And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
Reuben had been away from the pit with the intention of rescuing Joseph and restoring him to their father. When he returned to the pit he discovered that Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes in distress and grief over Joseph's disappearance.
He was alarmed at what had happened and blamed himself for it. He cried out in alarm that he did not know what he should do or where he could go. His brothers then told him that they had sold Joseph. The verse belongs to the larger story of Joseph as a virtuous man who was maligned, persecuted, and treated as a criminal for doing right, yet who suffered for righteousness and was finally given victories by God.
Reuben had been away from the pit with the intention of rescuing Joseph and restoring him to their father. When he returned to the pit he discovered that Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes in distress and grief over Joseph's disappearance.
He was alarmed at what had happened and blamed himself for it. He cried out in alarm that he did not know what he should do or where he could go. His brothers then told him that they had sold Joseph. The verse belongs to the larger story of Joseph as a virtuous man who was maligned, persecuted, and treated as a criminal for doing right, yet who suffered for righteousness and was finally given victories by God.