At a fateful moment in the desert, a deadly plot shifts from outright murder to the prospect of slavery. A proposal emerges that blends the desire to permanently remove a brother with a sudden awakening of family conscience, offering a way to eliminate him without directly shedding his blood.
The primary motivation behind selling him is not financial gain, as the profit split among nine brothers would be highly insignificant [הכתב והקבלה]. Rather, the intention is to inflict a punishment that perfectly mirrors the offense. Because he dreamed of ruling over them like a king, he is to be reduced to a lowly, humiliated slave [ספורנו, רבנו בחיי, ביאור יש״ר]. Additionally, the brothers are driven by a broader theological calculation. Knowing that God had decreed a future of exile and slavery upon Abraham's descendants, they calculate that by forcing him into servitude, the divine decree might be fulfilled through him alone, thereby sparing the rest of the family [חזקוני].
The specific choice of buyers is guided by legal and moral boundaries. They deliberately choose to hand him over to Ishmaelites rather than Midianites, who hold a status closer to the Israelites. By doing so, they attempt to avoid the severe prohibition of kidnapping and selling a person to someone considered a covenantal ally [צפנת פענח].
A significant debate exists regarding how the events actually unfold. While some commentators understand that a direct, physical transaction takes place, a central approach argues that the brothers never actually pull him out of the pit. Instead, the proposal to act is merely an agreement to walk away from the area. By leaving the scene, they assume passing merchants will eventually find him and take him into slavery. In this view, the sale happens on its own, with the brothers only causing it indirectly by abandoning him to the domain of others [מלבי״ם, הכתב והקבלה].
The ultimate goal of this plan is to avoid causing his death with their own hands, realizing that if he is left alone in the pit to die, the guilt of his blood would fall squarely on them [רד״ק, שד״ל]. The reasoning provided is deeply personal: he is their brother and their own flesh. This highlights a double bond. Not only do they share a father, but their mothers were sisters. This maternal connection naturally stirs feelings of love and mercy within human nature [העמק דבר]. Alternatively, the appeal simply emphasizes that despite being born to a different mother, he is still considered exactly like their own flesh [אבן עזרא].
The brothers' response is one of total acceptance. They do not merely hear the proposal; they fully agree with the logic and wisdom of the plan [רש״י, צרור המור, בכור שור]. In that pivotal moment, Reuben is the only one who remains completely silent [שד״ל].
Although their intention is not to kill him, and despite receiving his forgiveness years later, the act leaves a devastating historical stain. In a profound turn of justice, the very brothers who seek to make him a slave later find themselves standing before him, declaring themselves to be his slaves [הכתב והקבלה]. Ultimately, this betrayal is viewed as a grave sin against Heaven. It paves the way for the exile in Egypt and triggers harsh historical decrees, which, according to tradition, are only fully atoned for centuries later with the tragic deaths of the Ten Martyrs [פרדס יוסף, רקנאטי].