Genesis 33:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent.

NIV: For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent.

NASB: He bought the plot of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.

CSB: He purchased a section of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of silver.

NLT: Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver.

KJV: And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.

NKJV: And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.

Jacob has officially and safely arrived in the land of Canaan, setting up camp within site of the city of Shechem. Abraham had also camped at Shechem when entering Canaan for the first time after God called him out of his old homeland (Genesis 12:6).

Jacob now buys the land upon which he is camped from the sons of Hamor. Hamor is the father of a son also named Shechem. Jacob purchases the land for 100 kesitahs. We don't know the weight or value of a kesitah. Most translators simply refer to it as money or silver.

The essential thing is that Israel—the new name of Jacob, and the nation formed by his descendants—now owns another piece of property in the land God has promised to them.

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 5/3/2024 3:35:07 PM