Genesis 35:21 Commentary and Bible Study

Sadly, at the end of this chapter, we read of the shocking, shocking, event of Rueben and his vile defilement of one of Jacob's wives. Reuben was the oldest son, the first child of Leah. He went and lay with Bilhah, Rachel’s maid who had become his father’s concubine, and in effect lived as his wife. Even within this disordered polygamous family, it was understood that this act was utterly abhorrent. Although the law of Moses which set boundaries on proper relations had not yet been given, Jacob expected Reuben to know that this was unthinkable and unclean. He knew that it was written on the heart of every man that to do this was to defile his father’s bed and was an act of extreme wickedness.By this Judah knew that Reuben was not the one through whom the promised seed would come. Nothing is said here about Jacob’s reaction, but we know how deeply this affected him, because this too came up at the time of Jacob’s pronouncing his prophetic word on each of the sons. Of this son he said, ‘Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: ⁴ Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch’ (Genesis 49:3-4). The great wound which this act of betrayal created in Jacob is seen by the contrast between the high hopes Jacob had for his firstborn, and the terrible reality. So Jacob was dishonoured by his son Reuben. How much pain the ungodliness of children causes for their godly parents. There was to be an event in the future which brought many of these sons to true repentance, but at this point they were not walking with God. The fear of the Lord which would have kept Reuben from doing such a thing was absent.