Genesis 37:28-29

37:28 So when the Midianite 1  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled 2  him 3  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites 4  then took Joseph to Egypt.

37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 5  He tore his clothes,

1 sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

2 tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

3 tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

4 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.