Genesis 33:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants.

NIV: Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.

NASB: Then Jacob raised his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel, and the two slave women.

CSB: Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two slave women.

NLT: Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives.

KJV: And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.

NKJV: Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.

The moment has finally come. Years before, Jacob fled this region to avoid the murderous wrath of a brother he'd cheated (Genesis 27:41–45). On the way back, Jacob was informed that Esau was on his way with 400 men: news which terrified Jacob. After splitting his caravan to minimize potential losses (Genesis 32:7–8) and a divine encounter with God (Genesis 32:22–32), Jacob is finally going to face his twin and his own past. At this meeting, he will finally discover if Esau has come to kill him or welcome him home.

Still planning for the worst, Jacob makes one last adjustment in the final moments before he meets his brother. He divides his wives and children and places them in a specific arrangement described in the following verses. His intent here is strategic. The arrangement described in this passage gives Jacob's loved ones better opportunity to escape if Esau's response is violent.

Genesis 33:1–11 describes the long awaited meeting between Jacob and Esau. Jacob maintains his attitude as Esau's cautious servant throughout, though Esau himself embraces his twin warmly and they weep together at their reunion. Esau hesitates, but Jacob insists his brother receive the enormous gift of livestock he has given. Esau does so. The two will part on good terms.

All the preparations to meet Esau have been made. Jacob has both the promise of the Lord's protection and a plan. Now the moment comes. Jacob approaches, repeatedly bowing low, until Esau finally runs to embrace and kiss his brother. They weep together. Esau meets Jacob's family. Though he initially refuses Jacob's enormous gift, Jacob urges him to take it as a sign of Esau's favor for him. Jacob soon buys land and sets up camp outside the city of Shechem, building an altar to the Lord there.

Jacob has just left a miraculous encounter with God, which left him with a new name and a limp (Genesis 32). When finally faced with meeting Esau, he is pleasantly surprised. Esau runs to Jacob to hug and kiss him. They weep together. After meeting Jacob's family, Esau tries to refuse Jacob's enormous gift. Jacob insists, saying that seeing Esau's face is as seeing the face of God. Jacob, refuses to travel back to Seir and instead journeys to Shechem. This sets up a tragic instance of assault and revenge, involving Jacob's daughter, Dinah.

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.