Genesis 33:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

NIV: So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.

NASB: So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

CSB: That day Esau started on his way back to Seir,

NLT: So Esau turned around and started back to Seir that same day.

KJV: So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

NKJV: So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

Esau finally accepts both of Jacob's enormous gift to him (Genesis 32:13:15) and Jacob's refusal to travel with him to Seir (Genesis 33:12–14). With Jacob's claim that he will follow at a slower pace, Esau departs. He is heading south, into the land of Edom.

The reunion with his brother has gone about as well as Jacob could have hoped (Genesis 33:4). The last time he was in this region, Esau was threatening to kill Jacob (Genesis 27:41–45). The confrontation is over. God has protected him; the relationship with his twin brother seems to have been restored.

What happens next, however, is completely different from what Jacob has just told Esau. Rather than heading south, following Esau, Jacob takes his family north, towards Succoth (Genesis 33:17). It's possible Jacob is still nervous that Esau wants to harm him. Or, that he might change his mind. We're not given Jacob's exact reasons, but we do know he does the opposite of his statement to Esau, and travels in the opposite direction.

Genesis 33:12–20 records Jacob's large company settling near the city of Shechem. Esau asks Jacob to travel back to Seir with him, but Jacob asks to come along later. Instead of following Esau, Jacob takes his caravan through Succoth. They eventually arrive near Shechem. There, Jacob buys land and settles in. In the next chapter, this will become the site of one of the ugliest episodes in Israel's young history.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 3:14:42 PM