Discovery BoxGenesis 37:21-22 
Context37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph 1 from their hands, 2 saying, 3 “Let’s not take his life!” 4 37:22 Reuben continued, 5 “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 6 (Reuben said this 7 so he could rescue Joseph 8 from them 9 and take him back to his father.)
Genesis 37:29-30
Context37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 10 He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?”
1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).
3 tn Heb “and he said.”
4 tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”
5 tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”
6 sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.
7 tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
8 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.
10 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.
