance. Tearing clothes indicates an overwhelming sense of grief, shock, or realization of a tragic event.
Reuben's torn clothes signify his shock and horror not just at Joseph's absence, but at the horrific turn of events orchestrated by his brothers in his brief absence. It highlights the rapid escalation of the brothers' cruelty and Reuben's inability to control them.
c. 1750 BC
Jacob's family settles in Canaan
Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, returns to Canaan, the land promised to his ancestors. He settles his large family, including his twelve sons, in the region.
c. 1739 BC
Jacob favors Joseph
Jacob shows overt favoritism to his son Joseph, giving him a special robe and telling him of dreams that suggest Joseph will rule over his family. This sparks deep resentment among Joseph's older brothers.
c. 1739 BC
Brothers plot against Joseph
Joseph's brothers, consumed by jealousy, conspire to kill him when they see him approaching their camp at Dothan. They mock him as 'the dreamer'.
c. 1739 BC
Joseph cast into a pit
Reuben intervenes, persuading his brothers not to shed blood, but to cast Joseph into an empty pit. They strip him of his robe and leave him there, planning to return later.
c. 1739 BC— this verse
Reuben discovers Joseph missing
Reuben returns to the pit, likely intending to rescue Joseph, only to find him gone. In distress, he tears his clothes, a sign of deep anguish and shock.
c. 1739 BC
Joseph sold to Ishmaelites
While Reuben was away, the other brothers sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites, who are taking goods to Egypt.
c. 1739 BC
Brothers deceive Jacob
The brothers kill a goat, dip Joseph's robe in its blood, and present it to their father Jacob, who mourns Joseph as if he were killed by a wild animal.
The tearing of clothes is a strong physical manifestation of deep distress and grief, seen here when Eliakim rends his garments in despair over the impending Assyrian threat, mirroring Reuben's shock and anguish.
Jeremiah 4:8The prophet Jeremiah also tears his clothes in anguish over the impending destruction of Jerusalem, illustrating how this act of rending garments is a consistent biblical expression of profound sorrow and alarm in the face of disaster.
Job 1:20Job's immediate and visceral reaction to devastating loss is to tear his robe and shave his head, showing a primal expression of grief that resonates with Reuben's own horrified response to Joseph's disappearance.
Amos 6:6This verse condemns those who are 'indifferent to the ruin of Joseph,' highlighting the moral failing of being unconcerned about suffering. Reuben's anguish in Genesis 37:29 stands in stark contrast to such callousness, as he is deeply affected by his brother's fate.
Genesis 44:13Decades later, the brothers again tear their clothes upon discovering that Joseph is not among them (in a different context), showing how this ancient garment-ripping act recurs as a sign of deep distress and realization of loss within the same family.
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…
pulpitGenesis 37:29: "And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes."
Verses 29, 30. - And Reuben (in whose absence apparently the scheme of sale had been concocted and carried through) returned to the pit (obviously with a view to deliver Joseph); and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes - a token of his mingled grief and horror at the discovery (cf. ver. 34; 44:13; 2 Samuel 13:31; 2 Kings 18:37; Job 1:20). And he returned un…
Reuben's tearing of his clothes isn't just about shock; it’s a dramatic expression of his failure to fulfill his promise to Jacob to protect Joseph. He had planned to secretly rescue Joseph later, but his absence allowed the brothers to sell him, thwarting Reuben's own compassionate intentions and leaving him with the immense guilt of his inaction.
Reuben, who had previously devised a plan to save Joseph, returns to the empty pit hoping to rescue him. To his horror, he discovers Joseph is gone, and in his shock and despair, he tears his clothes. This moment highlights the swiftness of the brothers' treacherous actions and Reuben's delayed realization of their wicked deed.
Reuben, who had previously devised a plan to save Joseph, returns to the empty pit hoping to rescue him. To his horror, he discovers Joseph is gone, and in his shock and despair, he tears his clothes. This moment highlights the swiftness of the brothers' treacherous actions and Reuben's delayed realization of their wicked deed.
"When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes" — Reuben's tearing of his clothes isn't just about shock; it’s a dramatic expression of his failure to fulfill his promise to Jacob to protect Joseph. He had planned to secretly rescue Joseph later, bu…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026