Genesis 33:1-7
JACOB'S MEETING WITH ESAU... [ Continue Reading ]
JACOB'S MEETING WITH ESAU... [ Continue Reading ]
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 UNT... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 i... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.... [ Continue Reading ]
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 J... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. Jacob's answer to Esau's question as to the meaning of the train of small caravans which he had met is not an act of fawning servility, of cringing humility, but rather an expr... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob presses his gifts upon Esau... [ Continue Reading ]
And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. The kindness and courtesy of Esau are now apparent throughout: he addresses Jacob with the tender "my brother," he gently urges him to keep his unusually large gift, he states that he is provided with all that he needs.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. Although colored by Oriental courtesy, the words of Jacob were altogether sincere. He... [ Continue Reading ]
Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. God's favor and goodness had blessed Jacob so richly that he had all he needed and to spare. And he urged him, and he took it. Thus the new bond of friendliness and brotherli... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. Here Esau offered to accompany Jacob's caravan in the role of protector. This offer was a proof of the genuineness of his reconciliation; he was anxious to have the relation between himself and Jacob restored to the inti... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said unto him, my lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me; and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir, which he hoped to visit some day. The objections of Jacob to his brother's plan were well founded a... [ Continue Reading ]
And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee, set at thy disposal, SOME OF THE FOLK THAT ARE WITH ME. AND HE SAID, WHAT NEEDETH IT? LET ME FIND GRACE IN THE SIGHT OF MY LORD. So Jacob courteously, but firmly, refused even a small company of protecting Bedouins. There was no need of it, and therefore Ja... [ Continue Reading ]
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir, in the valley of Zin, south of the Dead Sea, the country which he had selected for his home.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob Returns to Canaan... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth (booths). Jacob, from the neighborhood of Peniel, turned toward the Jordan, where he built a more permanent encampment, by erecting a house for himself and sheds,... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city. After living at Succoth a number of years, until Dinah, his daughter, had become a young woman, during which time Jacob also made a visit to his aged father... [ Continue Reading ]
And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, for an hundred pieces of money. Jacob, trusting in the promises of the Lord and preparing for an even more permanent residence in Canaan than Abraham, bought a possession for himself during his lif... [ Continue Reading ]
And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe Israel (God, the God of Israel). That was Jacob's confession after the many years of travel and sojourn in strange countries: The strong God is the God of Israel. He had experienced the mighty power of God in numerous instances, and was thankful f... [ Continue Reading ]