Genesis 32:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove."

NIV: He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds."

NASB: Then he placed them in the care of his servants, every flock by itself, and said to his servants, 'Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between flocks.'

CSB: He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, "Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds."

NLT: He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, 'Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.'

KJV: And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.

NKJV: Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.”

Jacob has prepared an enormous gift for his approaching brother Esau (Genesis 32:6). This is being done in hopes of cooling Esau's wrath for what Jacob did to him 20 years earlier (Genesis 27:30–35; 27:41–45). The offering includes 550 animals—males, females, and calves. In this time and place, living animals were a major commodity. They provided food, work, growth to families living in this region. This makes Jacob's enormous gift more than just a symbol. This is an act endowing Esau with a considerable amount of Jacob's personal fortune.

Jacob's strategy includes sending these animals out with servants to meet Esau before Esau's party of 400 men reaches him. Specifically, his servants were to deliver the herds to Esau one at a time, in five distinct groupings of goats, sheep, camels, cows, and donkeys. Jacob tells them to keep some space between each herd as they went toward Esau and his men. This, again, shows Jacob's mastery of manipulation. Each additional gift would magnify how magnificent these presents are.

Genesis 32:1–21 describes Jacob's preparations to meet his brother Esau, who is coming his way with 400 men. This will be the first time Jacob and Esau have spoken since Jacob fled Esau's rage as described in Genesis 27. Jacob is terrified this approaching force is coming to kill him. He divides his company into two camps. He prays in humility and faith to God for deliverance. He prepares a large gift of 550 animals to be strategically delivered to Esau to appease his presumed anger.

As Jacob turns from Laban and returns to his own country, he must face another fearful potential conflict. His twin brother Esau is coming with 400 men. Jacob fears this group approaches to take revenge for cheating Esau out of the family blessing 20 years earlier. Jacob is so afraid that he splits his company into two camps, even as he prays for deliverance. He also prepares an enormous gift to appease Esau. Finally, while alone in the dark, Jacob is unexpectedly forced to wrestle a mysterious man, who turns out to be God Himself in some manifested form. In a profound moment of symbolism, God forces Jacob to state his own name, which God then changes to Israel.

Jacob came to work for Laban while running from the murderous rage of his twin brother, Esau. Jacob was routinely cheated by Laban, eventually resolving to go back home along with his entire family. Unfortunately, this means coming back to face Esau. Jacob soon learns that Esau is headed his way with 400 men. Are they coming to kill Jacob in revenge for his deceit in stealing Isaac's blessing 20 years earlier? Jacob is afraid. He divides his large company into two camps. He prays earnestly to God for deliverance, and he prepares a huge gift to appease Esau. Finally, alone in the dark, Jacob physically grapples with a mysterious man who turns out to be God Himself, in some form. The man questions Jacob, changes his name to Israel, and pronounces a blessing. Thus prepared, Jacob will finally be reunited with his brother in the next chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.