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Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons, if I don`t bring him to you. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to you again."
Verse Takeaways
1
A Desperate, Not Literal, Offer
Commentators explain that Reuben's shocking offer to let Jacob slay his two grandsons was not meant literally. It was a dramatic, hyperbolic pledge to show his sincerity and assure his father of Benjamin's safe return. Scholars describe it as 'feeble talk,' highlighting Reuben's well-meaning but ultimately weak and ineffective attempt to solve the crisis.
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4
18th Century
Presbyterian
שׁבר sheber — “fragment, crumb, hence, grain.” בר bar — “pure,” “winnowed,” hence, “corn” (grain).
ש…
19th Century
Anglican
Slay my two sons. —Reuben does not suppose that Jacob would really put his grandchildren to death, but simply means to of…
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
And Reuben spoke to his father Being the eldest son, it most properly lay upon him to make answer to his father in t…
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This is the report Jacob's sons made to their father. It troubled the good man. Even the bundles of money Joseph returned to his father in kindness…
