Genesis 33
33
Jacob and Esau Meet.#The truly frightening confrontation seems to have already occurred in Jacob’s meeting the divine stranger in the previous chapter. In contrast, this meeting brings reconciliation. Esau, impulsive but largehearted, kisses the cunning Jacob and calls him brother (v. 9). Jacob in return asks Esau to accept his blessing (berakah, translated “gift,” v. 11), giving back at least symbolically what he had taken many years before and responding to Esau’s erstwhile complaint (“he has taken away my blessing,” 27:36). Verses 12–17 show that the reconciliation is not total and, further, that Jacob does not intend to share the ancestral land with his brother. 1Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and with him four hundred men. So he divided his children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants, 2putting the maidservants and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3He himself went on ahead of them, bowing to the ground seven times, until he reached his brother. 4Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, and flinging himself on his neck, kissed him as he wept.
5Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children and asked, “Who are these with you?” Jacob answered, “They are the children with whom God has graciously favored your servant.” 6Then the maidservants and their children came forward and bowed low; 7next, Leah and her children came forward and bowed low; lastly, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed low. 8Then Esau asked, “What did you intend with all those herds that I encountered?” Jacob answered, “It was to gain my lord’s favor.” 9Esau replied, “I have plenty; my brother, you should keep what is yours.” 10“No, I beg you!” said Jacob. “If you will do me the favor, accept this gift from me, since to see your face is for me like seeing the face of God—and you have received me so kindly. 11Accept the gift I have brought you. For God has been generous toward me, and I have an abundance.” Since he urged him strongly, Esau accepted.
12Then Esau said, “Let us break camp and be on our way; I will travel in front of you.” 13But Jacob replied: “As my lord knows, the children are too young. And the flocks and herds that are nursing are a concern to me; if overdriven for even a single day, the whole flock will die. 14Let my lord, then, go before his servant, while I proceed more slowly at the pace of the livestock before me and at the pace of my children, until I join my lord in Seir.” 15Esau replied, “Let me at least put at your disposal some of the people who are with me.” But Jacob said, “Why is this that I am treated so kindly, my lord?” 16So on that day Esau went on his way back to Seir, 17and Jacob broke camp for Succoth.#Succoth: an important town near the confluence of the Jabbok and the Jordan (Jos 13:27; Jgs 8:5–16; 1 Kgs 7:46). Booths: in Hebrew, sukkot, of the same sound as the name of the town. There Jacob built a home for himself and made booths for his livestock. That is why the place was named Succoth.
18Jacob arrived safely at the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram. He encamped in sight of the city.#Gn 12:6; Jn 4:5. 19The plot of ground on which he had pitched his tent he bought for a hundred pieces of money#Pieces of money: in Hebrew, qesita, a monetary unit of which the value is unknown. Descendants of Hamor: Hamorites, “the people of Hamor”; cf. Jgs 9:28. Hamor was regarded as the eponymous ancestor of the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Shechem. from the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem.#Jos 24:32; Jn 4:5; Acts 7:16. 20He set up an altar there and invoked “El, the God of Israel.”#Jgs 6:24.
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Genesis 33: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Genesis 33
33
1Jacob saw Esau in the distance, coming towards him with four hundred men. So he split up the children between Leah, Rachel and the two personal maids. 2He placed the two personal maids with their children first, then Leah and her children, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3Then Jacob went ahead of them and bowed low to the ground seven times before approaching his brother. 4Esau ran over to him and hugged him. He put his arms around his neck and kissed him. The two of them wept.
5Then Esau looked around at the women and children. “Who are these people with you?” he asked.
“They are the children God graciously gave your servant,” Jacob replied.
6The personal maids and their children came over and bowed down. 7Then Leah and her children came over and bowed down. Lastly Joseph and Rachel came over and bowed down.
8“What were all the livestock for that I met on the way?” Esau asked.
“They're a gift to you my lord so you'd treat me well,” Jacob answered.
9“I have more than enough, my brother! You keep what you have,” said Esau.
10“No, please!” Jacob insisted. “If you're happy with me, then please accept the gift I'm giving you. Now I've seen your face again it's like seeing the face of God, and you have welcomed me so kindly! 11Please take the gift I've brought to you because God has treated me so well and I have so much.” So Esau accepted it.
12“Let's get on our way,” Esau said. “I'll go ahead of you.”
13“My lord can see that the children are weak,” Jacob responded. “Also, the goats, sheep, and cattle are nursing their young, and if I push them too hard, they'll all die. 14You go on, my lord, and your servant will come along slowly, walking with the children, and I'll meet you at Seir.”
15“Fine, but let me leave some of my men with you,” said Esau.
“You're very kind, but there's no need to do that,” Jacob replied.
16So Esau started on his way back to Seir that day. 17But Jacob headed to Succoth, where he built himself a house and shelters for the livestock. That's why the place is called Succoth.#33:17. “Succoth” means “shelters” or “stalls.”
18Later Jacob continued his journey from Paddan-aram. He arrived safely at Shechem in the country of Canaan where he camped outside the town. 19He bought the plot of ground where he was camping from the sons of Hamor, the founder of Shechem, for 100 pieces of money.#33:19. “Pieces of money”: literally, “kesitah,” whose value is unknown. 20He built an altar there and called it El-Elohe-Israel.#33:20. “El-Elohe-Israel”: meaning “God is the God of Israel.”
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com