And returned to his brothers: it is clear from this verse and the previous verse that the brothers had moved on before Reuben arrived at the pit. Now returned describes Reuben’s change of location from the empty pit to where his brothers were.

The lad is gone: according to verse 2 Joseph was seventeen years old. Therefore the term used for lad should be appropriate for a youth of that age.

And I, where shall I go?: Reuben is thinking of himself in his role as eldest brother and responsible for Joseph in his father’s absence. As long as Joseph was held in the cistern, Reuben had some degree of control over his destiny, but with his disappearance Reuben feels helpless. Revised Standard Version‘s rendering is literal and does not mean that Reuben is asking where he can go; rather he is saying “What can I do?” “Who can help me?” “I don’t know what to do.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .