But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands by saying, “Let’s not take his life.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.”
- KJV And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
- BSB When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.
- NKJV But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”
- NLT But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Reuben intervenes to save Joseph's life, urging the others not to kill him. The eldest brother restrains the murderous plot.
Overview
Reuben, the firstborn, hears the plot and acts to deliver Joseph, insisting they not take his life. As the eldest, he bore responsibility for his brother's safety and likely hoped to restore Joseph to their father. God uses Reuben's intervention to spare Joseph from death, preserving the one through whom He would save many.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Gen 42:22Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.”
- Josh 10:28Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
- Gen 9:5I will surely require your blood of your lives; at the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man.
- Gen 35:22While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
- Matt 10:28Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 37:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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