and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”
Reuben comes back to the pit alone, expecting to lift Joseph out and take him home, and finds it empty. His first words at the empty pit are not about his brother but about himself. That one sentence opens a window into the man.
The Eldest Brother's Calculation
Reuben's earlier plan (v. 22) was not pure rescue. His own place as the oldest son was part of the reckoning.
L. M. GrantReuben suggested just putting Joseph into a pit he could not escape from. He meant to set Joseph free later, so that Joseph could go back to his father (v. 22). He clearly felt that, as the oldest, he would answer to his father for what the brothers did. Evil does not usually stay hidden for long.
The Cry Itself
His question points away from Joseph and back to himself. One writer asks what lay behind it.
L. M. GrantReuben clearly was not there when the brothers sold Joseph. When he comes back to the pit, he is shocked to find him gone (v. 29). His question to his brothers, "and I, where shall I go?" shows he was afraid the blame would fall on him. Did he think that Joseph had escaped and gone home to tell his father the whole story?
Good Intentions That Never Arrive
Reuben was the eldest, so guarding Joseph was his duty. He did speak up for him — and one writer weighs what that speaking up was worth.
The Bible TreasuryJoseph was in danger from his brothers. Reuben was the eldest, and he should have protected him. He does go so far as to say, "Shed no blood… throw him into this pit." He meant to rescue him. But something always happens to upset a Reuben's good intentions.
The same writer follows the trait down into Reuben's tribe, to a day when Israel went to war.
The Bible TreasuryWhile Zebulun and Naphtali were "risking their lives on the heights of the field," locked in a death grip with a strong enemy, Reuben stayed among the sheepfolds. He was searching his heart about what he ought to do — sitting on the fence. I expect he had almost made up his mind by the time the battle was over. Well, it is a convenient way. And he has left many descendants.
Torn Clothes, Unchanged Course
Reuben tears his clothes. One writer separates that kind of grief from real repentance.
The Bible TreasuryOne feature that usually stands out in the Reuben character is the misery of the undecided mind. Such a mind is never truly repentant, yet it is always full of regret over its weaknesses or its missed opportunities. When Reuben returned to the pit and found Joseph gone, "he tore his clothes … and said, The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?"
Degrees of Guilt
Reuben shared in the crime, but his brothers went further than he did. One writer says God keeps that difference in view.
Hamilton SmithPerfect goodness brings out the guilt of everyone. But though all are guilty, there are different measures of guilt. The Judge of all the earth will take account of this in due time, giving one person few lashes and another many. We see hints of these different degrees of guilt in the story of Joseph. All the brothers were guilty, but not in the same degree. Reuben was unstable, and morally corrupt, as we know from his history (Gen. 35:22; Gen. 49:3-4), yet he was not necessarily cruel. Like his brothers he has wronged his father, but not all human affection is dead in his heart. He would have spared Joseph's life, and his father's feelings.
The Brother Who "Is Not"
Reuben's words — the boy is gone — become the family's settled account of Joseph for years. Writers see in this the shadow of a greater rejection.
C. StanleyJoseph is sold into Egypt, and his brothers have got rid of him. Jesus is killed, and the world has got rid of Him. The lies and deceit of Joseph's brothers work so well and for so long that Joseph is almost forgotten. If he is ever remembered, it is only as the one who is dead, or "the one that is not."
Summary
- Intention. Reuben meant to lift Joseph out and take him home. The plan was right. It was also about himself: as the oldest, he would answer to his father.
- Hesitation. He waited, and the chance was gone. Meaning well is not the same as acting in time, and his tribe kept the habit.
- Remorse. Torn clothes are not repentance. His cry is about his own exposure, not his brother's suffering.
- Accountability. The guilt was shared, but not equal. God weighs the difference and will settle it in His own time.
- Absence. "The boy is gone" became the family's story for years. Joseph was sold and almost forgotten — as Christ was rejected by the world.