Not There Nowhere
He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?” Genesis 37:30 NASB
Not there – In this verse, the words “not there” are not there. The translators have added an explanation to the text, implying that Reuben declares Joseph is no longer in the pit. It makes sense if you don’t know the deeper Hebraic implications. You pass over the story thinking that Reuben is talking about location. But he’s not. The text says: ha-yeled ey-nenoo va’ani ana ani-va. “The child is not . . . and I, where am I . . .?”
Reuben is experiencing grief, and grief is an illness no one can see (Freud). Joseph isn’t lost. He ceases to exist. The impact of this means that Reuben will not only experience his own culpability, but he will also be subjected to Jacob’s loss. Where will Reuben go? To grief!
Let’s take a closer look at this statement.
First, the Hebrew word translated “not there.” It’s ‘ayin, here ey-nenoo, “he is not.” It’s the same word used to describe the total disappearance of Enoch (“and he was not”). Strong’s notes:
369 אַיִן, מֵאַיִן [ʾayin /ah·yin/] substantive noun negative adverb with preposition. As if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; TWOT 81; GK 401 and 4406; 29 occurrences; AV translates as “except”, “faileth”, “fatherless”, “incurable”, “infinite”, “innumerable”, “neither”, “never”, “no”, “none”, “not”, “nothing”, “nought”, and “without”. 1 nothing, not, nought n. 1a nothing, nought neg. 1b not. 1c to have not (of possession) adv. 1d without w/prep. 1e for lack of.
370 אַיִן [ʾaiyn /ah·yin/] interrogative or interjection adverb. Probably identical with 369 in the sense of query (compare 336); TWOT 75f; GK 402; 17 occurrences; AV translates as “whence” 16 times, and “where” once. 1 where?, whence?.[1]
The TWOT adds this:
אַיִן (ʾayin). Where. . . . It occurs in rhetorical questions expressing frustration (Num 11:13; II Kgs 6:27) or distress (Jer 30:7). . . אָן (ʾān). Where. Contracted from ʾayin it often occurs with the locative with verbs of motion to ask, “where to” in questions directed to man (Gen 32:17 [H 18]) or God (II Sam 2:1). The compound ʾad ʾānâ “how long,” is used by God, complaining about Israel’s prolonged lack of faith or obedience (Ex 16:28; Num 14:11). Men also ask God how long it will be before he responds (Hab 1:2; Ps 13:1–2 [H 2–3]).[2]
Note the assonance of the Hebrew: va’ani ana ani-va. Reuben’s rhetorical response also contains the verb boʾ, a verb used in the announcements of threat and promise. Reuben’s isn’t asking what place to flee to. He is announcing that there is no place he can go. Joseph is no more and now he is also nowhere. No matter where he goes physically, he no longer exists psychologically. He is no more just as much as his brother. His life has become nothing but threatening emptiness.
What do we learn? Well, we learn once more that translations don’t always communicate what is really happening in the text. We also learn that Hebrew is emotional narrative, not factual reporting. If you catch yourself reading nothing but chronological sequence, you’re probably off track.
But we also learn something about broken responsibilities. Failure to keep a promise sends us careening down the rabbit hole of emptiness. We descend to the life of “no more.” Just as our commitments crumble into nothingness, so our lives follow suit. We are the summary of our commitments. Once broken, “nothing” seeps in through the cracks.
Grief is an illness no one can see.
Topical Index: ‘ayin, ey-nenoo, is not, where, boʾ, go, threat, grief, emptiness, Genesis 37:30
[1] Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[2] Wolf, H. (1999). 75 אַי. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 36). Chicago: Moody Press.
