The fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the Retelling the Bible Podcast is posted today (June 26, 2024). It is the story of what Reuben did to his father’s concubine after his aunt (who was also kind of his mother) died. Let’s put it this way: the family was kind of messed up!
This episode refers to (but does not describe) a sexual assault.
You can listen to the episode right now and subscribe to the podcast by following one of these links or by searching for the podcast on your favourite platform:
The Biblical Story
The episode is based on Genesis 35:16-22 it also quotes from Genesis 49:3-4. Unless otherwise indicated, direct quotes are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, updated edition.
Why you should listen to this episode
Reuben’s rape of Bilhah is a very disturbing incident. Nothing could possibly justify what he is said to have done to this woman who would have been like a mother to him. But I hope my narrative will help people understand where such an abominable act might have fit in with the cultural expectations of that time and place and how they set the pattern for other key biblical stories.
Raping the Boss’s Concubine
If you read through the story of the rise of David and the various succession crises that he and his heir Solomon went through, you soon notice a pattern. It seems that one essential part of any attempt to seize someone’s kingdom or power involves raping or stealing his wives and/or concubines.
This happens often in the Bible.
- Abner slept with Rizpah, his great uncle Saul’s concubine. Saul’s son, Eshbaal, took this as an attempt to usurp his kingdom. (2 Samuel 3)
- Absalom slept with several of his father’s concubines, did it out in plain view and on the advice of the king’s counsellor (2 Samuel 16:20-23)
- Adonijah makes a desperate attempt to marry and sleep with Abishag, his father David’s concubine. Solomon interprets this as a play for the throne. (1 Kings 2:13-25)
Reuben’s story, therefore, is merely the first example of this particular biblical trope.
I dealt with the rape of Rizpah, and speculated that this may have been a tactic used by David himself, in my episode, 7.2 “Rizpah, the Woman who Ended the War.”
I told the story of Absalom’s rape of his father’s concubines in Episode 5.18 Ahithophel: Hell hath no Fury Like an Angry Grandpa.
Of course, you know I’m going to have to get to Abishag’s tragic story at some point in this podcast!
The Prelude to this Story
As I started to write this particular story, I quickly realized that so much of my understanding of it depended on the story that I told of Rachel and Leah’s birthing competition in episode 7.18 The Mandrake Machinations. That story introduces the characters of Rachel, Leah and even Reuben who are so important to understand what is going on in this one.
Is a Reuben Kosher?
The Reuben is a classic delicatessen sandwich but, since it mixes corned beef and swiss cheese — meat and dairy — it is not considered to be kosher. Of course, this fact has nothing to do with my story, but it made for an easy title.
Media in this Episode
The following music was used for this media project:
“AhDah” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music: Stranded by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10375-stranded
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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