Genesis 33
Introduction
Genesis 33 records the long-dreaded reunion between Jacob and Esau — the climax of a tension that has been building since Genesis 27, when Jacob stole his brother's blessing. Having just wrestled with God at Peniel and received the name Israel, Jacob now limps forward to meet the brother he wronged twenty years earlier. What unfolds is one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in Genesis: Esau runs to embrace Jacob, the brothers weep together, and the threatened violence dissolves into reconciliation. The chapter moves from fearful preparation (vv. 1-3) through tearful reunion (vv. 4-11), to the brothers' parting (vv. 12-17), and finally Jacob's settlement at Shechem (vv. 18-20).
The encounter is rich with irony and theological depth. Jacob, who was blessed to be lord over his brothers (Genesis 27:29), bows seven times and calls Esau "my lord." The gift he presses on Esau is called a בְּרָכָה ("blessing") — the very thing Jacob stole from Esau years before. And when Jacob looks at Esau's face, he sees something astonishing: "like seeing the face of God." Coming immediately after Peniel, where Jacob literally saw God's face, this comparison is far more than courtly flattery. In Esau's unexpected grace, Jacob recognizes a reflection of divine grace itself.
Jacob Arranges His Family and Bows Before Esau (vv. 1-3)
1 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. 2 He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. 3 But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
1 Then Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there was Esau coming with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He placed the servants and their children first, then Leah and her children, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 He himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed to the ground seven times as he drew near to his brother.
Notes
וַיִּשָּׂא יַעֲקֹב עֵינָיו ("Jacob lifted his eyes") — This phrase typically introduces a significant visual moment in Genesis (cf. Genesis 18:2, Genesis 22:4). After the mysterious night at Peniel, Jacob now sees the very human threat he has been preparing for: Esau and four hundred men.
Jacob's arrangement of his family reveals his priorities with painful clarity. The maidservants (Bilhah and Zilpah) and their children are placed in the most vulnerable position at the front; Leah and her children come next; Rachel and Joseph — Jacob's most beloved — are placed last, furthest from danger. This ordering mirrors the ranking of his wives throughout the narrative.
וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים ("he bowed to the ground seven times") — Bowing seven times is the protocol of a vassal approaching a suzerain, well attested in ancient Near Eastern diplomatic letters (especially the Amarna correspondence, where subjects write "I bow at the feet of my lord seven times and seven times"). Jacob, blessed to rule over his brothers (Genesis 27:29), now performs the ritual of a subordinate. The sevenfold bow is not merely politeness but a complete reversal of the stolen blessing. Notice too that Jacob goes ahead of his family — after arranging them for safety, he puts himself between Esau and his household.
The Brothers' Reunion (vv. 4-7)
4 Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept. 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, "Who are these with you?" Jacob answered, "These are the children God has graciously given your servant." 6 Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. 7 Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.
4 But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and he said, "Who are these with you?" And Jacob said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant." 6 Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. 7 And Leah also drew near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel drew near and bowed down.
Notes
וַיָּרָץ עֵשָׂו לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל עַל צַוָּארָיו וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ ("Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him") — The cascade of verbs — ran, embraced, fell on his neck, kissed — creates a scene of overwhelming emotion. The language strikingly parallels the father's response to the prodigal son in Luke 15:20, where Jesus may have consciously echoed this reunion. In the Masoretic text, the word וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ ("and he kissed him") has dots placed above each of its letters — one of only a handful of "dotted words" in the Torah. The rabbis debated whether the dots indicate that the kiss was insincere, or conversely, that despite his general hostility, in this moment Esau kissed him wholeheartedly. The simpler reading of the narrative, supported by the weeping that follows, is that Esau's embrace was genuine.
חָנַן ("to show grace, be gracious") — Jacob's response to Esau's question about the children uses the verb חָנַן: "the children whom God has graciously given your servant." The word signals that Jacob recognizes his family as a gift of divine grace. Even in his first words to Esau, Jacob attributes everything to God's favor rather than his own cleverness — a marked change from the Jacob who schemed to take the blessing by deception.
The sequence in which the family approaches (servants first, then Leah, then Rachel and Joseph) mirrors v. 2 and reinforces the hierarchy. Notably, Joseph is mentioned before Rachel in v. 7 — the boy leads his mother forward. Joseph would have been about six years old at this point.
Jacob's Gift and Esau's Reluctance (vv. 8-11)
8 "What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?" asked Esau. "To find favor in your sight, my lord," Jacob answered. 9 "I already have plenty, my brother," Esau replied. "Keep what belongs to you." 10 But Jacob insisted, "No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.
8 And Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company that I met?" Jacob answered, "To find favor in the eyes of my lord." 9 But Esau said, "I have plenty, my brother. Keep what is yours." 10 Jacob said, "No, please! If I have found favor in your eyes, then take my gift from my hand, for I have seen your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. 11 Please take my blessing that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have everything." And he pressed him, and he took it.
Notes
יֶשׁ לִי רָב vs. יֶשׁ לִי כֹל — Esau says "I have plenty" (רָב, "much"), while Jacob says "I have everything" (כֹל, "all"). The contrast is subtle but significant. Esau speaks in material terms — he has accumulated much. Jacob speaks in terms of sufficiency rooted in God's provision — he has "all," meaning everything he needs. The difference reflects Jacob's spiritual growth: after Peniel, he sees his abundance as the fullness of God's grace rather than merely the accumulation of wealth.
כִּי רָאִיתִי פָנֶיךָ כִּרְאֹת פְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים ("for I have seen your face as one sees the face of God") — This is one of the most theologically charged statements in Genesis. Coming directly after Peniel, where Jacob declared "I have seen God face to face" (Genesis 32:30), the comparison between Esau's face and God's face operates on multiple levels. At a minimum, Jacob sees in Esau's gracious welcome a reflection of divine grace — just as God received Jacob at Peniel (blessing him despite his flaws), Esau now receives him with unexpected favor. The פָּנִים ("face") theme that dominated chapter 32 reaches its resolution here: Jacob prepared gifts to "appease Esau's face," encountered God's face at Peniel, and now sees God's face in Esau's face.
קַח נָא אֶת בִּרְכָתִי ("please take my blessing") — The word בְּרָכָה is translated "gift" in many English versions (BSB: "my gift"), but the Hebrew word is literally "my blessing." This is the same word used for the blessing Jacob stole from Esau in Genesis 27:35-36. Whether consciously or not, Jacob is symbolically returning the stolen blessing. The irony is unmistakable: the brother who took the בְּרָכָה by deception now offers a בְּרָכָה in humility. This is why I have translated it "blessing" rather than "gift" — the wordplay is essential to the narrative.
Esau and Jacob Part Ways (vv. 12-17)
12 Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way, and I will go ahead of you." 13 But Jacob replied, "My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die. 14 Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir." 15 "Let me leave some of my people with you," Esau said. But Jacob replied, "Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord." 16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir, 17 but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.
12 Then Esau said, "Let us set out and go, and I will go alongside you." 13 But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds that are nursing are my concern. If they are driven hard for a single day, all the flocks will die. 14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant, and I will move along slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are before me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir." 15 Esau said, "Then let me leave with you some of the men who are with me." But he said, "Why should you? Let me only find favor in the eyes of my lord." 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house, and for his livestock he made shelters. That is why the name of the place is called Succoth.
Notes
הַיְלָדִים רַכִּים ("the children are tender") — The adjective רַךְ means "soft, tender, frail." Jacob uses the vulnerability of his children and nursing livestock as a reason to travel separately from Esau. While this is a legitimate practical concern, the narrative leaves an open question about Jacob's motives.
עַד אֲשֶׁר אָבֹא אֶל אֲדֹנִי שֵׂעִירָה ("until I come to my lord in Seir") — Jacob promises to follow Esau to Seir, but he never goes there. Instead, he turns west to Succoth and then to Shechem. The text records this without comment, leaving readers to draw their own conclusions. Some interpreters see another instance of Jacob's deceptive nature — he tells Esau what he wants to hear in order to part peacefully. Others read it more charitably: circumstances changed, or Jacob intended to come eventually but settled elsewhere. The narrative silence is itself a kind of commentary — the reconciliation, though genuine in its emotion, does not lead to the brothers living together. They go their separate ways, and we hear almost nothing of their relationship until they come together to bury Isaac (Genesis 35:29).
סֻכּוֹת ("Succoth") — The name means "booths" or "shelters." Jacob makes סֻכֹּת (shelters) for his livestock, and so the place is called סֻכּוֹת — a straightforward naming etiology. Succoth is located in the Jordan Valley east of the river, in the territory later given to Gad (Joshua 13:27). That Jacob builds "a house for himself" (בַּיִת) suggests he stayed for a significant period before moving on to Shechem. The word סֻכֹּת is the same word used for the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Leviticus 23:42-43), though the connection here is etymological rather than theological.
Jacob Settles at Shechem (vv. 18-20)
18 After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city. 19 And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of silver. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. 19 He bought the plot of land on which he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitahs. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
Notes
וַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב שָׁלֵם — The word שָׁלֵם is a translation crux. It can be read as an adjective meaning "safely, in peace, whole" (so ESV, NIV, BSB), or as a place name "Shalem" (so KJV: "he came to Shalem, a city of Shechem"). Most modern translations read it as an adjective: Jacob arrived "safely" or "in peace." This reading is theologically satisfying — Jacob, who vowed at Bethel that if God brought him back בְּשָׁלוֹם ("in peace") he would worship the LORD (Genesis 28:21), has now returned שָׁלֵם. God has fulfilled His promise, and Jacob's response is to build an altar (v. 20). The word שָׁלֵם also resonates with שָׁלוֹם and anticipates Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם), the city of peace.
מֵאָה קְשִׂיטָה ("a hundred kesitahs") — The קְשִׂיטָה is an archaic unit of value that appears only three times in the Hebrew Bible: here, in Joshua 24:32 (which references this same purchase), and in Job 42:11. Its exact value is unknown. The purchase of land is significant: like Abraham's purchase of the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23), Jacob's purchase of land at Shechem establishes a legal stake in the promised land. This plot later becomes the burial site of Joseph's bones (Joshua 24:32) and the location of "Jacob's well" in the New Testament (John 4:5-6).
אֵל אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ("El-Elohe-Israel" / "God, the God of Israel") — The altar name is profoundly significant. Jacob uses his new name — Israel — to identify the God he worships. This is the first time Jacob uses the name given to him at Peniel (Genesis 32:28). Where Abraham built an altar and called on "the name of the LORD" (Genesis 12:8), Jacob builds an altar and declares "God is the God of Israel." The name אֵל ("God, Mighty One") is an ancient Semitic divine title. By naming the altar this way, Jacob publicly claims the God of his fathers as his own God — fulfilling the personal relationship anticipated in his Bethel vow (Genesis 28:20-21). The altar is both a declaration of worship and a declaration of identity: the man who was once merely Jacob now knows himself as Israel, and he knows his God as the God of Israel.