Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two servants. He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept. He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, “Who are these with you?” He said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
Then the servants came near with their children, and they bowed themselves. Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”
Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it.
Esau said, “Let’s take our journey, and let’s go, and I will go before you.”
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes. We have…
1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes. We have said how greatly Jacob feared for himself from his brother; but now when Esau himself approaches, his terror is not only renewed, but increased. For although he goes forth like a courageous and spirited combatant to this contest, he is still not exempt from a sense of danger; whence it follows, that he is not free, either from anxiety or fear. For his cruel brother had still the same cause of hatred against him as before. And it was not probable, that, after he had left his father’s house, and had been living as he pleased, he had become more mild. Therefore, as in a doubtful affair, and one of great danger, Jacob placed his wives and children in the order described; that, if Esau should attempt anything hostile, the whole seed might not perish, but part might have time for flight. The only thing which appears to be done by him out of order is, that he prefers Rachel and her son Joseph to all the rest; whereas the substance of the benediction is really in Judah. But his excuse in reference to Judah is, that the oracle had not yet been revealed; nor, in fact, was made known till shortly before his death, in order that he might become at once its witness and its herald. Meanwhile, it is not to be denied, that he was excessively indulgent to Rachel. It is, indeed, a proof of distinguished courage, that, from a desire to preserve a part of his seed, he precedes his companies, and offers himself as a victim, if necessity demanded it. For there is no doubt that the promise of God was his authority and his guide in this design; nor would he have been able, unless sustained by the contident expectation of celestial life, thus bravely to meet death. It happens, indeed, sometimes, that a father, regardless of himself, will expose his life to danger for his children: but holy Jacob’s reason was different; for the promise of God was so deeply fixed in his mind, that he, disregarding the earth, looked up towards heaven. But while he follows the word of God, yet by the affection of the flesh, he is slightly drawn aside from the right way. For the faith of the holy fathers was not so pure, in all respects, but that they were liable to swerve to one side or the other. Nevertheless, the Spirit always so far prevailed, that the infirmity of the flesh might not divert them from their aim, but that they might hold on their course. So much the more ought every one of us to be suspicious of himself, lest he should deem himself perfectly pure, because he intends to act rightly; for the flesh ever mingles itself with our holy purpose, and many faults and corruptions steal in upon us. But God deals kindly with us, and does not impute faults of this kind to us.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 6, 10, 11 That if the one part were assailed, the other…
That if the one part were assailed, the other might escape.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 Gen 33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and…
Gen 33:1 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.
Ver. 1. He divided the children.] Carnal fear oft expels man’s wisdom, and leaves him shiftless. But Jacob, after he had prayed and prevailed, was not so moped as not to know what to do in that great danger: he masters his fears, and makes use of two the likeliest means: (1.) The marshalling of his wives and children in best manner, for the saving of the last, at least; (2.) The marching before them himself, and doing low obeisance. So Esther, when she had prayed, resolved to venture to the king, whatever came of it. And our Saviour, though before fearful, yet, after he had prayed in the garden, goes forth and meets his enemies in the face, asking them, "Whom seek ye?". {Joh 18:4} Great is the power of prayer to steel the heart against whatsoever amazements.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Placing his best beloved in the last and safest…
Placing his best beloved in the last and safest place.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 5 Here, I. Jacob discovered Esau's approach, Gen 33:1. Some…
Here, I. Jacob discovered Esau's approach, Gen 33:1. Some think that his lifting up his eyes denotes his cheerfulness and confidence, in opposition to a dejected countenance; having by prayer committed his case to God, he went on his way, and his countenance was no more sad, Sa1 1:18. Note, Those that have cast their care upon God may look before them with satisfaction and composure of mind, cheerfully expecting the issue, whatever it may be; come what will, nothing can come amiss to him whose heart is fixed, trusting in God. Jacob sets himself upon his watch-tower to see what answer God will give to his prayers, Hab 2:1.
II. He put his family into the best order he could to receive him, whether he should come as a friend or as an enemy, consulting their decency if he came as a friend and their safety if he came as an enemy, Gen 33:1, Gen 33:2. Observe what a different figure these two brothers made. Esau is attended with a guard of 400 men, and looks big; Jacob is followed by a cumbersome train of women and children that are his care, and he looks tender and solicitous for their safety; and yet Jacob had the birthright, and was to have the dominion, and was every way the better man. Note, It is no disparagement to very great and good men to give a personal attendance to their families, and to their family affairs. Jacob, at the head of his household, set a better example than Esau at the head of his regiment.
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III. At their meeting, the expressions of kindness were interchanged in the best manner that could be between them.
1. Jacob bowed to Esau, Gen 33:3. Though he feared Esau as an enemy, yet he did obeisance to him as an elder brother, knowing and remembering perhaps that when Abel was preferred in God's acceptance before his elder brother Cain, yet God undertook for him to Cain that he should not be wanting in the duty and respect owing by a younger brother. Unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him, Gen 4:7. Note, (1.) The way to recover peace where it has been broken is to do our duty, and pay our respects, upon all occasions, as if it had never been broken. It is the remembering and repeating of matters that separates friends and perpetuates the separation. (2.) A humble submissive carriage goes a great way towards the turning away of wrath. Many preserve themselves by humbling themselves: the bullet flies over him that stoops.
2. Esau embraced Jacob (Gen 33:4): He ran to meet him, not in passion, but in love; and, as one heartily reconciled to him, he received him with all the endearments imaginable, embraced him, fell on his neck, and kissed him. Some think that when Esau came out to meet Jacob it was with no bad design, but that he brought his 400 men only for state, that he might pay so much the greater respect to his returning brother. It is certain that Jacob understood the report of his messengers otherwise, Gen 32:5, Gen 32:6. Jacob was a man of prudence and fortitude, and we cannot suppose him to admit of a groundless fear to such a degree as he did this, nor that the Spirit of God would stir him up to pray such a prayer as he did for deliverance from a merely imaginary danger: and, if there was not some wonderful change wrought upon the spirit of Esau at this time, I see not how wrestling Jacob could be said to obtain such power with men as to denominate him a prince. Note, (1.) God had the hearts of all men in his hands, and can turn them when and how he pleases, by a secret, silent, but resistless power. He can, of a sudden, convert enemies into friends, as he did two Sauls, one by restraining grace (Sa1 26:21, Sa1 26:25), the other by renewing grace, Act 9:21, Act 9:22. (2.) It is not in vain to trust in God, and to call upon him in the day of trouble; those that do so often find the issue much better than they expected.
3. They both wept. Jacob wept for joy, to be thus kindly received by his brother whom he had feared; and Esau perhaps wept for grief and shame, to think of the bad design he had conceived against his brother, which he found himself strangely and unaccountably prevented from executing.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–12 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked,.... After…
And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked,.... After he had passed over the brook, and was come to his wives and children; which was done either accidentally or on purpose, to see if he could espy his brother coming: some think this denotes his cheerfulness and courage, and that he was now not distressed and dejected, as he had been before:
and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men; see Gen 32:6,
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and he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids; some think he made four divisions of them; Leah and her children, Rachel and her son, Bilhah and hers, and Zilpah and hers: but others are of opinion there were but three: the two handmaids and their children in one division, Leah and her children in another, and Rachel and her son in the third; which seems to be confirmed in Gen 33:2, though the word for "divide" signifies to halve or divide into two parts; according to which, the division then must be of the two wives and their children in one company, and of the two handmaids and theirs in the other: and this Jacob did partly for decency and partly for safety.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 12 We read in the former chapter how Jacob had…
We read in the former chapter how Jacob had power with God, and prevailed; here we find what power he had with men too. Here is,
I. A friendly meeting between Jacob and Esau, ver. 1-4.
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II. Their conference at their meeting. Their discourse is, (1.) About Jacob's family, ver. 5-7. (2.) About the present he had sent, ver. 8-11. (3.) About the progress of their journey, ver. 12-15.
III. Jacob's settlement in Canaan, his house-ground, and altar, ver. 16-20.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 10 Esau, with four hundred men, meets Jacob, 1.
CHAPTER XXXIII
Esau, with four hundred men, meets Jacob, 1.
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He places his children under their respective mothers,
passes over before them, and bows himself to his brother, 2, 3.
Esau receives him with great affection, 4.
Receives the homage of the handmaids, Leah, Rachel, and
their children, 5-7.
Jacob offers him the present of cattle, which he at first
refuses, but after much entreaty accepts, 8-11.
Invites Jacob to accompany him to Mount Seir, 12.
Jacob excuses himself because of his flocks and his children,
but promises to follow him, 13, 14.
Esau offers to leave him some of his attendants, which Jacob
declines, 15.
Esau returns to Seir, 16,
and Jacob journeys to Succoth, 17,
and to Shalem, in the land of Canaan, 18.
Buys a parcel of ground from the children of Hamor, 19,
and erects an altar which he calls El-elohe-Israel, 20.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIII
Verse 1. Behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men.] It has been generally supposed that Esau came with an intention to destroy his brother, and for that purpose brought with him four hundred armed men. But,
1. There is no kind of evidence of this pretended hostility.
2. There is no proof that the four hundred men that Esau brought with him were at all armed.
3. But there is every proof that he acted towards his brother Jacob with all openness and candour, and with such a forgetfulness of past injuries as none but a great mind could have been capable of.
Why then should the character of this man be perpetually vilified? Here is the secret. With some people, on the most ungrounded assumption, Esau is a reprobate, and the type and figure of all reprobates, and therefore he must be everything that is bad. This serves a system; but, whether true or false in itself, it has neither countenance nor support from the character or conduct of Esau.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 Gen 33:1. Behold, Esau came — Who had said,…
Gen 33:1. Behold, Esau came — Who had said, Gen 27:41, “I will slay my brother Jacob;” and with him four hundred men — A force sufficient for him to do what he had threatened.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v1 - Jacob and Esau Meet
- Jacob and Esau Meet
17. סכת sûkkôth, Sukkoth, “booths,” consisting of poles forming a roof covered with branches, leaves, or grass.
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19. חמור chămôr Chamor, “ass, red, heap.” קשׂיטה qeśı̂yṭâh Qesitah, weighed or measured. Ἀμνὸς Amnos, Septuagint and Onkelos
Jacob has a friendly interview with Esau, and re-+enters Kenaan.
Gen 33:1-3
Jacob, upon seeing Esau approach with his four hundred men, advances with circumspection and lowly obeisance. He divided his family, arranged them according to their preciousness in his eyes, and walks himself in front. In drawing near, he bows seven times, in token of complete submission to his older brother. Esau, the wild hunter, is completely softened, and manifests the warmest affection, which is reciprocated by Jacob. The puncta extraordinaria over וישׁקהוּ vayı̂shēqēhû, “and kissed him,” seemingly intimating a doubt of the reading or of the sincerity of Esau, are wholly unwarranted. Esau then observes the women and children, and inquires who they are. Jacob replies that God had granted, graciously bestowed on him, these children. They approach in succession, and do obeisance. Esau now inquires of the caravan or horde he had already met. He had heard the announcement of the servants; but he awaited the confirmation of the master. “To find grace in the eyes of my lord.” Jacob values highly the good-will of his brother. The acceptance of this present is the security for that good-will, and for all the safety and protection which it involved. Esau at first declines the gift, but on being urged by Jacob accepts it, and thereby relieves Jacob of all his anxiety. His brother is now his friend indeed. “Therefore, have I seen thy face,” that I might give thee this token of my affection. “As if I had seen the face of God.” The unexpected kindness with which his brother had received him was a type and proof of the kindness of the All-provident, by whom it had been added to all his other mercies. My blessing; my gift which embodies my good wishes. I have all; not only enough, but all that I can wish.
Gen 33:12-16
They now part for the present. “I will qo with thee;” as an escort or vanguard. Jacob explains that this would be inconvenient for both parties, as his tender children and suckling cattle could not keep pace with Esau’s men, who were used to the road. “At the pace of the cattle;” as fast as the business (מלאכה melā'kâh) of traveling with cattle will permit. Unto Selr. Jacob is travelling to the land of Kenaan, and to the residence of his father. But, on arriving there, it will be his first duty to return the fraternal visit of Esau. The very circumstance that he sent messengers to apprise his brother of his arrival, implies that he was prepared to cultivate friendly relations with him. Jacob also declines the offer of some of the men that Esau had with him. He had, doubtless, enough of hands to manage his remaining flock, and he now relied more than ever on the protection of that God who had ever proved himself a faithful and effectual guardian.
Gen 33:17
“Sukkoth” was south of the Jabbok, and east of the Jordan, as we learn from Jdg 8:4-9. From the same passage it appears to have been nearer the Jordan than Penuel, which was at the ford of Jahbok. Sukkoth cannot therefore, be identified with Sakut, which Robinson finds on the other side of the Jordan, about ten miles north of the mouth of the Jabbok. “And built him a house.” This indicates a permanent residence. Booths, or folds, composed of upright stakes wattled together, and sheltered with leafy branches. The closed space in the text is properly introduced here, to indicate the pause in the narrative, while Jacob sojourned in this place. Dinah, who is not noticed on the journey, was now not more than six years of age. Six or seven years more, therefore, must have elapsed before the melancholy events of the next chapter took place. In the interval, Jacob may have visited his father, and even returned the visit of Esau.
Gen 33:18-20
Jacob at length crosses the Jordan, and enters again the land of Kenaan. “In peace.” The original word (שׁלם shālēm “safe, in peace”) is rendered Shalem, the name of the town at which Jacob arrived, by the Septuagint. The rendering safe, or in peace, is here adopted, because (1) the word is to be taken as a common noun or adjective, unless there be a clear necessity for a proper name; (2) “the place” was called Shekem in the time of Abraham Gen 12:6, and the “town” is so designated in the thirty-fifth chapter Gen 35:4; and (3) the statement that Jacob arrived in safety accounts for the additional clauses, “which is in the land of Kenaan,” and “when he went from Padan-aram,” and is in accordance with the promise Gen 28:21 that he would return in peace. If, however, the Salim found by Robinson to the west of Nablous be the present town, it must be called the city of Shekem, because it belonged to the Shekem mentioned in the following verse and chapter. “Pitched before the city.”
Jacob did not enter into the city, because his flocks and herds could not find accommodation there, and he did not want to come into close contact with the inhabitants. “He bought a parcel of the field.” He is anxious to have a place he may call his own, where he may have a permanent resting-place. “For a hundred kesitahs.” The kesitah may have been a piece of silver or gold, of a certain weight, equal in value to a lamb (see Gesenius). “El-Elohe-Israel.” Jacob consecrates his ground by the erection of an altar. He calls it the altar of the Mighty One, the God of Israel, in which he signalizes the omnipotence of him who had brought him in safety to the land of promise through many perils, the new name by which he himself had been lately designated, and the blessed communion which now existed between the Almighty and himself. This was the very spot where Abraham, about one hundred and eighty-five years ago, built the first altar he erected in the promised land Gen 12:6-7. It is now consecrated anew to the God of promise.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv3, 8 Forward, before his family; like a good father, exposing…
Forward, before his family; like a good father, exposing himself to the greatest danger. (Menochius) --- Seven times, to testify his great humility and respect for his brother. How, then, can any one find fault with Catholics, if they bow down before the cross thrice on Good Friday, to testify their great veneration for their expiring Lord?
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 11, 12 he bowed himself . . . seven times--The manner…
he bowed himself . . . seven times--The manner of doing this is by looking towards a superior and bowing with the upper part of the body brought parallel to the ground, then advancing a few steps and bowing again, and repeating his obeisance till, at the seventh time, the suppliant stands in the immediate presence of his superior. The members of his family did the same. This was a token of profound respect, and, though very marked, it would appear natural; for Esau being the elder brother, was, according to the custom of the East, entitled to respectful treatment from his younger brother. His attendants would be struck by it, and according to Eastern habits, would magnify it in the hearing of their master.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 10, 11 MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU, Gen_33:1-16.
MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU, Gen_33:1-16.
2. Rachel and Joseph hindermost — Jacob evidently arranged his companies according to his special affection for each; for the handmaids least, for Rachel most.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes, &c.] For…
1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes, &c.] For this phrase, cf. Gen_18:2, Gen_24:63, Gen_31:10 (J).
four hundred men] See Gen_32:6.
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he divided, &c.] Jacob disposes of his household, placing in the rear those who were most dear to him, so that in the event of an attack by Esau they might have the best chance of escape.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 8, 10 (3) He passed over before them.—While providing some small…
XXXIII.
(3) He passed over before them.—While providing some small chance of escape for his wives and children, arranged according to their rank, Jacob manfully went first and placed himself entirely in Esau’s power. He endeavoured, nevertheless, by his sevenfold obeisance in acknowledgment of Esau’s superiority, to propitiate him; for the cause of the quarrel had been Jacob’s usurpation of Esau’s right of precedence as the first born. This bowing in the East is made by bending the body forward with the arms crossed, and the right hand held over the heart.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. H. Mackintosh 1880 · Public Domain On v1 Genesis 33 - 34
Genesis 33 - 34
We may here see how groundless were all Jacob’s fears, and how useless all his plans. Notwithstanding the wrestling, the touching the hollow of the thigh, and the halting, we find Jacob still planning. "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. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost." This arrangement proved the continuance of his fears. He still anticipated vengeance from the hand of Esau, and he exposed those about whom he cared least, to the first stroke of that vengeance. How wondrous are the depths of the human heart? How slow it is to trust God! Had Jacob been really leaning upon God, he never could have anticipated destruction for himself and his family; but alas! the heart knows something of the difficulty of simply reposing, in calm confidence, upon an over present, all-powerful, and infinitely gracious God.
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But mark, now, the thorough vanity of the heart’s anxiety. "and Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and they wept." The present was quite unnecessary - the plan, useless. God "appeased" Esau, us He had already appeased Laban. Thus it is He ever delights to rebuke our poor, coward, unbelieving hearts, and put to flight all our fears. Instead of the dreaded sword of Esau, Jacob meets his embrace and kiss; instead of strife and conflict, they mingle their tears. Such are God’s ways. Who would not trust Him? Who would not honour Him with the heart’s fullest confidence? Why is it that, Notwithstanding all the sweet evidence of His faithfulness to those will put their trust in Him, we are so ready, on every fresh occasion, to doubt and hesitate? The answer is simple, we are not sufficiently acquainted with God. "acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace." (Job 22: 21) This is true, whether in reference to the unconverted sinner, or to the child of God. The true knowledge of God, real acquaintance with Him, is life and pence. "This is, life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." (John 17: 3) The more intimate our acquaintance with God, the more solid will be our peace, and the more will our souls be lifted above every creature dependence. "God is a Rock," and we only need to lean our whole weight upon Him, to know how ready and how able He is to sustain us.
After all this manifestation of God’s goodness, we find Jacob settling down in Succoth, and, contrary to the spirit and principles of a pilgrim life, building a house, as if it were his home. Now, Succoth was evidently not his divinely-appointed destination. The Lord had not said to him," I am the God of Succoth;" no; but "I am the God of Bethel." Bethel, therefore, and not Succoth, should have been Jacob’s grand object. But, alas! the heart is always prone to rest satisfied with a position and portion short of what God would graciously assign.
Jacob then moves on to Shechem, and purchases ground, still falling short of the divine mark, and the name by which he calls his altar is indicative of the moral condition of his soul. He calls it "El-elohe Israel," or "God, the God of Israel." This was taking a very contracted view of God. True, it is our privilege to know God as our God; but it is a higher thing to know Him as the God of His own house, and to view ourselves as part of that house. It is the believer’s privilege to know Christ as his Head; but it is a higher thing to know Him as the Head of His body the Church, and to know ourselves as members of that body.
We shall see, when we come to Gen. 35 that Jacob is led to take a higher and a wider view of God; but at Shechem he was manifestly on low ground, and he was made to smart for it, as is always the case when we stop short of God’s own ground. The two tribes and a half took up their position on this side of Jordan, and they were the first to fall into the enemy’s hand. So it was with Jacob. We see, in Gen. 34 the bitter fruits of his sojourn at Shechem. There is a blot cast upon his family, which Simeon and Levi attempt to wipe out, in the mere energy and violence of nature, which only led to still deeper sorrow; and that, too, which touched Jacob still more keenly than the insult offered to his daughter:" And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house." Thus, it was the consequences in reference to himself that affected Jacob most. He seems to have walked in constant apprehension of danger to himself or his family, and in the manifestation of an anxious, a cautious, timid, calculating spirit, utterly incompatible with a life of genuine faith in God.
It is not that Jacob was not, in the main, a man of faith; he assuredly was, and as such, gets a place amongst the "cloud of witnesses" in Heb. 11. But then he exhibited sad failure from not walking in the habitual exercise of that divine principle. Could faith have led him to say," I shall be destroyed, I and my house?" Surely not. God’s promise in Gen. 28: 14, 15, should have banished every fear from his poor timid spirit. "I will keep thee .....I will not leave thee. This should have tranquillised his heart. But the fact is, his mind was more occupied with his danger among the Shechemites than with his security in the hand of God. He ought to have known that "not a hair of his head could be touched, and therefore, instead of looking at Simeon and Levi, or the consequences of their rash acting, he should have judged himself for being in such a position at all. If he had not settled at Shechem, Dinah would not have been dishonoured, and the violence of his sons would not have been exhibited. We constantly see Christians getting into deep sorrow and trouble through their own unfaithfulness; and then, instead of judging themselves, they begin to look at circumstances, and to cast upon them the blame.
How often do we see Christian parents, for instance, in keen anguish of soul about the wildness, unsubduedness, and worldliness of their children; and, all the while, they have mainly to blame themselves for not walking faithfully before God in reference to their family. Thus was it with Jacob. He was on low moral ground at Shechem; and, inasmuch as he lacked that refined sensibility which would have led him to detect the low ground, God, in very faithfulness, used his circumstances to chastise him. "God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." This is a principle flowing out of God’s moral government, a principle, from the application of which none can possibly escape; and it is a positive mercy to the children of God that they are obliged to reap the fruits of their errors. It is a mercy to be taught, in any way, the bitterness of departing from, or stopping short of, the living God. We must learn that this is not our rest; for, blessed be God, He would not give us a polluted rest. He would ever have us resting in, and with Himself. Such is His perfect grace; and when our hearts founder, or fall short, His word is, "If thou wilt return, return unto Me." False humility, which is simply the fruit of unbelief, would lead the wanderer or backslider to take lower ground, not knowing the principle or measure of God’s restoration. The prodigal would seek to be made a servant, not knowing that, so far as he was concerned, he had no more title to take place of a servant than to that of a son; and, moreover, that it would be utterly unworthy of the father’s character to put him in such a position. We must come to God on a principle and in a manner worthy of Himself, or not at all.
C. H. Mackintosh, Notes on the Pentateuch — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 Vers. 1, 2. And Jacob, having the day before…
Vers. 1, 2. And Jacob, having the day before dispatched his conciliatory gift to Esau, turned his back upon the Jabbok, having crossed to the south bank, if the previous night had been spent upon its north side, passed over the rising ground of Peniel (vide Tristram"s "Land of Israel," p. 558), and advanced to meet his brother, richly laden with the heavenly blessing he had won in his mysterious conflict with Elohim, and to all appearance free from those paralyzing fears which, previous to the midnight struggle, the prospect of meeting Esau had inspired. Having already prevailed with God, he had an inward assurance, begotten by the words of his celestial antagonist, that he would likewise prevail with man, and so he lifted up his eyes, (vide on Gen_13:10) and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. (vide Gen_32:6) And he (i.e. Jacob) divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, thus omitting no wise precaution to insure safety for at least a portion of his household, in case Esau should be still incensed and resolved on a hostile attack. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost, as being most beloved (Kalisch, Murphy, Lange, and others) or most beautiful (Bush).
Vers. 1-20.
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Jacob and Esau, or the brothers reconciled.
I THE MEETING OF THE BROTHERS.
1. The approach of Esau.
(1) Conscious of his greatness, being attended by 400 armed followers;
(2) thirsting for revenge, remembering the wrongs he had endured at Jacob"s hands;
(3) longing to see his brother, from whom he had been parted now for upwards of twenty years. It is probable that all three emotions pride, anger, affection swelled within the breast of my lord Esau, struggling to obtain the mastery. Which of them should conquer another moment would decide.
2. The advance of Jacob.
(1) With commendable caution, dividing his company into three several groups first the handmaids and their boys, next Leah and her children, and last Rachel and Joseph;
(2) with rare chivalry, placing himself in front of the foremost, which may be placed to his account as a set-off against his supposed partiality to Rachel and Joseph;
(3) with profound respect, bowing and advancing seven times, with true Oriental politeness, until he came to Esau.
3. The reconciliation of both. The conflict of emotions in the breast of Esau was brought to a decision by the sight of Jacob, which at once cast the balance on the side of fraternal affection. Old memories of boyhood and home revived in the bosom of the stalwart hunter as he looked on his twin-brother, and, under the impulse of generous and noble feeling, he ran and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him. Nor was the heart of Jacob less susceptible of such tender emotion. Reciprocating his manly brother"s embrace, he too yielded to a rush of kindly sentiment, and they both wept. What a study for a painter! Cf. Jonathan and David, (1Sa_20:41) and the prodigal and his father. (Luk_15:20)
II THE CONVERSE OF THE BROTHERS.
1. Esau s inquiries and Jacob s answers.
(1) Esau asks about the women and the children in Jacob s train; and Jacob, piously acknowledging the Divine hand that had surrounded him with so many precious objects of affection, instructs them to do obeisance to their kinsman, which with beautiful politeness, following his own courteous example, they do. It bespeaks a devout heart when domestic as well as other blessings are traced to the all-bountiful Giver, a well-ordered home when its inmates imitate the good conduct of its head, and a fine sensibility when the claims of relatives to courtesy and kindness are recognized and honored.
(2) Esau requests to be informed about the droves which he had met, and Jacob explains that he had sent them as a present to conciliate his favor. At first declining with a praiseworthy magnanimity to deprive his brother of any of his hard-earned wealth, Esau is afterwards constrained to accept the proffered gift, on learning that Jacob would not otherwise be sure of his forgiveness and friendship. It is beautiful when brothers emulate each other in noble acts.
1. Esaus invitations and, Jacob s promise. It appears most satisfactory to understand Esau as soliciting his brother to accompany him to Seir, where for the time he was residing, and Jacob as engaging to drive on slowly after the roving chieftain, according as the tender age of his children and the condition of his flocks and herds would admit, with the view of ultimately paying him a visit in his mountain home; but whether he fulfilled that promise now or afterwards, or at all, cannot be ascertained. If he did not, we may rest satisfied that he had good reasons for breaking his word, which, alas, promise-breakers seldom have.
2. Esaus offer and Jacobs declinature. Esau anxiously desires to leave a convoy of his troopers to assist his brother in the further prosecution of his journey; but Jacob with respectful firmness refused to accept of his kindness perhaps because, being a man of peace, he did not care for the society of soldiers, but chiefly, we apprehend, because, having Jehovah as a guide, he did not need the help of roving buccaneers (cf. Ezr_8:22)
III THE PARTING OF THE BROTHERS.
1. Esau returned unto Mount Seir.
(1) Immediately, that day; but
(2) not as yet finally, since his ultimate withdrawal from the land of Canaan appears to have taken place at a subsequent period.
2. Jacob journeyed to Succoth, where he built himself a house, constructed booths for his cattle, and remained a considerable time, afterwards moving up to Shechem, where he
(1) pitched his tent outside the city, for convenience or for safety;
(2) purchased a field from the chief man of the place, honestly paying for his purchase, as became a just man; and
(3) erected an altar, which he named El-elohe-Israel.
See here
1. The strength of fraternal affection.
2. The beauty of forgiveness and reconciliation.
3. The possibility of combining politeness and piety.
4. The power of kindness in disarming enmity and opposition.
5. The advantage of conference for promoting good understanding and exciting kindly feeling.
6. The tender care which the strong should exercise towards the weak.
7. The sad partings which Providence effects between friends.
8. The propriety of taking God with us on all our journeys.
9. The duty of affectionately remembering God"s mercies.
HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD Gen_19:1, but bending forward till the upper part of it became parallel with the ground, a mode of expressing deep reverence and respect, which may be seen to life in Oriental countries at the p, resent day (Roberts, "Oriental Illustrations," p. 41)seven times (not in immediate succession, but bowing and advancing), until he came near to his brother. The conduct of Jacob was dictated neither by artful hypocrisy nor by unmanly timidity; but by true politeness and a sincere desire to conciliate. And as such it was accepted by Esau, who ran to meet him, and, his better feelings kindling at the sight of his long-absent brother, embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him as Joseph afterwards did to Benjamin, (Gen_45:14, Gen_45:15) though the puncta extraordinaria of the Masorites over the word "kissed" seem to indicate either that in their judgment Esau was incapable of such fraternal affection (Delitzsch, Kalisch), or that the word was suspicious, Origen appearing not to have found it in his codices (Rosenm Keil), unless indeed the conjecture be correct that the word was marked to draw attention to the power of God"s grace in changing Esau"s heart (Ainsworth). And they wept the LXX adding both. "All this is beautiful, natural, Oriental" ("Land and Book," p. 372).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1, 9, 11 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him
Gen_33:1-16
And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him
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The reconciliation of Jacob and Esau
I.
IT ILLUSTRATES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHARACTERS OF THE TWO BROTHERS.
1. Esau was generous and forgiving.
2. In Jacob there are traces of his old subtlety.
II. IT ILLUSTRATES THE POWER OF HUMAN FORGIVENESS.
III. IT ILLUSTRATES THE TYRANNY OF OLD SINS. All was forgiven, but there was no longer any confidence. So the effects of past sin remain.
IV. IT ILLUSTRATES THE POWER OF GODLINESS. Jacobs humility before his brother was but a sign of his humility before God. His satisfaction to Esau is a sign also of his reconciliation with God. (T. H. Leale.)
The brothers reconciled
I. A RECONCILIATION AFTER A LONG SEPARATION,
II. A MOST DESIRABLE RECONCILIATION.
1. Because of the happiness of their aged parents.
2. On account of their own families.
3. On account of their own spiritual well-being.
III. A RECONCILIATION WHICH BROUGHT TO SIGHT THE BEST TRAITS OF THEIR CHARACTER.
1. Prayerfulness.
2. Humility.
3. Disinterestedness. (Homilist.)
Forgiveness of injuries
1. The most obvious motive to forgive is the pleasure of forgiving and the pain of resenting. Therefore, as the apostle says, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, we may say, Forgive, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Forgive while forgiveness is worth having; forgive while there remains enough of life for the renewal of kindness; forgive while you have something else to bestow on repentance than lingering looks and faltering words. And what does this solemn Christian injunction of forgiving do but eradicate from the mind the most painful and most unquiet of all passions? What wretchedness to clamour out for ever, I will pursue, I will overtake; my right hand shall dash in pieces mine enemy; to sacrifice all the quiet happiness of life, to sicken on the bosom of joy, still, after the lapse of years, to feel, to see, and to suffer with the freshness of yesterday; and in the midst of blessings to exclaim, All this availeth me nothing while Mordecai, the Jew, sitteth at the kings gate.
2. Are we sure, too, that the cause of our resentment is just? Have we collected the most ample evidence? Have we examined it with the closest attention? Have we subjected it to impartial revision? Have we suspected our passions? Have we questioned our self-love?
3. Men are so far, generally, from being ashamed of not forgiving injuries, that they often glory in revenge; they believe it to be united with courage and with watchful, dignified pride. Yet, after all, what talents or what virtue can an unforgiving disposition possibly imply? Who is most likely longest to retain the sense of injured dignity? He who has given no pledge to his fellow-creatures that he is good and amiable? who does not feel that he is invulnerable? who is least fortified by a long tenor of just intentions and wise actions? What man who had ever trodden one step in the paths of religion would vex the sunshine of his existence with all the inquietudes of resentment? would ingraft upon his life the labour of hating, and hovel year after year over expiring injuries? Who is there that bears about him a heart of flesh that would put away a brother or a friend who knelt to him for mercy?
4. Other men, who have no desire to be thought magnanimous because they revenge, are still apprehensive of being considered as timid if they forgive and resent to maintain a character for spirit; but it is certainly extremely possible to combine temperate resistance to present injustice with a tendency to forgive what is past; to be firm in the maintenance of just rights while we abstain from any greater injury to our enemies than is necessary to maintain them, and hold ourselves ready for forgiveness when they are maintained. (Sydney Smith, M. A.)
Needless fears
Now think, brethren, what a revulsion of feeling there would be in Jacobs heart. He would think, Have I been all these years vexing myself for this! Here was the thing, so happy and pleasant and kindly when it came, that had many a time broken his nights rest at Haran just to think of it; that had been a dull gnawing at his heart, making him uneasy and restless in cheerful company; that had been the drop of gall in every cup he tasted--all these years! And one thing we may be almost sure of: that in all his picturing out of this dreaded meeting, thinking of it as coming in twenty sad ways, if there was one thing he never pictured out, it would be just the meeting as it actually came! The thing you expect is, in this world, the last thing that is likely to befall you.
1. How needless are our fears! In how many cases we conjure up things to vex and alarm us! For one-and-twenty years Jacob had kept himself unhappy through the fear of a meeting which, when it came, proved one of the happiest things that ever befell him in all his life. Now, have not you many a time looked forward with great anxiety to something that was coming, and then, when it came, found that all your anxiety had been perfectly needless? We all have it in our power to make ourselves miserable if we look far into the years before us and calculate their probabilities of evil, and steadily anticipate the worst. It is not expedient to calculate too far ahead. Oh that we had all more faith, Christian friends, in Gods sure promise made to every true Christian, that as the day, so shall the strength be! We have all known the anticipated ills of life--the danger that looked so big, the duty that looked so arduous, the entanglement that we could not see our way through prove to have been nothing more than spectres on the horizon; and when at length we reached them, all their difficulty had vanished into air, leaving us to think how foolish we had been for having so needlessly set up phantoms to disturb our quiet. I remember well how a good and able man, who died not long ago, told me many times of his fears as to what he would do in a certain contingency which both he and I thought was quite sure to come sooner or later. I know that the anticipation of it cost him some of the most anxious hours of a very anxious, though useful, life. But his fears proved just as vain as Jacobs in the prospect of meeting Esau. He was taken from this world before what he dreaded had cast its most distant shadow. God, in His own way, delivered that man from the event he had feared. Some people are of an anxious, despondent temperament, ready rather to anticipate evil than to look for good. But all of us, brethren, need more faith in God. How comprehensive a prayer that is, asking so much for time and for eternity, Lord, increase our faith! We bear a far heavier burden than we need bear. If we had the faith which we ought to have, and which the Holy Spirit is ready to work in us, we should cast all our care on God, who careth for us.
2. In those seasons of anxiety and foreboding which, through our weak faith and our remaining sinfulness, will come to us all, we should remember what Jacob did, and where Jacob found relief. He turned to God in prayer. He went and told God all his fear, and asked deliverance from God. And not once, but many times; through a long night of terrible alarm and apprehension he wrestled in urgent prayer. And see what he got by it. He got relief of heart, certainly: of that we are sure. Perhaps he got more. We cannot say how far those prayers went to turn Esaus heart, and to make him meet Jacob in that kindly spirit. When we are overwhelmed, fearful, perplexed, anxious, let us go to God, and humbly and earnestly tell Him all we are thinking and fearing, and ask Him to deliver us and comfort us. Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me. If ever there were words confirmed by the experience of Christian people, you have them here. Perhaps our prayer may cause the trouble we bear or we dread to go away. Perhaps the stroke that seemed sure to fall may be withheld; perhaps the hope that seemed sure to be blighted may be fulfilled after all: perhaps the blessing that seemed sure to be taken away from us may be spared us yet. Perhaps, through our prayer, it may be with us as it was with Jacob: when we come up to the time, the trial, the duty, we feared, we may find that there is nothing about it to be afraid of. But our prayer may be answered in a way that is better and happier still. It may please God to allow all that we feared to befall us. It may please Him to disappoint the hope, to frustrate the work, to continue the long disease, to bring the beloved one down to the grave; but with all that to resign our heart, to make us humble and content, to sanctify the trial to work in us a patience, a faith, a humility, a charity, a sympathy, that are worth, a thousand times over, all worldly happiness and success. Oh what an attainment it is, which Christians sometimes reach, to feel, if only for a little while, that our whole hearts wish is that our blessed Saviours will be done and His glory be advanced; and that, as for us, we are content to go where He leads us, and to do and bear what He sends, sure that the way by which He leads us is the right way, and that it will bring us to our home at last! And prayer will bring us to this, if anything will. Do not, with the gnawing anxiety at your heart, sit sullenly and try to bear your burden alone. Go with a lowly heart and roll your burden on the strong arm of God Almighty! Oh how it will lighten your heart to tell Him, simply, all your fears! You will come back, like Jacob, from your Saviours footstool, calmed and cheered. And even if the stroke should fall, even if we come out of our trial somewhat stricken and subdued, not quite the people we were--as Jacob came lamed from that long night of prevailing prayer--we shall be thankful and content if the stroke be sanctified to us: as he (we may be sure) would never murmur as he halted on through life. One word to prevent misapprehension. All this peace and hope is spoken only to Christian people. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked, or to any who have no part in Christ. We can speak no comfort to such in their fears. There is too good reason for that dull foreboding of evil they bear through life. Their fears are not needless. (A. K. H. Boyd, D. D.)
The brothers reconciled
I. THE APPROACH OF THE BROTHERS.
1. Of Esau. At the head of four hundred armed men. Probably at the first meditating revenge, or to make a great display of his power. But Jacob was a man of prayer. Had often asked God to guard and keep him. Had the night before this meeting so mightily prevailed in prayer that his name had been altered. In answer to the prayers of Jacob, the revengeful feelings of Esau depart. As he draws nigh, Esau feels his heart drawn out in love towards his brother.
2. Of Jacob. Full of hope and confidence. Lame, and yet strong. He is now the prevailer. The sun shining upon him, and, better still, God lifts upon him the light of His countenance. He had sent forward the present, and now places himself in advance of all the rest. He--the prevailer--does not fear to meet the first storm of his brothers rage.
II. RECONCILIATION OF THE BROTHERS. Esau, the offended and injured, instead of taking vengeance on Jacob, having his heart softened by the grace of God, runs towards Jacob. Does not proudly wait for Jacob to approach, and then upbraid him for his past conduct. Ran towards him. Then spoke not a single word. Could not. Too full of joy at once more meeting his long-lost brother. They throw themselves in one anothers arms. The kiss of reconciliation. Tears of joy, gratitude. Tears too, it may be, of penitence on both sides. Each needed to be forgiven by the other. Each had done wrong. Jacob, in that he had deprived his brother of the birthright and the blessing; and Esau, in that he had left his fathers house, and harboured wrong feelings against his brother, and been the cause of his long exile. Persons offended with each other have often much need of each others forgiveness. The pardon should be on both sides. He who forgives should also seek forgiveness.
III. THE CONDUCT OF THE BROTHERS.
1. Of Jacob. He entreats Esau to accept his present. Will take no denial. Thus shows the sincerity of his affection. Is unwilling that Esau should at all go out of his way to guard him. Has sufficient trust in God alone.
2. Of Esau. At length, to please his brother, accepts the present he makes. It is often as kind to accept as to make a present. He kindly received the wives and children of Jacob. Goes on the way before Jacob to make the way clear. Acts as his brothers guide and vanguard. Shows his forgiveness by deeds as well as by words. Without practical kindness words are sounding brass, &c.
Learn:
1. In all angry partings, remember that a future meeting will come.
2. God can still the raging of the fiercest storm of passion and revenge.
3. The reconciliation of brethren, a fit and beautiful sight.
4. We have all sinned against God, and need His forgiveness.
5. By causing Esau to forgive his brother, God shows how ready He is to forgive us.
6. Our elder Brother, Jesus, has obtained a full pardon for us. (J. C. Gray.)
The contrast
Reposing, therefore, with confidence on the promised protection of his God, Jacob crossed the brook at sunrise, and, rejoining his family, went calmly on his way. A short time appears to have brought on the crisis of his trial: Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. It is not difficult to conceive the rush of contending feelings that would agitate his breast when the hostile party came in sight; nor to imagine to what a height the tumult of his thoughts would increase as the two bands approached each other. Grace does not make us stoics. It controls and regulates the natural affections by subordinating them to higher principles; but men of the warmest piety, while they are preserved from an exuberant and inordinate indulgence of the affections, are generally possessed of the most tender and benevolent spirit. Excessive natural affection is a common, and in no respects a sublimated, feeling. But the leading point on which I wish at this time to fix your attention is the manifest superiority of character discoverable in Jacob when compared with his elder brother--a superiority evidently not arising from superior intellect or other natural advantages, but originating in his religious principles and habits. A fair and unprejudiced examination of the case before us will show that the godly man, the faithful servant of God through Jesus Christ, has a superiority of character to other men, both in principle and in practice.
1. He possesses a superiority of principle. To examine this more closely--
(1) The first idea included in this conviction is the sense of demerit. Gracious dealing implies undeserved kindness on the part of God, and, consequently, defect and demerit on the part of His creature. And where such convictions dwell, it is impossible but that the individual must view the actions and thoughts of any one day of his life with abhorrence, and the dealings of God with him, from first to last, as characterized only by grace and long-suffering mercy.
(2) Such a conviction includes the idea of a review of Gods mercies to the soul. God has dealt graciously with me.
(3) But to the lively recollection in the Christians mind of Gods merciful dealings with him we must add the grateful acknowledgment of them. The undeserved kindness of God throughout a whole life, manifested in an infinite variety of necessities and trials, cannot pass in review before the mind without emotion.
(4) This is an habitual feeling. It is not a cold philosophical speculation. It is not a rational deduction that because God is great and we are less than nothing, therefore we, of course, must be indebted to Him, and therefore we are; but it is the emotional, affectionate consciousness of obligation. And it will be invariably found that this is the character of true piety; that there is this living and influential sense of the mercy of God; and that this it is, especially, which, coming into play continually as the leading principle of action, does make its possessor a far superior character to those who are merely left to have their conduct regulated by the operation of natural principles and affections. This will become more evident as we proceed to notice--
2. The superiority of the religious mans conduct as originating in this principle. A principle so powerful could not be in action without producing very manifest results. Nor is it; for the man who truly believes the redemption of the gospel lives no longer to himself, but unto Him who died for him. We do not say that there is no virtue among men without the influence of revealed religion. All the virtues of the natural character are of a much lower origin. They are spurious and defective in the motive and principle from which they spring. They are frequently constitutional. Taken, however, at their highest point, such manifestations of virtuous principle are fleeting and uncertain. Let us notice, by way of illustration, the two instances of moral virtue which arise out of the present event of Jacobs life--those of content and liberality.
(1) Content. There are many persons who are tolerably satisfied with their condition. They are not always repining or envying. They are at rest, because they do not think; because they are well assured that they cannot alter them if they would; and they call this content. I have enough. But how different is all this from that Christian content which originates, not in carelessness or sensual indifference, but in a calm, extended, fair, and manly view of the whole circumstances of the case. Yea, God hath dealt graciously with me, and I have enough. This indicates no listless inattention to the real state of things, no reckless indifference, no resolute insusceptibility; but it is peace in the midst of, and in the calm contemplation of, every vicissitude.
(2) Again, if we look to the virtue of liberality, as it is exhibited in Jacob, it differs from the liberality of the men of the world.
Let us now endeavour to draw some plain practical instructions from the whole.
1. In the first place, it will be evident where we must look for the spring of superior virtue; not in the spontaneous emotions of a mans own heart, not in the strong stimulus of occasional circumstances, not in the influence of human opinion, not in the rewarded efforts of heroic resolution, but in the right appreciation of a dying Saviours love. All other principles will fail in their own time and way.
2. Observe, this contrast of the character of Esau and Jacob will enable men of excellent moral habits to discriminate between the virtue of habit and the virtue of principle.
3. This subject speaks with peculiar force to the covetous man. True Christianity imparts, in a high degree, the graces of content and liberality. A greedy pursuit of gain is utterly inconsistent with the self-denying spirit of the gospel. This alone ought to be felt as a cutting rebuke for the love of money. (E. Craig.)
The reconciliation
I. THE FRIENDLY MEETING.
II. THE PRUDENT SEPARATION. Perhaps Jacob was still a little afraid of the impetuosity of his brother. But the deepest reason why Jacob politely declined Esaus offer of help and companionship was, we may well believe, a religious one. He saw that the aims which Esau would have in view and the habits of Esaus life would not suit what he (Jacob) wished to keep in mind and do. Besides, he felt that God intended him to keep apart from his brother, and to train his family in the special knowledge of the covenant with Abraham, and of all the promises which God had given. Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
III. THE MEMORIAL OF GRATITUDE. Implying--
1. Thankfulness. God had enriched, guided, defended, comforted him.
2. Faith. Jacob would trust and worship God.
3. Hope. God, who had blessed him hitherto, would help him now and in his further career. (W. S. Smith, B. D.)
Needlessness of anxiety
The present was quite unnecessary; the plan useless. God appeased Esau, as He had already appeased Laban. Thus it is He ever delights to rebuke our poor, coward, unbelieving hearts, and put to flight all our fears, Instead of the dreaded sword of Esau, Jacob meets his embrace and kiss; instead of strife and conflict, they mingle their tears. Such are Gods ways. Who would not trust Him? Who would not honour Him with the hearts fullest confidence? Why is it that, notwithstanding all the sweet evidence of His faithfulness to those who put their trust in Him, we are so ready, on every fresh occasion, to doubt and hesitate? The answer is simple, we are not sufficiently acquainted with God. Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace (Job_22:21). This is true, whether in reference to the unconverted sinner or to the child of God. The true knowledge of God, real acquaintance with Him, is life and peace. (C. H. M.)
Lessons
1. Gods promise falls not short in making men yield to His saints.
2. Where God moveth, even wicked men will make speed and run to show kindness to His servants.
3. The hardest hearts melt in affection when God toucheth them.
4. When men please God, enemies are made friends to them (Pro_16:7).
5. Where greatest danger is feared, God turns it to greatest love.
6. It is natural for brethren, good and bad, to melt in tears upon providential turns and meetings (Gen_33:4). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Brotherly respect unto brethren will work kind inquisition after their relations.
2. Love makes queries to know such relations as are to be beloved.
3. Truth, piety, and humility become all the answers to be made unto queries of love by Gods servants.
4. Children are to be acknowledged the fruit of Gods mercy and goodness to His (Psa_127:3).
5. The anger of enraged men is turned into love and tenderness best by self-denying submission. The reed overcomes the wind by yielding; the oaks fall by resisting (Gen_33:5).
6. It becometh family relations to keep order designed by their head.
7. Orderly approach and submission is the way to gain acceptance with great men.
8. Providence works by motions of creatures to turn hearts from fury to love (Gen_33:6-7). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
The reconciliation of Esau and Jacob
1. Brotherly love is a precious thing; let it be guarded well. Be just, and true, and kind to one another; and let a spirit of forbearance and forgiveness prevail.
2. We see here a striking example of prayer. Wrong as Jacob had been before, he was right in this.
3. Jacob sets us an example also of wisdom and prudence. He prayed; yet he used all the means in his power.
4. The very word reconciliation cannot but remind us of the great reconciliation--that between the sinner and God. If God, in answer to prayer, disposed Esau to be reconciled to his brother, surely He Himself will not refuse pardon, reconciliation, and acceptance to one who has offended Him.
5. God will give His Holy Spirit to those that ask Him; and in this office, among others, as the spirit of peace. He will help those of one family to live together in peace, to bear and forbear, to love as brethren. Nay, more: He can, by the same mighty influence, create a new heart in those who have as yet been far from Him. (F. Bourdillon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 Gen_33:3. Bowed himself to the ground seven times.] “He…
CRITICAL NOTES.—
Gen_33:3. Bowed himself to the ground seven times.] “He bowed himself after the Eastern fashion, bending the body so that the face nearly touches the ground. The text gives us to understand that these obeisances were not made on the same spot, but one after another as he approached Esau.” (Alford.)—
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Gen_33:5. Who are those with thee?] Heb. Who these to thee?—pertaining to thee.—
Gen_33:11. My blessing.] Meaning my gratuity. In Scripture a gift is often called a blessing (1Sa_25:27; 1Sa_30:26; 2Ki_5:15). I have enough. “The expression is rendered in our version in the same way with that of Esau (Gen_33:9), but they differ in the original. Esau says (Heb.), ‘I have much,’ but Jacob (Heb.), ‘I have all.’ ”—
Gen_33:14. According as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure.] Heb. “According to the foot of the possessions—and according to the foot of the children.” The meaning is, at the pace of the cattle, as fast as the business of travelling with cattle will permit.
Gen_33:15. Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me.] Heb. “I will place, station, set.” He wished to leave part of his men as an escort or guard to Jacob’s company.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Gen_33:1-16
THE RECONCILIATION OF JACOB AND ESAU
I. It illustrates the difference between the characters of the two brothers.
1. Esau was generous and forgiving. He was generous in refusing Jacob’s present (Gen_33:9), and also in afterwards consenting to accept it (Gen_33:11); because to decline a gift is a token of enmity among the Orientals. There must be some one to receive in order that others may have the blessedness of giving. He was generous also in offering an escort, and in that delicate feeling which led him not to press it upon his brother (Gen_33:15). Esau was of a forgiving disposition. His passion soon cooled down, and there was a fund of good nature within him.
2. In Jacob there are traces of his old subtlety. His old life had left traces in his character of fear, distrust, and suspicion. He was a cool, calculating man, one who refused to commit himself to others, however encouraging the appearances. He did not ally himself too closely with Esau’s band, lest the old enmity should break out. He would put off the more leisurely meeting with his brother till afterwards, proposing to pay an early visit to him at his residence. (Gen_33:14.) We have no account of their meeting afterwards, until they met at their father’s funeral. (Ch. Gen_35:29.) Jacob simply desires his brother’s favour, and does not care to be too closely associated with him.
II. It illustrates the power of human forgiveness—One forgave, and the other received forgiveness. There is a forgiveness of man by man which is virtually God’s forgiveness. This grace at the hands of Esau was to Jacob as “the face of God” (Gen_33:10). Therefore he comes in peace to the city (Gen_33:18). He had sought forgiveness in the right way, by humility, by a sense of his sin. And he obtained it most fully (Gen_33:4).
III. It illustrates the tyranny of old sins—. The brothers separated, but not to meet again for many years. It would not have been expedient for them to live together. All was forgiven, but there was no longer any confidence. So the effects of past sins remain.
IV. It illustrates the power of Godliness.—This is not an ordinary reconciliation of human enmities. It has a deep foundation, for it is based upon the reconciliation of Jacob with God. Jacob might have tried to overcome wrath with wrath. He once had hoped to overcome Esau by force, but now he tries the new and better way. Jacob’s humility before his brother was but a sign of his humility before God. His satisfaction to Esau is a sign also of his reconciliation with God. The strength of his love and confidence comes from God’s grace. He could not mingle afterwards with Esau, for he had the consciousness within him of his high calling of God. Notwithstanding the many flaws in Jacob’s character, he had that God-consciousness which was lacking in his brother.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Gen_33:1. Jacob masters his fears, and makes use of the likeliest means. So Esther, when she had prayed, resolved to venture to the king whatever came of it. And our Saviour, though before fearful, yet, after He had prayed in the garden, goes forth and meets His enemies in the face, asking them, “Whom seek ye?” (Joh_18:4). Great is the power of prayer to steel the heart against whatsoever amazements.—(Trapp).
Gen_33:2-3. Esau has the array of physical force. Jacob has only a weak band of women and children. Yet Jacob prevails.—(Jacobus).
In the midst of all his fear Jacob displayed true courage. He placed himself at the front of the band. Like the Captain of our salvation, he was ready to bear the brunt of the battle.
Gen_33:4. Esau is blunt and generous. Jacob had the guilty conscience, and therefore he does not touch upon the brotherly relation.
In Esau’s tenderness towards his brother we are reminded of the gracious reception of another penitent (Luk_15:20).
The dreaded time with Jacob was turned to joy and gladness. God is better to him than all his fears.
Gen_33:5. Jacob’s answer is worthy of Him. It savours of the fear of God which ruled in his heart, and taught him to acknowledge Him even in the ordinary concerns of life.—(Fuller).
Gen_33:6-7. Had this been done to Jacob, methinks he would have answered, God be gracious unto you, my children. But we must take Esau as he is, and rejoice that things are as they are. We have often occasion to be thankful for civilities, when we can find nothing like religion.—(Fuller).
Gen_33:8. We are taught the propriety of conceding all that we can to others for the sake of making or preserving peace. The Christian’s inheritance will leave him riches enough, and his prerogatives honour enough, after all the abatements that his generosity prompts him to make.—(Bush).
Gen_33:9. Whatever effect Jacob’s present had upon him, he would not be thought to be influenced by anything of that kind; especially as he had great plenty of his own. Jacob, however, continued to urge it upon him, not as he thought he needed it, but as a token of good-will, and of his desire to be reconciled. He did not indeed make use of this term, nor of any other that might lead to the recollection of their former variance.—(Fuller).
Gen_33:10. The receiving of a present at another’s hand is, perhaps, one of the greatest proofs of reconciliation. Everyone is conscious that he could not receive a present at the hand of an enemy. And upon this principle no offerings of sinful creatures can be accepted of God, till they are reconciled to Him by faith in the atonement of His Son.—(Fuller).
God Himself had appeared to Jacob as his combatant instead of Esau. Therefore Jacob sees in Esau the appearance of God again. And in this, case, as in that, the face, angry at first, changes into kindness to the believing man.—(Baumgarten).
Already he had met Esau in the conflict with God, and had received encouragement of success in this meeting; and now he recognises the significance of that wrestling which ends in blessing. Seeing Esau now is like seeing the face of God, and that which was already signified to him by the angel must not fail. Here again Jacob displays his triumphant faith.—(Jacobus).
In the forgiveness which comes from man we may see a reflection of God’s forgiveness.
Gen_33:11. Esau had said, literally, I have much. Jacob says, “I have all.” The worlding may indeed have much; but he lacks one thing which is the vital thing—which is everything—as the soul to the body, as the eye to the needle, as the blade of the knife. The Christian has all things, the world, life, death, things present, things to come!—(Jacobus).
Jacob had all, because he had the God of all.—(Trapp).
Gen_33:12-15. Jacob was discreet in resolutely declining the offer of Esau. He would do better to pursue his journey alone. They might properly embrace for a few moments, but if they had attempted to sojourn together, the enmity so early planted between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent would in all likelihood have broken forth. Esau would once more have hated Jacob, or the spiritually man of God have been drawn from his allegiance by his more worldly-minded brother.—(Bush).
Many evils arise from lack of that kind of prudence which Jacob showed.
It is not expedient for believers to form close compacts with the children of this world.
Jacob, in declining the offered escort, had other reasons than compassion for his children and cattle. But he did not feel bound to state them, for this would have given offence and produced greater evils.
Jacob had sufficient experience of the past to teach him to trust himself entirely to the guardianship of God.
Gen_33:16. On his way unto Seir. Whither God had sent him before-hand to plant out of Jacob’s way. He was grown rich, desired liberty, and saw that his wives were offensive to the old couple; therefore he removed his dwelling to Mount Seir, and left better room for Jacob.—(Trapp).
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 Gen 33:20; Gen 34:1
Gen 33:20; Gen 34:1
In erecting this altar Jacob both set up a witness against the false worship and idolatry of the people among whom he dwelt, and at the same time provided a church or centre of unity for all his numerous family and dependents in the regular service of Jehovah. But the enticements of the world were too great, and prevailed to bring misery and sin into his home. This chapter points out the danger to which young persons are exposed, of being deluded and led away, first by vain curiosity and then by worldly and carnal lusts, to misery and ruin; and this through the influence especially of bad example.
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I. When Dinah went to visit the daughters of the land, we may well suppose that she was weary of the quiet, uniform course of life kept up at her father’s house. Her father’s authority and wishes being set aside, she went out without God’s blessing, and misery and ruin followed. This represents: (1) the guilt and punishment which Christian people make themselves liable to when they disregard the authority of those whom the providence of God has placed over them. (2) The danger of becoming tired of Christianity.
II. Two cautions suggest themselves from the study of this chapter. (1) We must learn to look on Almighty God, through Jesus Christ, as our only true Father and Friend. (2) In the service of God we must not expect to find all plain and easy, but quite otherwise: the more earnestly and steadily we serve God, the more trials we must expect to encounter.
Plain Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts for the Times," vol. x., p. 296.
References: Gen 33—F. W. Robertson, Notes on Genesis, p. 116; R. S. Candlish, Book of Genesis, vol. ii., p. 84. Gen 33:4.—R. C. Trench, Brief Thoughts and Meditations, p. 55. Gen 33:5.—Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxviii., p. 305. Gen 33:9, Gen 33:11, Gen 33:13.—Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes, pp. 19, 21. Gen 33:14.—F. R. Havergal, Sunday Magazine (1879), p. 918. Gen 33:17.—R. S. Candlish, Book of Genesis, vol. ii., p. 93. Gen 33:20.—Plain Sermons by Contributors to the "Tracts for the limes," vol. x., p. 296. Gen 34:31.—R. S. Candlish, Book of Genesis, vol. ii., p. 93. Gen 35:1.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxiv., No. 1395. Gen 35:3.—J. Van Oosterzee, The Year of Salvation, vol. ii., p. 366. Gen 35:5-11.—Homiletic Magazine, vol. xi., p. 8.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 1-16.Jacob and Esau meet peaceably.
1-16.Jacob and Esau meet peaceably.
17-20. Jacob settles in Canaan.
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3. Bowed seven times] in token of submission to Esau.
4. Jacob's prayer (Gen_32:11) is answered, and Esau, whatever his original purpose, now shows his brother only goodwill and affection.
10. I have seen thy face, etc.] i.e. I find thee as favourable to me as God is, alluding, no doubt, to the name Peniel (Gen_32:30).
11. My blessing] RV 'my gift': the present which accompanied expressions of good-will. So Naaman said to Elisha, 'I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant' (2Ki_5:15).
12-16. Jacob was unwilling to refuse Esau, and yet thought it most prudent to keep apart from his hasty brother. He therefore made an excuse and crossed the Jordan into Canaan.
17. Succoth] 'booths,' S. of the Jabbok and on the E side of Jordan. Succoth and Penuel are mentioned together in Judges 8.
18. To Shalem, a city of Shechem] RV 'in peace to the city of Shechem.' But there is a village called Salim 3 m. E. of Shechem. Here Jacob settled for some eight or ten years. The well which he dug still exists, though nearly choked with stones, some 1¼m. from Nablous. It was here that Christ conversed with the woman of Samaria (John 4).
19. Pieces of money] Heb. Kesitah, probably bars or rings of silver of a certain weight. See on Gen_23:16, also Job_42:11.
20. El-elohe-Israel] i.e. El (God) is the God of Israel (Jacob's new name).
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 CHAPTER 33 The Reconciliation of Esau
CHAPTER 33 The Reconciliation of Esau
1. Jacob meets Esau (Gen 33:1-17)
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2. In the city of Shechem and the altar erected (Gen 33:18-20)
The reconciliation is effected, but Jacob is the same man of deceit. He tells his brother he will follow him to Seir. But he goes instead to Succoth. He built an altar there, but it is not the worship God expected. He should have gone to Bethel and fulfilled his vow.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv1, 8 Jacob’s meeting with Esau
Jacob’s meeting with Esau
v. 1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. Jacob had joined his caravan and continued his march. He no longer looked for the approach of Esau with anxious apprehension, but with cheerful expectation. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
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v. 2. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. The division of the caravan was care fully planned. Jacob "himself, as the head of the family, as its protector and representative, takes the lead; then follow the handmaids with their children; then Leah with hers; and at last, Rachel with Joseph. This inverted order, by which the most loved came last, is not merely chosen from a careful and wise prudence, but at the same time the free expression of the place which they occupied in his affections. "
v. 3. And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, in the Oriental manner, in which men stoop over forward until their forehead practically touches the ground, a sign of the deepest reverence, until he came near to his brother. The six fold repetition of the deep obeisance was a form of humiliation which indicated that he wanted to atone fully for any offense against his brother Esau, that he was willing to show him the utmost reverence.
v. 4. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept. If Esau had still been cherishing his old grudge when he left his home, this was now fully overcome and removed by the humility of his brother. His brotherly feeling took hold of him at this point, and in a spontaneous outburst of affection he embraced him and kissed him, whereupon these two gray headed men, separated for a score of years, are overcome with joy and burst into weeping. In this moment Esau became a different man, who willingly bowed himself under the will of the Lord and showed truly noble traits of character.
v. 5. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children, and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. Jacob humbly expressed the gratitude of his heart in giving the Lord all honor for His blessings.
v. 6. Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
v. 7. And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves; and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. They all followed the example of Jacob in his humble behavior toward Esau, thus doing their share in gaining the heart of Esau for Jacob. It is noted particularly that Joseph came near before his mother; he seems to have run ahead in childlike trustfulness in order to meet his uncle first. Altogether, the scene is a fine illustration of the ideal painted by the psalmist: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," Psa 133:1.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 4, 6, 9, 12 The word "behold" here alerts us to pay attention…
behold
The word "behold" here alerts us to pay attention to a surprising new part of the story.
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four hundred men
"400 men" (See: Numbers)
Jacob divided the children ... female servants
This does not mean Jacob divided the children evenly so that each woman had the same amount of children with her. Jacob divided the children so that each one went with his or her mother. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
female servants
"servant wives." This refers to Bilhah and Zilpah.
He himself went on ahead of them
Here "himself" emphasizes that Jacob went alone in front of the others. (See: Reflexive Pronouns)
He bowed
Here the word "bow" means to bend over to humbly express respect and honor toward someone. (See: Symbolic Action)
translationWords
Jacob
Esau
Leah
Rachel
servant
Joseph (OT)
bow
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12 33:1-17 Jacob’s long-anticipated meeting with his brother Esau turned…
33:1-17 Jacob’s long-anticipated meeting with his brother Esau turned out far better than he had feared. Esau’s changed heart is an example of how “God fights” (See 32:28). Earlier, he had cared little about the birthright (25:32-34); now he cared little for old grudges. Jacob recognized that God had intervened.
33:1-2 Jacob’s identity had been changed (32:27-28), but he had not yet learned to live up to the new name; he still showed the favoritism that divides families. He lined up his family and his possessions in the order of their importance to him, with the slave wives and their children in front (to face danger first), Leah’s group behind them, and Rachel and Joseph in the back, where it was safest.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.