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Genesis 33

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Jacob Prepares for the Encounter 1–4

1
And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. ​
2
And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. ​
3
And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. ​
4
And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. ​

Reconciliation and the Exchange of Gifts 5–11

5
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant. ​
6
Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7
And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8
And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, To find favor in the sight of my lord. ​
9
And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine. ​
10
And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. ​
11
Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it. ​

Jacob and Esau Part Ways 12–16

12
And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13
And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young: and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. ​
14
Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. ​
15
And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find favor in the sight of my lord.
16
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

Jacob Settles in Canaan 17–20

17
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. ​
18
And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city. ​
19
And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. ​
20
And he erected there an altar, and called it El-Elohe-Israel. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Genesis 33

Verse 1

four hundred men — The number was reported in 32:6. 'Lifted up his eyes' is a Genesis phrase for a sighting (13:10; 18:2; 24:63). 'Divided' (chatsah) is the verb of 32:7, where he divided the people and flocks 'into two bands'; now the children are divided among the wives and the two handmaids.

Verse 2

Rachel and Joseph hindermost — He sets them in three ranks: the handmaids with their children, Leah with hers, then Rachel and Joseph, her only child so far; Benjamin is born later (35:16–18). They come near to bow in that same order (vv.6–7). The verse gives the order and states no reason for it.

Verse 3

bowed himself to the ground seven times — Isaac's blessing had said, 'let thy mother's sons bow down to thee' (27:29). Jacob now bows (shachah) to Esau, whom his message had called 'my lord Esau', with 'Thy servant Jacob' (32:4), and he keeps the title in vv.8, 13–15. He 'passed over before them' himself.

Verse 4

fell on his neck, and kissed him — Esau 'ran to meet him' and 'embraced' (chabaq) him. The same falling on the neck is told of Joseph with Benjamin (45:14) and with Jacob (46:29), and of the father who 'ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him' (Luke 15:20). Jacob had prayed, 'lest he will come and smite me' (32:11).

Verse 5

graciously given — Chanan, to show favour, the verb again in v.11, 'God hath dealt graciously with me', and the root of the 'grace' (chen) Jacob seeks in vv.8, 10 and 15. Joseph uses it to Benjamin: 'God be gracious unto thee, my son' (43:29).

Verse 8

all this drove — 'Drove' is machaneh, 'camp', rendered 'host' in 32:2 and 'bands' in 32:7–8; it is the company of animals sent ahead (32:13–21). Jacob's reason is 'to find grace in the sight of my lord' (chen), and in 32:20 he had said of the present, 'I will appease him'.

Verse 9

I have enough — Esau's word is rav, 'much'; Jacob's 'enough' in v.11 is kol, 'all'. Esau calls him 'my brother'. His own riches are told in 36:6–7: 'their riches were more than that they might dwell together'. The refusal is of the present, and Jacob presses it in v.10.

Verse 10

the face of God — 'Face' (panim) is the word of Peniel, 'I have seen God face to face' (32:30). Jacob had planned to 'appease' Esau and 'see his face' (32:20); now 'thou wast pleased with me' (ratsah, to accept), the verb of an offering that 'shall be accepted for him' (Lev 1:4).

Verse 11

my blessing — Berakah, the word of Isaac's blessing: 'Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing' (27:35), and of Esau's cry, 'Hast thou but one blessing?' (27:38). The Hebrew of 'I have enough' is 'I have all' (kol); Esau had said 'much' (v.9). Jacob 'urged' (patsar, pressed) him.

Verse 13

the children are tender — 'Tender' is rak, soft or delicate. 'With young' is 'ul, nursing, the word of Isa 40:11, 'gently lead those that are with young'. Jacob gives two reasons, the children and the nursing flocks: if men 'overdrive' them 'one day', 'all the flock will die'.

Verse 14

lead on softly — Nahal, to guide, the shepherd's verb of Ps 23:2, 'he leadeth me beside the still waters', and Isa 40:11. Seir is Esau's country (32:3). 'Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir' (v.16); the two brothers are next told together at Isaac's burial (35:29).

Verse 17

made booths — Sukkoth, plural of sukkah, a booth or shelter; the place is named for them. Joshua puts Succoth in 'the valley', on the east side of Jordan (Josh 13:27). The same word is the 'booths' of Israel's feast (Lev 23:42). Here Jacob 'built him an house' and made booths for his cattle.

Verse 18

Shalem — The word is the Hebrew for 'whole' or 'peaceful', from the root of shalom; Jacob's vow was to 'come again to my father's house in peace' (28:21). The KJV takes it as a city. Abram's first stop in Canaan was this same neighbourhood, 'the place of Sichem' (12:6), where he built an altar (12:7).

Verse 19

a parcel of a field — Abraham had already bought Machpelah (23:16). 'Pieces of money' is qesitah, a unit named only here, in Josh 24:32 and in Job 42:11. Joseph's bones were buried in it (Josh 24:32); John 4:5 speaks of 'the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph'.

Verse 20

Elelohe-Israel — El-Elohe-Israel, 'God, the God of Israel'. The altar bears the name God gave Jacob at Peniel (32:28), as Moses' altar bore a name of the LORD (Ex 17:15, Jehovahnissi). 'Erected' is natsav, the verb of the pillars set up at Bethel (35:14) and over Rachel's grave (35:20).