Genesis 33:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all.

NIV: He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.

NASB: He put the slave women and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

CSB: He put the slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

NLT: He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

KJV: And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

NKJV: And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.

The long-awaited reunion with Esau has come, decades after Jacob fled to avoid his twin brothers rage (Genesis 27:41–45). Jacob still doesn't know if Esau's reaction will be peaceful or violent. All he knows is that Esau is coming with 400 men (Genesis 32:7–8). Once Esau is finally in sight, Jacob chooses a very specific arrangement for his family, placing them in position as his brother approaches (Genesis 33:1).

Jacob's strategy is to place his servant wives, Bilhah and Zilpah (Genesis 30:3, 9), and his children through them, at the front of the line. These are followed by Leah and her children. In the back are Rachel and her son, Joseph. Jacob's motivations for this are not explicitly given, but they aren't hard to guess. Jacob has long favored Rachel, so this arrangement is probably a reflection of his preferences for his own children. That seems harsh, but it would not have been an uncommon attitude in that era.

The strategic part of this plan becomes clearer in the next verse: Jacob is going to approach Esau first, ahead of all his family (Genesis 33:3). We might cringe at his overt favoritism, but at the same time, we should note that he's risking himself first and foremost. Jacob's intent seems to be that if Esau chooses violence, the wives and children will have an opportunity to escape. Rachel and Joseph, being at the rear, would have the clearest path to flee.

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.