Genesis 33

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Jacob lifted up his eyes' (vayyissa Ya'aqov einav) — the standard biblical idiom for deliberate perception. Jacob now sees what he has feared for twenty years. The four hundred men remain: the military threat has not diminished since 32:6. Jacob's division of children among their mothers is both organizational and strategic — distributing risk across the procession.
2. The arrangement places the most vulnerable (or most beloved) last. The order of placement — handmaids first, then Leah, then Rachel — reveals Jacob's heart even in crisis: he shields Rachel and Joseph behind everyone else (v. 2).

Translator Notes

1. The procession order — handmaids first, Leah second, Rachel and Joseph last (acharonim) — is painfully transparent. The word acharonim ('last, behind') means farthest from danger. If Esau attacks, he strikes Bilhah and Zilpah first. Jacob's favoritism is embedded in his military formation: Rachel is the one he cannot afford to lose. The arrangement mirrors the earlier hierarchy of gifts (32:14-16), where the most valuable were sent last.
2. Joseph alone is named among the children, paired with his mother Rachel. The other children are grouped anonymously with their mothers. This narrative spotlight on Joseph foreshadows his centrality in the coming chapters.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'He himself passed ahead of them' (vehu avar lifneihem) — Jacob, who placed his beloved Rachel last for safety, now walks to the front of the entire procession. The man who once hid behind his mother's scheme and sent servants ahead with gifts now leads with his own body. Whatever his faults, this is an act of courage: he faces Esau first, alone, limping from Peniel.
2. 'Bowed to the ground seven times' (vayyishtachu artsah sheva pe'amim) — prostration seven times is the protocol of a vassal approaching a sovereign, well attested in Amarna letters and ancient Near Eastern diplomacy. Jacob performs the full ritual of submission before his brother. The man who stole the firstborn's blessing now enacts the posture of a servant. Seven — the number of completeness — signals total deference. Isaac's blessing declared that Esau would serve Jacob (27:29); Jacob's body language says the opposite.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Esau ran' (vayyarots Esav) — the verb ruts ('run') is explosive after Jacob's slow, reverent approach. Jacob bowed seven times; Esau sprints. The contrast is stunning: the feared warrior with four hundred men behind him breaks into a run — not to attack, but to embrace. The same verb describes the father running to the prodigal son in Jesus's parable (Luke 15:20), which may deliberately echo this scene.
2. 'And kissed him' (vayyishshaqehu) — in the Masoretic text, each letter of this word has a dot above it (puncta extraordinaria). These extraordinary dots appear on only fifteen words in the entire Hebrew Bible. Their meaning is debated: some rabbis (Genesis Rabbah 78:9) read the dots as signaling that Esau's kiss was insincere — he actually wanted to bite (nashakh) Jacob's neck. Others, including Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (surprisingly, given his general view of Esau), say the dots indicate that in this moment Esau's feelings were genuinely stirred. The textual ambiguity mirrors the narrative tension: we never fully know Esau's heart.
3. 'They wept' (vayyivku) — the weeping is mutual and undeniable. Whatever calculations preceded this moment, the tears dissolve them. Two brothers, separated for twenty years by stolen blessings and murderous rage, fall on each other's necks and cry. The verb is plural — both weep. Genesis does not sentimentalize, but it records the raw fact of reconciliation.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'The children whom God has graciously given' (hayeladim asher-chanan Elohim et-avdekha) — the verb chanan ('to show grace, to give freely') is theologically loaded. Jacob attributes his family to divine generosity, not personal achievement. The same root gives us the name Yochanan/John ('the LORD is gracious') and the noun chen ('grace, favor'). Jacob continues his deferential address — 'your servant' (avdekha) — maintaining the vassal posture even in family introductions.

Translator Notes

1. The procession now unfolds in the order Jacob arranged. The handmaids and their children approach first and prostrate themselves. The verb tishtachavein (feminine plural of the same root as Jacob's bowing in v. 3) extends the vassal protocol to the entire household. Each group performs submission before Esau, reinforcing the political dimension of this family reunion.

Translator Notes

1. 'Joseph and Rachel' (Yosef veRachel) — the Hebrew text places Joseph before his mother, reversing the expected order. A child is named before the matriarch. This unusual placement has prompted much comment: perhaps the young Joseph stepped forward to shield Rachel, or perhaps the narrator is signaling Joseph's emerging prominence in the story. In the procession's hierarchy, Joseph and Rachel occupy the position of highest value — last and most protected.
2. The three-stage approach (handmaids, Leah, Rachel/Joseph) presents Jacob's entire household to Esau in descending order of expendability and ascending order of belovedness. The choreography lays bare the internal dynamics of the family.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'All this company that I met' (kol hammachaneh hazzeh asher pagashti) — Esau is asking about the waves of livestock Jacob sent ahead (32:14-22). The word machaneh ('company, camp') is the same word used for the angelic camp at Mahanaim (32:2) and Jacob's divided camps (32:8). Livestock, angels, and families — all are machaneh in this narrative.
2. 'To find favor in the eyes of my lord' (limtso-chen be'einei adoni) — Jacob's response is minimal and deferential. The gifts have a single purpose: to secure Esau's goodwill. The word chen ('favor, grace') echoes the root chanan from v. 5. Jacob seeks from Esau what he attributes to God — gracious giving.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'I have plenty' (yesh-li rav) — Esau's rav means 'much, plenty, abundance.' The word choice contrasts with Jacob's kol ('everything') in v. 11. Esau has 'much'; Jacob has 'all.' The distinction may be subtle or accidental, but interpreters have seen theological significance: contentment with abundance (Esau) versus completeness through divine provision (Jacob). Esau's generosity here is striking — the brother Jacob cheated refuses his gifts.
2. 'My brother' (achi) — after twenty years of estrangement, Esau calls Jacob 'my brother.' Jacob has been calling Esau 'my lord' (adoni); Esau addresses him as a peer. The single word dismantles the hierarchical language Jacob has carefully constructed. Esau does not want a servant; he wants a brother.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'I have seen your face as one sees the face of God' (ra'iti fanekha kir'ot penei Elohim) — this extraordinary statement connects directly to Peniel ('face of God'), where Jacob said, 'I have seen God face to face' (32:30). The word panim ('face') saturates this narrative: Jacob saw God's face at Peniel; now he sees God's face in Esau's. The theological claim is remarkable — divine encounter and human reconciliation mirror each other. Forgiveness has the quality of theophany.
2. 'Take my gift' (velaqachta minchati) — the word minchah means 'gift, tribute, offering.' It is the same term used for the grain offering in Levitical worship. Jacob frames his livestock as a sacrificial offering to Esau. The word also echoes Abel's minchah (4:3-4) — the acceptable offering. Jacob is asking Esau to accept his offering as God accepted Abel's.
3. 'And you have received me favorably' (vattirtseini) — the verb ratsah means 'to accept, to be pleased with, to show favor.' In sacrificial terminology, it describes God's acceptance of an offering (Leviticus 1:4). Jacob uses liturgical language for a human encounter: Esau's acceptance is framed as divine acceptance.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Take my blessing' (qach-na et-birkhati) — the word berakhah ('blessing') is electrifying in context. Jacob stole Esau's blessing (27:35-36); now he returns 'my blessing' in the form of material gifts. The irony is layered: the blessing Jacob took by deception he now gives back through generosity. The word berakhah also means 'gift' in diplomatic contexts, but the primary meaning is inescapable. Jacob is performing restitution — returning the blessing, however symbolically.
2. 'God has been gracious to me' (channani Elohim) — the verb chanan ('to show grace') appears again (cf. v. 5). Jacob attributes everything to divine generosity. His 'everything' (kol) contrasts with Esau's 'plenty' (rav, v. 9). Esau has abundance; Jacob has completeness. The distinction may reflect different theologies of prosperity: sufficiency versus totality.
3. 'He urged him, and he took it' (vayyiftsar-bo vayyiqqach) — the verb patsar ('to urge, press, insist') indicates that Esau's acceptance required persuasion. Esau initially refused the gift (v. 9); Jacob presses until he relents. The taking of the blessing-gift completes the reconciliation arc: what was stolen is symbolically returned and accepted.

Translator Notes

1. 'Let us set out and travel' (nis'ah venelekhah) — Esau proposes joint travel, a cohortative ('let us') that envisions continued companionship. The verb nasa ('to pull up stakes, journey, set out') implies breaking camp and moving together as a caravan. Esau's offer is genuine: he wants to travel with his brother, not merely greet him and part.
2. 'I will go alongside you' (ve'elekhah lenegdekha) — the preposition leneged can mean 'before, alongside, opposite.' Esau offers himself as escort or companion. The offer is generous but, as the next verses reveal, Jacob will decline it.

Translator Notes

1. 'The children are tender' (hayeladim rakkím) — the adjective rak ('tender, soft, delicate') describes young children who cannot endure a forced march. Jacob's excuse is plausible: traveling at the pace of a military company with four hundred men would exhaust his household. But the excuse also serves to separate the brothers without direct refusal.
2. 'Nursing' (alot alai) — literally 'suckling upon me,' indicating ewes and cows still nursing their young. The livestock are at their most vulnerable. Jacob's concern for animal welfare is genuine — overladen nursing animals will indeed die — but it also provides diplomatic cover for declining Esau's company.

Translator Notes

1. 'I will make my way slowly' (etnahalah le'itti) — the hitpael of nahal means 'to lead oneself along, to proceed at ease,' and le'itti means 'at my slowness, gently.' Jacob proposes a leisurely pace tailored to his weakest members. The phrasing is courteous but evasive.
2. 'Until I come to my lord at Seir' (ad asher-avo el-adoni Se'irah) — Jacob promises to meet Esau in Seir. He never does. The text records no journey to Seir; instead Jacob goes to Succoth (v. 17) and then Shechem (v. 18). Whether this is a deliberate lie, a changed plan, or a promise fulfilled off-stage is one of the chapter's open questions. Many interpreters read it as calculated deception — Jacob has not entirely shed his old ways.

Translator Notes

1. 'Let me station some of my people with you' (atsigah-na immekha min-ha'am asher itti) — Esau's second offer: if Jacob won't travel together, at least accept a military escort. The verb natsav/yatsag ('to station, place, set') has a military connotation — these would be posted guards or a protective detachment. Esau is generous to the end.
2. Jacob declines this too with the same deferential formula — 'Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord' — a polite refusal that essentially means 'your goodwill is enough; I need nothing more.' Jacob wants neither Esau's company nor his protection. The reconciliation is real but limited: Jacob will not embed himself in Esau's world.

Translator Notes

1. Esau departs alone, returning to Seir. The brevity is striking — one verse for the end of a twenty-year estrangement. The brothers part ways, and the narrative follows Jacob, not Esau. Esau returns to his territory; Jacob goes in a different direction entirely (v. 17). The reconciliation is complete but not a reunion: the brothers forgive but do not merge households. They will meet again only to bury their father Isaac (35:29).

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Jacob traveled to Succoth' (veYa'aqov nasa Sukkotah) — instead of heading to Seir as promised (v. 14), Jacob goes to Succoth, east of the Jordan in the Jordan Valley. The destination confirms that Jacob never intended to follow Esau. The disjunction between promise and action is noted without moral commentary — the narrator lets the reader judge.
2. 'Succoth' (sukkot) — literally 'booths, shelters, huts.' The place receives its name from the temporary shelters Jacob constructs for his livestock. The same word later designates the Festival of Booths/Tabernacles (Sukkot, Leviticus 23:34), when Israel dwells in temporary shelters to remember wilderness dependence. Here the word is purely practical — animal shelters — but the resonance with later liturgical practice enriches the name.
3. 'He built himself a house' (vayyiven lo bayit) — Jacob builds a permanent structure (bayit, 'house') while making only temporary shelters (sukkot) for his animals. The contrast may suggest a transitional period: Jacob is settling, however temporarily, before moving on to Shechem.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Came safely' (vayyavo... shalem) — the word shalem is ambiguous: it can be an adjective meaning 'safe, whole, complete' (i.e., 'Jacob arrived safely') or a proper noun, 'Shalem,' naming a town near Shechem. The KJV reads it as a place name; most modern translations read it as an adjective. This rendering follows the adjectival reading: Jacob arrived 'whole' — the same root as shalom ('peace'). After wrestling with God, confronting Esau, and separating from his brother, Jacob arrives shalem — intact, at peace, complete. The word fulfills God's promise to bring him back safely (28:15).
2. 'The city of Shechem' (ir Shekhem) — Shechem lies in the central hill country of Canaan, between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. It will become a crucial site: the place of Dinah's violation (ch. 34), the location of covenant renewal under Joshua (Joshua 24), and eventually the capital of the northern kingdom. Jacob has returned to the Promised Land — the land of Canaan — for the first time since fleeing to Haran.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'He bought the parcel of land' (vayyiqen et-chelqat hassadeh) — the verb qanah ('to buy, acquire') marks a formal land purchase. This is only the second recorded land purchase by a patriarch in Canaan, after Abraham's purchase of the cave of Machpelah (ch. 23). Both purchases are significant: the patriarchs do not seize the land by force but buy it legally, establishing legitimate claim through commerce rather than conquest.
2. 'One hundred qesitahs' (me'ah qesitah) — the qesitah is an ancient unit of monetary value, possibly a weighed piece of metal. Its exact value is unknown; the term appears only here, in Joshua 24:32, and in Job 42:11. The rarity of the word suggests archaic currency, lending the transaction an air of deep antiquity.
3. 'The sons of Hamor, Shechem's father' (benei-Chamor avi Shekhem) — the introduction of Hamor and Shechem here is ominous in light of chapter 34. The land purchase establishes a relationship with the local Hivite clan that will end catastrophically.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'El-Elohe-Israel' (El Elohei Yisra'el) — 'God, the God of Israel.' This is the first time the name 'Israel' appears in a worship context. Jacob, renamed Israel at Peniel (32:28), now builds an altar using his new name. The altar's name makes a theological declaration: the God he worships is not merely El (a generic divine title) but the God who is specifically identified with Israel — with Jacob's transformed identity. The altar is both a personal confession ('my God') and a national foundation ('the God of Israel').
2. The chapter ends with worship — a fitting conclusion to the journey that began with a vow at Bethel (28:20-22). Jacob promised that if God brought him back safely, 'the LORD shall be my God.' He has returned shalem ('whole'), and he erects an altar. The vow is being fulfilled, though the Bethel return will come later (ch. 35).
3. The altar name also distinguishes Jacob's God from the local Canaanite deities. In a city named after Shechem, whose father Hamor rules the area, Jacob plants a theological marker: this land belongs to the God of Israel. The claim will be contested violently in the very next chapter.