Jacob Meets Esau Again

Continuing my chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 33:1) And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and there Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. (2) And he put the maidservants and their children in front, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph last. (3) And he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

In the last chapter, Jacob had prepared himself to meet Esau, whom he feared still wanted to kill him.  He divided his company and possessions into two bands, saying that if Esau attacked one, the other might escape.  Now Jacob separated his wives and children into their own smaller groups.  It seems he placed the ones he esteemed less toward the front, and kept Rachel and Joseph, his most beloved, last.  He himself went out in front and went near to his brother, bowing all the way, it seems.

(4) And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

Esau ran to and embraced his brother with what appears to be genuine love and affection.  If he had harbored any ill feelings toward Jacob, he had forgiven him upon the sight of him, or perhaps he had long ago forgiven him.  Either way, Jacob's prayers were certainly answered and his fears abated, and he wept surely out of relief as well as out of joy for this reconciliation.

(5) And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, "Who are those with you?" And he said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant." (6) Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. (7) And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves; and after Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed themselves.

When Jacob had sent the message ahead to Esau, he never mentioned his wives and children, so now when Esau saw them, he asked whose they were.  Jacob answered that they were his gifts from God, and one by one, the small groups of his family came up to Esau and bowed themselves in greeting.

(8) And he said, "What do you mean by all this drove which I met?" And he said, "These are to find grace in the sight of my lord." (9) And Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself."

Now Esau asked Jacob about all the herds which went before him.  He had been told by the messengers about those, but he wanted to ask his brother about them.  When Jacob told him they were meant to be a gift to him, he once again showed sincerity that he was truly reconciled with his brother and didn't need anything from him to make up for any hurts of the past.

(10) And Jacob said, "No, please, if I have now found grace in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, for therefore I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me. (11) Please take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." And he urged him, and he took it.

Jacob insisted that Esau take his present.  He surely felt as if he had seen the face of God in that God so graciously answered his prayers and worked on the heart of Esau his brother.  I don't see that there was anything in the scriptures leading up to their meeting that showed that Esau still harbored resentment toward his brother.  One might ask why he had four hundred men with him, and there could be countless speculations as to why, but whether he just recently came to forgiveness for his brother, or if he had long ago forgiven him, it was still God working within his heart for love and forgiveness.  At Jacob's urging, Esau did take the gift, but it is apparent there was no selfish covetousness on his part.

(12) And he said, "Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you."

At first glance, it is difficult to know which "he" is speaking, but judging by the "he" who answered, this was Esau inviting Jacob to come along and follow him back to his home.

(13) And he said to him, "My lord knows 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. (14) Let my lord please pass over before his servant, and I will lead on softly as the cattle that go before me, and the children are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir."

Jacob declined the company and asked that he and his family and flocks be allowed to take their time and go slowly.  He asked that Esau go on ahead of him and Jacob would travel at the pace that his children and the young of the herds could endure and he would come to Esau at Seir later.

(15) And Esau said, "Now let me leave with you some of the folks who are with me." And he said, "What need is it? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord."

Esau offered to leave some of his men with Jacob's company, perhaps to show them the way or help them along, but Jacob refused, saying there really was no need.  As long as he had Esau's favor and good will, that is all he needed.  Interestingly, in the last few verses of this chapter, there is no record of Jacob ever going to Esau's home.  I suppose it's possible that he did and it is not recorded, but it may be that Jacob never planned to go to Esau's home.  He asked not to travel with him and refused any help or company in his travels.  It may be that all he really did desire was to have found grace and forgiveness from his brother, and then went on to build his life in his homeland.

(16) So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. (17) And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

Esau returned to his home in Seir, and Jacob traveled to Succoth.  It would appear that he is the one who named the place Succoth, which literally meant "booths", as that is where he built a house and made booths, or some sort of huts or stalls for his animals.

(18) And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city.

It is unclear to me if Jacob moved on after building his house in Succoth, or if this is more detail about the place where he built his house and his booths.  Some Bible scholars say that Shalem was not meant to be the name of a place, but rather as the word means "complete, safe, peaceful", the meaning was that Jacob came safely and soundly to a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan.  That is where he ultimately came after he left Padan Aram, and he pitched his tent near the city, but it would seem not in it.  Since Jacob is the one who named Succoth, I wonder if he didn't come safely to a location near Shechem and built his home at a place he called Succoth.  It doesn't appear that any of the old commentaries saw it that way, and it may be that the two cities are not close enough that that idea makes any sense, but it just seems a bit odd to me that Jacob built a house and booths in one place and then moved on and pitched a tent.  Perhaps it shows that Jacob is making a name and multiple places for himself and his God in the region.

(19) And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money.

Jacob bought a parcel of land where he had pitched his tent near Shechem.  He bought it from Shechem's descendants, apparently the person for whom Shechem was named.  Once again, I am unclear as to whether Jacob built a house and booths in an unhabited area until he could buy the land from Shechem, or if this outlying area of Shechem became Succoth after he bought it.  I suppose if I am to read nothing extra into the scriptures, I will have to assume he lived in Succoth first and then moved on to Shechem.  They are definitely two different places, perhaps not too far from each other, but they are two different places.

(20) And he erected there an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.

There in the parcel of land that Jacob bought near Shechem, he built an altar and called it El Elohe Israel, which literally meant "the mighty God of Israel".  At this point, Israel is only the name given to Jacob; it is not yet a place, so Jacob is calling this altar in honor of his mighty God who had blessed him and delivered him back to this land.