This version states that he was overcome with lust for Bilhah and raped her while she was asleep. The book of Jubilees essentially repeats this story minus the punishment.
Other rabbinic sources simply avoid the verses. So, perhaps this is a case of misguided lust, or love, as some scholars suggest. But other scholars point out that in antiquity cohabitating with the consort of a leader is a way of making claim upon his authority.
If this is the case, then we should be mindful that things might have changed since Jacob wrestled with the angel. He is not the man he once was. Though this attempted coup seems not to have been successful, Jacob says nothing about it, even though he knows about it. Only upon his deathbed does he speak to the issue. As is often the case, life is way more complicated than the one or two verses that tell of an event. One hallmark of this book is that it portrays the Patriarchs as fulfilling Torah laws, even though they lived well before the revelation at Sinai.
The account in chapter 33 of Jubilees shares some elements with the Testament of Reuben but the presentation differs in important ways. For example, in this work, Bilhah is not blamed at all; and more emphasis is placed on exonerating her.
As elaborated by Michael Segal, the text explicitly states that she was bathing in a private place, and that she was asleep throughout the entire act of intercourse, and that when she woke up and realized what had happened, she cried out. A different approach is taken by some later Jewish sources, who attempt to ignore the story, or to deny the sin, even if this means subversively revising the biblical text. The Mishnah m. The rabbinic practice of simultaneous translation of the Torah reading in synagogues into Aramaic was intended to make the Torah accessible to the public.
The Mishnah states that this particular verse is read as part of the Torah portion, but it is better if the uneducated simply do not hear it. The Talmud b. One opinion notes:. Samuel b. Nahman and R. Jonathan assert that he did not.
There is an attempt to harmonize views of different sages, some of whom described Reuben as having sinned and atoned, for example, while others maintained that he was spared from sin.
What emerges in the course of this attempt to align disparate, and even contradictory, views, is a sense of the great value that the various sages attributed to such ideals as atonement, parental respect, and divine providence and intervention. So, did Reuben commit a grave sin, or was he spared from doing so at the last minute? Did Jacob, or God, punish him and if so, in a limited way, or for eternity? Did Moses mitigate the punishment or reiterate it? It is clear from the Talmudic discussion, however, that the various Sages who are quoted were not simply repeating a prescribed formula, but were responding to the problems of the biblical text.
To me, this seems to be a primary purpose of biblical narratives—to transmit a common lore of tradition to serve as a basis for discussions about what really matters [12]. Please support us. Rashi, Ramban. Ibn Ezra. Many of them feature midrash-like embellishments and interpretations of the biblical texts. Copies of Jubilees found in the Qumran Caves confirm its authorship by the first century CE most scholars date Jubilees to mid 2 nd century BCE ; the current form of the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs , including the Testament of Reuben , dates to a somewhat later period, but it makes use of earlier sources.
Feldman, James L. Kugel and Lawrence H. Leiden: Brill, , ch. Segal offers a different explanation for the inconsistencies raised by the multiplicity of excuses. The view you propose has some merits. Reuben would be the head of the clan because he was the first born. That right was given to Joseph. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account.
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Learn how your comment data is processed. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address:. Sign me up! Claude Mariottini — Professor of Old Testament. Skip to content. Share this: Email. Like this: Like Loading Bookmark the permalink. February 20, at am. Claude Mariottini says:. Vanu, Thank you for your comment and welcome to my blog. Vanu Kantayya says:. Marcus McElhaney says:. Hi, Dr Mariottini This is another awesome blog post and I got to look at things from a point-of-view I had never considered before I read this.
February 20, at pm. Marcus, Thank you for your comment. Claude Mariottini Like Like. Thanks, Dr Mariottini, I had never thought of it that way. Thank you!!!! Hank says:. June 7, at am. July 3, at am. Hank, You misunderstand the Old Testament. Joyce Yeap says:. April 25, at pm. Jacob only said it, when he going to pass away where Reuben cannot get his blessing Like Like.
Here is an interesting excerpt from the Talmud on this incident:. Again, this had nothing to do with Reuben seeking sexual pleasure.
What Reuben did was nothing less than an attempt to dethrone his father from his position as leader of Israel. Great post! Hi Rinny, Thanks for the positive thumbs up! Saying he did something similar is quite an understatement. It was super rebellion and yes it was an audacious power play!
Thanks so much for this. I read someone else post, and while it made sense. There were some things he said that were just plain speculations. But my friend you gave a more concrete evidence with bible to back up your words. And this article as you pointed out is a perfect case in point. However, I would say it is far from a word-for-word rendering as you put it. Keep in mind this information about Reuben attempting to usurp his father is also well explained in the Talmud which is now in the public domain.
Credit has also been given in those cases as well. Be blessed and Shalom! Does it really matter who said it first?
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