Genesis 35:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Reuben's transgression becomes evident. It is written that Reuben went and had relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine. And Israel was informed. This act was indeed a grave offense. Consequently, Moses, the lawgiver, prohibited a father and son from engaging with the same woman to prevent it from becoming a practice, declaring such an act deserving of death (Lev. 20:11). Although Jacob quietly bore this shame, driven by a father's love, he later reproached his son upon his passing, clearly articulating his wrong and issuing a curse upon him (Genesis 49:4-5). The misfortune that befell Reuben served as a warning to the others.

Reuben approached, etc. (Gen. 49: 3, 4). This account is presented in light of Jacob's decision to withhold the primary blessing that was customarily due to the firstborn (Gen. 49: 3, 4). He accepted this outcome with sorrow. The phrasing found in the Septuagint, absent from the Hebrew and Samaritan manuscripts, adds an extra layer to the text. The Masoretes likewise acknowledge that the Hebrew passage is lacking in this instance. Jacob fathered twelve sons, and the total number of his offspring serves as a conclusion to the story of his life's journey, which ultimately aims to delineate the origins of the twelve tribes of Israel.