Genesis 33:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

NIV: But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

NASB: Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

CSB: But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept.

NLT: Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

KJV: And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

NKJV: But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

After much fear, stress, and worry, the tension is finally broken. Jacob's plans to this point have all been arranged at cooling Esau's murderous rage (Genesis 27:41–45; 32:13–15) and minimizing the damage which might occur if he is still bent on revenge (Genesis 32:7–8; 33:1–3). Instead of drawing a sword, Esau runs to meet Jacob, hugging and kissing him. Both of them weep. The brothers are reunited, and there will be peace.

Jacob's worst fears about Esau have come to nothing. God has protected and provided for him, once more. That will not keep the reunion from becoming awkward, however, likely due to Jacob's continued insistence on displaying himself as a groveling servant. In truth, Jacob possesses both a birthright (Genesis 25:29–34) and their father's blessing (Genesis 27:28–29), in accordance with God's own prophecy (Genesis 25:23). His behavior here might be an expression of sincere regret or apology. Or, Jacob being Jacob, it might be a purely put-on display from someone still nervous about his brother's anger.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 1:04:22 AM